Children around the world are not getting the nutrients they need, undermining their capacity to grow, develop and learn to their full potential. According to the State of the World’s Children 2019: children, food and nutrition’ report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), one in three children under five is not properly growing due to malnutrition.

Nutrition is central to the growth, cognitive development, school performance and future productivity of children.However, traditional and indigenous foods are slowly being cast aside in favour of modern diets that are low in nutrients and fibre but high in sugars and fats.Combined with busy lifestyles and budgetary concerns, malnutrition is taking a toll on a sizable portion of ASEAN children.A report yesterday by UNICEF, the United Nations’ children’s agency, warns that millions of

From teen activist Greta Thunberg’s much-publicized transatlantic journey on a zero-emissions boat to attend the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to the proliferation of climate protests, the world is more aware than ever of the climate threat. Yet this increased awareness has yet to translate into collective action by world leaders to mitigate climate change, let alone targeted efforts to protect the most vulnerable groups – beginning with women and girls.The facts speak for themselves.

The United Nations (UN) expects 68 percent of the world’s population to live in urban areas by 2050. As governments scramble to manage this flood of urban migration, they must address not only basic needs such as housing and employment but also issues impacting liveability and public health – including air pollution.Nowhere is this challenge more urgent than in Asia. In recent months, cities like Bangkok, Seoul, Kathmandu, and Dhaka have faced major pollution events.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that over 800,000 people commit suicide every year. For every suicide there are many more who attempt suicide as well. A life lost to suicide is always tragic and affects everyone in the community.Malaysia was recently shocked by news of a teen who committed suicide after reaching out in desperation to strangers on Instagram for help, but was unfortunately encouraged by them to take her life instead.

While malnutrition is a global plague, it is a more acute problem in Asia. According to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Bank Group published last year, more than half of all stunted children, almost half of all overweight children and more than two-thirds of all wasted children live in the region.Zooming into Southeast Asia, the results are, unfortunately, not too surprising. The report titled ‘Level

In 2015, Thailand’s National Statistical Office revealed that the number of Thais above the age of 15 who smoked cigarettes had risen to 11.4 million from the previous year – an increase of 21 percent. It also revealed that every year there were about 50,000 Thais who died as a result of smoking.Despite the staggering number of deaths, Thailand will not be increasing its cigarette tax.

A large portion of the population in Southeast Asia do not have proper information on the air they breathe every day.Released on Tuesday, the 2018 World Air Quality Report from Greenpeace and AirVisual found that while 95 percent of Southeast Asian cities surveyed exceeded the World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual exposure guideline, the lack of data from four countries makes it harder for their citizens to be well informed about the daily health risks they face.The repor

Just 10 countries were responsible for three-quarters of a global surge in measles cases last year, the United Nations (UN) children's agency said Friday, including one of the world's richest nations, France.98 countries reported more cases of measles in 2018 compared with 2017, and the world body warned that conflict, complacency and the growing anti-vaccine movement threatened to undo decades of work to tame the disease."This is a wakeup call.