Kent and Sussex Region (KSX) celebrated the Christmas Season for lunch at the Hummingbird Restaurant at Shoreham (Brighton) Airport, which is a favourite venue for many of our members and which offers a very good seasonal menu at a convenient and interesting Art Deco location. 14 members and guests enjoyed good food in a convivial atmosphere to round out the year. Seasons Greetings and Happy New Year to all our members. Terri, Heather and Richard

On 11th November 2025, the IDS Alumni Office and BAFUNCS organised a panel on United Nations careers. This event provided an opportunity for students and alumni to learn about the realities of a UN career, and the opportunity to connect with and gain insights from current and former UN employees. The event was attended by over 100 IDS students and webcast to over 300 IDS alumni. Stephen Rudgard (Chair) and Nicholas Rosellini (Vice Chair) represented BAFUNCS on the panel. You can read about the event and watch a recording on the IDS website.

Many of our members are also members of our sister organisation, the United Nations Association of the United Kingdom (UNA-UK), which has an interesting programme of events coming up in the New Year. The first of these is an event on 17 January to celebrate the UN General Assembly’s 80th Birthday at the Central Hall Westminster, where the first General Assembly was convened on that day in 1946.  You can check the details and book your ticket by CLICKING HERE.  UNA-UK is very warm in welcoming BAFUNCS members, irrespective of whether or not you are a member:  “We would very much like to welcome BAFUNCS members to attend our upcoming half-day conference to mark the 80th anniversary of the UN General Assembly, with a keynote speech from the UN Secretary General. We intend for this meeting to be an opportunity to bring together a wide range of people who care about the UN, and we would greatly value having you there as people who have served the UN in so many different roles and countries. We’ll also be inviting student societies and youth groups and would like to have a diverse and intergenerational mix of participants – we already know we will have a group of Youth Ambassadors from UNA Australia joining us. Please do share the details with friends and help us welcome the UN SG in style with a big, engaged audience, to discuss the UN’s past, present and future.” For those interested, UNA-UK has just published its new Strategy 2026-2030. UNA-UK also plans a Speaker Series during 2026, details of which will be announced on its website in due course. Visit the UNA/UK Website to Read More

We  met up for  drinks in the bar followed by lunch, admirably served  by the welcoming staff at the George Inn.  There was a vibrant and festive atmosphere with the the lively chatter of eleven members,  pausing only  to raise a toast  to absent friends.       Some announcements were made by Nicky Rodgers including a promotion of the AR 2026 to be held 13-15 September in Cardiff with a great programme of events being promised.  The next CAM region AGM and lunch will take place on 12 March in Thetford.