Call for global coalition against malaria

07/07/2018 0 Comments read Health & Science

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 07.07.2018 (SciDev.Net): The inaugural Malaria World Congress (2—5 July) in Melbourne has called on the global community to work unitedly to enhance political and financial support to combat the debilitating disease.

“The status quo is not okay as so much suffering depends on us acting, and acting vigorously,” said Brendan Crabb, immunologist and chief executive officer of Burnet Institute, a Melbourne-based not-for-profit research and public health organisation, while delivering the keynote closing address.

“It is not just engaging but putting the vulnerable communities that are the least listened to at the head of the table — to innovate, and to collaborate, is what will give us the motivation to finish the job (malaria elimination) in the countries that need the last mile to be achieved,” Crabb said.

Continue reading on SciDev.Net Asia & Pacific

© Copyright Neena Bhandari. All rights reserved. Republication, copying or using information from neenabhandari.com content is expressly prohibited without the permission of the writer and the media outlet syndicating or publishing the article.

UN procurements favour developing countries

27/06/2018 0 Comments read Features

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 27.06.2018 (SciDev.Net): Nearly 59 per cent of the United Nations (UN) procurements in 2017 worth US$11 billion were from developing countries, least developed countries (LDCs) and countries with economies in transition, according to a UN official statistical report released last week (21 June).

Asia remained the region with the highest procurement volume but saw a US$129 million reduction compared to 2016 — the largest decrease in absolute terms of any region. Three developing countries — India with total procurement of US$907 million, UAE with US$797 million and Kenya with US$503 million — were among the top 10 supplier countries in 2017. Combined, the three countries accounted for nearly 12 per cent of the total UN procurement for 2017. The US remains the largest supplier to the UN with US$1.7 billion largely on the back of management and services.

Continue reading on SciDev.Net Asia & Pacific edition.

© Copyright Neena Bhandari. All rights reserved. Republication, copying or using information from neenabhandari.com content is expressly prohibited without the permission of the writer and the media outlet syndicating or publishing the article.

Fall by the Side: The natural wonder of Horizontal Falls

03/06/2018 0 Comments read Travel

By Neena Bhandari

Horizontal Falls (Western Australia), 03.06.2018 (The Indian Express): A starlit sky and a lone street lamp are my sole companions as I wait for the Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures (HFSA) tour bus outside my hotel in Broome. At 5am, the bus arrives, packed with travellers — some excited, others wary of boarding a small Cessna Amphibian seaplane.

At the airport, young Tonnia meticulously weighs us and our bags, and assigns seats, before fastening herself into the pilot seat. It is a picture-perfect day to fly low over Broome, the Dampier Peninsula, and hundreds of islands of the Buccaneer Archipelago in Australia’s pristine north-western Kimberley region.

Continue reading →