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A world-wide initiative to define the challenges facing the peoples of the tropics was launched today by 13 leading research institutions across 12 countries.
The group has released an early insight of its planned State of the Tropics Report with details of why life expectancy is lower in the region than in the rest of the world.
The full report to be published next year will shine a light on the critical importance of the people and issues of the tropical world, and contribute to efforts to improve the lives of the peoples of the Tropics and their environment.
The 13 institutions involved are:
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The University of the South Pacific, Fiji;
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Escuela Superior Politiécnica del Litorial, Ecuador;
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James Cook University, Australia;
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Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, England;
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Mahidol University, Thailand;
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Singapore’s National University and the Nanyang Technological University;
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Organization for Tropical Studies, Costa Rican hub;
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University of Copenhagen, Denmark;
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University of Hawaii – Manoa – USA;
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University of Nairobi, Kenya;
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University of Papua New Guinea; and,
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Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Brazil.
The first of four early insights ahead of the State of the Tropics Report was released today in Nairobi, Kenya, by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, Professor George Magoha.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific, Professor Rajesh Chandra, said that in Fiji life expectancy was now at 68.8 years, a lift of 16.6 years since the 1950s.
“Established in 1968 and jointly owned by the governments of 12 member countries - Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Samoa - our University’s vision includes enhancing Pacific peoples' capability to lead free and worthwhile lives,” Professor Chandra said.
“The State of the Tropics project will certainly assist us in achieving that vision.”
The Life Expectancy insight published today shows that between 1950 and 2010 the gap between the life expectancy of women and men in the Tropics has widened in favor of women.
Infant mortality across the whole of the tropics fell from 161 deaths per 1000 live births to 58 over the same period. However in the rest of the world it is 33 and the rate of improvement has been greater.
As a general rule, regions that have experienced large falls in the absolute infant mortality rate also report large improvements in life expectancy.
In launching the paper, Professor Magoha noted that the exception was Central & Southern Africa, where although infant mortality rates have fallen significantly, high mortality rates in the non-infant population, largely related to HIV/AIDS, have constrained overall improvements in life expectancy.
[The paper on Life Expectancy in the Tropics can be found at here]
Professor Sandra Harding, the Vice Chancellor of Australia’s James Cook University which initiated the State of the Tropics project, said that over the past half-century the Tropics has emerged as an increasingly critical region.
“More than 40% of the world’s population now lives in the Tropics and this is likely to be close to 50% by 2050,” she said. “The region generates around 20% of global economic output and is home to some 80% of the world’s biodiversity”
“However, the resources to sustain larger populations and economic growth are imposing ever-increasing pressures.”
Issues of concern include relatively poor health outcomes, with more than one billion people suffering from tropical diseases, unacceptable levels of infant mortality and reduced life expectancy; extreme poverty; poor educational outcomes; environmental degradation; and, in some cases, political and economic instability.
“The key objective of the project is to enable a better understanding of the tropical world, the key challenges of the region as well as the opportunities it provides,” Professor Harding said.
It is intended that the State of the Tropics Report will be published every five years with a annual State of the Tropics paper focusing on a key issue.
Contact:
Professor Rajesh Chandra +679 3232 313
Professor Sandra Harding +61 7 4781 4165
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