Dear AFICS/NY members,
I am delighted to share the Summer 2026 edition of the AFICS/NY Bulletin Vol. 55 ◆ No. 2 ◆ Summer 2026, dedicated to the theme of Volunteerism—what it can represent in retirement and how our members contribute to their communities and to AFICS/NY as volunteers.
In this edition, we have a wide range of articles about how volunteerism has given new meaning to retirees in their post-UN life. We hope you will be inspired by the Feature article based on an interview with the Executive Coordinator of UN Volunteers, Toily Kurbanov, who shares how this lesser-known part of the UN system has evolved and now offers opportunities for UN retirees as well. We also have an uplifting farewell note from our Chair of the Communications Committee, Gail Bindley-Taylor, who is stepping down after 11 years with the AFICS/NY Governing Board. The In Memoriam section remembers colleagues and friends who have left us and celebrates their lives.
We hope you enjoy reading this Bulletin and will appreciate the many fresh beginnings, including the newly-launched AFICS/NY website. ( www.aficsny.org )
My sincere thanks go to the Co-Editors of the Bulletin, Gail Bindley-Taylor and Mita Hosali, and the tremendously talented Graphic Designer, Laura Frischeisen, for breathing life and colour into text. Thanks go as well to the rest of the Communications Committee for supporting their efforts, particularly Judith Karl, Shirley Brownell, Alice Harrison, Dawne Gautier, Delia Barcelona, and Velimir Kovacevic. I also warmly thank all of you who contributed your stories, which are always a pleasure to read.
I wish you all a happy and cool summer, and I look forward to our next edition.
