Sunderbans – Wild Water Adeventure

28/12/2018 0 Comments read Travel

By Neena Bhandari

Gothkali (West Bengal, India), 28.12.2018 (The Weekend, Khaleej Times): Three cubs frolicking around a tigress sprawled under the shade of a Sal (Shorea robusta) tree is one of the many enduring images I have of tigers in the wild. Encounters with big cats are not uncommon in India’s 50 tiger reserves, but in the mangrove forests of the Sunderbans, this shy predator remains elusive.

A common refrain from visitors to the 2,585 square kilometre Sunderban Tiger Reserve, comprising the world’s largest delta formed by the confluence of three rivers – the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna – flowing into the Bay of Bengal, is that sighting a Royal Bengal Tiger is near impossible.

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Healthcare eludes poorer women in rural Asia Pacific

21/12/2018 0 Comments read Gender, Health & Science

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 21.12.2018 (SciDev.Net): Rural women in low-income households cannot access healthcare services due to distance and financial reasons. However, overall, healthcare access has improved in 27 countries of the Asia Pacific region over the past decade, says a new joint report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Health at a Glance Asia-Pacific 2018 notes that in Nepal and the Solomon Islands, about three in four women with the lowest household income reported difficulties in accessing healthcare due to financial reasons; two in three reported having unmet care needs due to distance.

The report highlights that achieving Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is based on the “leave no one behind” premise.

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Conference Calls for Mainstreaming Human Rights Education

03/12/2018 0 Comments read Education

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 03.12.2018 (IDN-InDepthNews) – More investment is needed in human rights education and strengthening of civil society to address inequality and sustainability – the main objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This was the key message from the Ninth International Conference on Human Rights Education (ICHRE) held in Sydney, Australia.

Drawing inspiration from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which marks its 70th Anniversary this year, the ICHRE 2018 (November 26-29) recommended all stakeholders to mainstream human rights education as a tool for social cohesion towards peaceful coexistence; and strive to bridge the significant gap between integrating human rights education in the curricula and its implementation.

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