Recent studies by the United Nations University - Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) demonstrate that bioprospecting is taking place in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean and that related commercial applications were being marketed. The bioprospectors’ interest in Antarctica stems from two reasons. First, the lack of knowledge surrounding Antarctic biota provides opportunities to discover novel organisms of potential use to biotechnology. Second, Antarctica’s environmental extremes, such as cold temperatures, extreme aridity and salinity present conditions in which biota have evolved unique characteristics for survival (UNU-IAS 2003). Thus bioprospecting opportunities include, inter alia, the discovery of novel bioactives in species found in cold and dry lithic habitat, novel pigments found in hyper-saline lakes and antifreezes in sea-lakes (Cheng & Cheng 1999).
In December 2009, at the UN Climate Change Conference COP 15 in Copenhagen, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, the Rt. Hon. Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, had announced that “Malaysia is adopting an indicator of a voluntary reduction of up to 40% in terms of emissions intensity of GDP by the year 2020 compared to 2005 levels. This indicator is conditional on receiving the transfer of technology and finance of adequate and effective levels from Annex 1 partners, that correspond to what is required in order to achieve this indicator”. Malaysia also needs to decouple its GDP from its current relatively high carbon-based energy demand. In trying to meet both these targets, we need to intensify our research efforts in energy-based areas. As government funding in R&D is limited as the aim is for research to be private-sector driven, and with the grim global economic scenario today, it is most unlikely that Malaysia will get any assistance financially or technologically from Annex 1 nations. It is therefore proposed that Malaysia considers implementing a dedicated carbon cess on petroleum products to fund R&D in the country. (Copied from article).
This article is based on the findings of the Global International Waters Assessment (GIWA) Subregion 53, Bay of Bengal. It introduces the Subregion. The wide disparity in development indicators in the Bay of Bengal Subregion (BOBSR) is presented. The large population of poor people living in South Asia is presented as a factor that needs special attention. The article focuses on the 3 geographic sites selected for detailed analysis: i) the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna river systems; ii) the Merbok Estuary mangroves, Malaysia; and iii) the Sunderbans mangroves, Bangladesh. Integrated water management based upon regional cooperation among Bangladesh, India and Nepal holds opportunities for mutual benefit. Policy options are proposed. For mangrove ecosystems, the impacts of urbanization in Malaysia and the unmanaged expansion of shrimp farming in Bangladesh are analyzed. Improved governance was seen to hold promise for enhancing economic benefits from shrimp farming while safeguarding the natural ecological system. However, these measures need to be a part of national efforts to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in November 2015 which included a set of 17 measurable "sustainable development goals" (SDGs). The SDGs included targets to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age by 2030, universal health care coverage, reduction of premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) by 33% as well as support the development and research for medicines for both communicable and NCDs. Although some successes were achieved in combating communicable diseases and improved childhood mortality rates, health systems in Asia are generally characterized by lack of accurate epidemiological information on congenital disorders, lack of human and financial resources, and inadequate focus on public health strategies to ensure targeted interventions, low level knowledge on congenital disorders amongst the community and healthcare providers and the ethical dilemma of managing rare congenital disorders in an environment of low national health expenditures. These bottlenecks must be addressed systematically and interventions such as the use of innovative epidemiological tools to overcome lack of data, increased efforts to standardize rare disease nomenclature and classification and renewed interest in birth defects registries by countries in the region must be considered. Targeted curative and public health approaches currently used in thalassaemia and neural tube defects may be used for other congenital disorders in Asian countries. The implementation of congenital disorders-related research, prevention, care, and treatment delivery services must be integrated into existing health systems in order to be effective to achieve the targets of SDG2030.
PIP: In 1976 the United Nations's Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific launched a comparative study on integrated family planning programs in a number of countries in the region. In November 1979 the study directors from the participating countries meet in Bangkok to discuss the current status of the studies in their countries. The Korean and Malaysian studies were completed, the Bangladesh study was in the data collecting phase, and the Pakistani research design phase was completed. The meeting participants focused their attention on the findings and policy implications of the 2 completed studies and also discussed a number of theorectical and methodological issues which grew out of their research experience. The Malaysian study indicated that group structure, financial resources, and the frequency and quality of worker-client contact were the most significant variables determining program effectiveness. In the Korean Study, leadership, financial resources, and the frequency and quality of contact between agencies were the key variables in determining program effectiveness. In the Malaysian study there was a positive correlation between maternal and child health service performance measures and family planning service performance measures. This finding supported the contention that these 2 types of service provision are not in conflict with each other but instead serve to reinforce each other. Policy implications of the Korean study were 1) family planning should be an integral part of all community activities; 2) family planning workers should be adequately supported by financial and supply allocations; and 3) adequate record keeping and information exchange procedures should be incorporated in the programs.
The trend of global under-five child mortality rate showed a steady decrease at -3.14% per year
approaching the United Nations millennium development goals target (-4.0% reduction per year
from 1990-2015). This rate is usually inversely proportional to the nations GDP. However, the
progress in the recent years (2006-2012) in Malaysia has raised a disturbing concern with an
annual average increment of +0.81% per year. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify the
reasons of such risky ecosystem. By analyzing recorded data on river pollution from 2007-
2012, we found that river pollution has high correlation with the gross domestic products, not at
the same year, but for two years prior that indicates a lag time. We also found that under-five
child mortality has strong correlation with the river pollutions. The development-pollutionhealth
triangular cycle needs to be put in a balanced to ensure the nation prosperity and
sustainability of the nation.
Nearly every 2 minutes, somewhere in the world, a woman dies because of complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Every such death is an overwhelming catastrophe for everyone confronted with it. Most deaths occur in developing countries, especially in Africa and southern Asia, but a significant number also occur in the developed world.
There is a strong need to reduce costs of hospital and advocating health economics in countries like the United States of America. The rising cost of healthcare globally especially in the United States of America has interestingly outraged the temper of many citizens about the Obamacare and Trumpcare. The issue about high cost in healthcare is the failure for people globally to recognize that healthcare facility is a 24-hour round-the-clock service. It therefore involves doubling of the utility bills, tripling the manpower due to shifts and rest, wear-and-tear of basic electrical devices is short-lived, breakdown period of huge machine is consistently due to overloaded usages in the government hospitals and poor knowledge of the maintenance programme. Low birth weights (LBW) is a public health concern because it has a well-known predisposition to increased risk for perinatal infections, respiratory distress and ultimately mortality. There is also a higher risk of poor health outcomes throughout the life course of the LBW newborns that includes Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, neurodevelopmental disabilities and cardiovascular diseases. The World Health Organization and United Nations Child’s Fund estimate the prevalence of low birth weights in the world ranges from 3% to 32%. Albania in the year 2000 recorded prevalence of low birth weight of 3% whereas Yemen recorded a low birth weight of 32% in 1997. In 2015, the US national vital statistics pointed out that 83.9% of preterm birth (PTB) are LBW. This indicates that prevention of PTB will lead to a decrease in the incidence of LBW.
Since 1996, World Health Organisation (WHO) and member countries, through the World Health Assembly Resolution 49.25 acknowledged violence (including violence against women) (VAW) as a serious public health issue. The United Nations, at its Sixty-second General Assembly on 7 February 2008 not only reiterated the health impact of VAW but also the rights dimension of VAW and sees it “…as an offence against the dignity and integrity of the victim… and that all forms of violence against women seriously violate and impair or nullify the enjoyment of women of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and constitute a major impediment to the ability of women to make use of their capabilitiesâ€.
Some call it climate change and some global warming, regardless of the term used, it has been deemed the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. It is the 13th goal of United Nations Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDG). Multiple factors contribute to this global phenomenon including the anthropogenic causes which are man-made. The repercussions of this crisis are vast and bring effect environmentally and socioeconomically. These then ultimately lead towards an effect on individual as well as population health.
In this modern and fast-moving world, elderly’s safety and security have become an important issue. According to the World Population Prospects of the United Nations 2015, there is 12.3 per cent population aged 60 and above globally and it is the fastest growing population at a rate of 3.26 per cent per year. In order to reduce the worries about the elderly living alone at home, Elderly Monitoring System is required for continuous monitoring. “Fall†is one of the critical incidents for the elderly living alone as it causes serious injuries. A fall detection system using global system for mobile communication can help to reduce the time of unaware of their next of kin.