During the Biafra War (1868-1970 Gertrud Lutz temporarily relocated the centre of her operations from Paris to Geneva in order to be closer to the other international welfare and relief agencies engaged in trying to help the civilian population affected by the war. Under her direction UNICEF looked after around a million imperilled children both during the war and during the post-war period in the early 1970s. After retiring, formally in June 1971, Gertrud Lutz-Fankhauser retained close links with the UNICEF European and North African headquarters in Paris. She continued to appear at international congresses, representing UNICEF, and also built herself a broadly based career as a public speaker, the twin focus of her lectures being on the women's movement and on the peace movement.