KSX UN DAY LUNCH, Thursday 22nd October 2026: A joint event between KSX UN retirees and St.George’s Park residents who have worked abroad in development-related fields, at St. George’s Park Retirement Village, Ditchling Road, Burgess Hill RH15 0SG Programme: From 1200: Meet at Mike and Celia Askwith’s flat, 31 Oakview Court, St. George’s Park, Ditchling Road, Burgess Hill, RH15 0SG. Coffee or prosecco, au choix. 1300: Lunch in the Bistro in Maes Court. 1400: After coffee in the Bistro, brief sharing (5 – 10 minutes) of UN career highlights by anyone interested to contribute (‘When we’ highlights – trying to change the world!), with opportunities for non-UN SGP residents to share their career experiences. (Duration would depend on number of speakers) 1600: Tea and chat. Please let Heather Johnson (heatherjay1234@btinternet.com) know by 12 October if you would like to attend and if you would be willing to share a few words about your career. Please also let Heather know if you would like transport to and from nearby stations. We look forward to welcoming members, particularly members from other regions, to this event. Heather, Mike and Richard

Link to the FAFICS President’s Letter 4th September 2026 The letter from Darshak Shah, the FAFICS President, refers to the large increase in premiums across the various UN Headquarters-administered ASHI plans, and the various benefit changes.  The letter then covers two issues. What is FAFICS doing? The President explains the roles of FAFICS as the unified, system-wide voice of retirees in relation to ASHI, which coordinates closely with the various staff associations, so that the voice of retirees carries real weight with the UN leadership and the ASHI administrators. What can BAFUNCS members do? If you have a concern relating to your ASHI policy about the policy terms or a rejected claim,  you should follow some basic steps:  (1) raise it with your insurance plan administrator and insist on an explanation; (2) if not resolved to your satisfaction, raise it with the health insurance unit of your former organization; (3) if the matter is still not resolved, bring the matter to the attention of BAFUNCS, and we will advise if we are able to and/or see whether the issue can be escalated to FAFICS as a generic, system-wide issue. If you want to bring a point to the attention of BAFUNCS as in item (3) above, please contact: ashi@bafuncs.org  

The end-of-year lunch for the OXF region will be held on Wednesday 2nd December at a pub called “The Greyhound” in the village of Besselsleigh, southwest of Oxford. Our group will have a specific area of the pub reserved for us. The Greyhound will have a special festive menu allowing us to choose two or three courses at a fixed price. There will be a discretionary service charge. The pub is easy to reach, located beside the A420 Oxford-Swindon trunk road, and there is a bus stop opposite the pub served by S6 and S9 bus services from Oxford. The pub has an ample car park, and is fully accessible for those with such requirements. Members from other Regions are welcome. Please contact Jane Forty if you would like to join us: janeeforty@gmail.com.

The Cardiff Annual Reunion was very successful, with much food for thought and good fellowship. As a first offering, you can now view the Photo Album of the event by clicking on the link below.  We hope to provide videos of the main sessions, a summary of their content and a report on the meeting as a whole in due course. Cardiff AR Photo Album Photo credits: Heather Johnson, Vida Sherkat, Carol & Richard Saynor, Karen Jorgensen, Lien Thi Bich, Terence Jones, Nicky Rodgers, Sandra & Robert England.