Month: March 2017

March 8 is International Women’s Rights Day, and Monaco is in the forefront of supporting gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, as set out by the United Nations as part of its Sustainable Development strategy.

The right to education and economic empowerment are central to the vision of the Monegasque Cooperation and the Principality, through the Directorate of International Cooperation and the many projects it works with on the ground.

In its partner countries, for example, in Burundi, the Principality of Monaco, in partnership with UNESCO, provides schooling and vocational training for 2,000 girls in vulnerable situations. At the same time, their mothers, grouped in associations, benefit from literacy classes and activities enabling them to generate income for their families.

In Niger, the Monegasque Cooperation supports microcredits to enable vulnerable women to acquire, for example, a flock of sheep, while in Northern Mali, with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, Monaco’s involvement enables 1,000 women living in rural areas to develop market garden activities.

The Monegasque Cooperation also assists women in health matters, notably to improve maternal and child health in the Kolda region of Senegal. In partnership with the African NGO AMREF, under the “Stand Up for African Mothers” programme to train 15,000 midwives in Africa, the Monegasque Cooperation backs digital training to help make it possible to reduce the very high maternal and infant mortality rates in the region.

Help is also provided to the World Food Programme in Madagascar for women living in the south of the island, who are particularly affected by chronic malnutrition. Through the project, more than 2,400 pregnant women receive nutritional support and iron and folic acid supplementation each year, which reduces stunting and cognitive development problems in unborn children. (Feature image: The UNFPA project in Madagascar allows pregnant and breastfeeding women to receive suppor ©JMBernard/REALIS/DCI)

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Research carried out by members of the team at the Monaco Scientific Centre (CSM) has thrown new light on the contribution to the environment made by submarine seagrass meadows.

Seagrass meadows are areas composed of flowering plants and, in Mediterranean regions, they are mainly composed of Posidonia. Hotspots of biodiversity, seagrass meadows are a major ecosystem, capable of reducing the effects of increasing carbon dioxide.

An international team, including a post-doctoral researcher from the CSM, Dr Jeroen Van de Water, has just highlighted a new role played by this ecosystem, as a water purifier.

The study shows that seagrass meadows can reduce the number of pathogenic bacteria for humans up to 50 percent. They also reduce the number of bacteria that are pathogenic to the environment, so corals near marine meadows are much less affected by bacterial pathologies.

To reach this conclusion, Joleah Lamb and colleagues worked in the waters off four Indonesian islands to assess the influence of seagrass beds on marine microbial pathogens. In coastal waters, researchers found that the amount of the Enterococcus bacteria was 10 times higher than the level of exposure to human health risk recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Enterococcus levels were reduced three times in the presence of seagrass beds. The abundance of pathogens from several marine fish and invertebrates was also halved in the presence of healthy seagrass beds.

In addition, field surveys of more than 8,000 reef-building corals, adjacent to marine grasslands, showed a two-fold reduction in disease compared to corals without nearby meadows.

Unfortunately, coastal development has resulted in a loss of marine grasslands worldwide estimated at seven percent each year since 1990. This study is likely to strengthen the protection and development of this important ecosystem and its findings underscore the importance of marine ecosystems to the health of humans and other organisms. Not only could they contribute to improving water quality in ever-denser coastal areas but they could also play a key role in supporting the rapid growth of aquaculture in the face of global food shortages.

The elimination of human pathogens from water is essential for human health. Plants, with their natural biocides, play a vital role, which can offer significant economic benefits. For example, New York City has chosen in recent years to restore and develop wetland habitats in the watershed instead spending $8 billion to build a treatment plant, saving billions of dollars in capital and ongoing costs.

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Monaco continues its commitment to the Mars Bleu (“Blue March”) campaign for the prevention and screening of colon cancer, particularly by raising public awareness of colorectal cancer screening. Just like “Pink October”, a time dedicated to the detection of breast cancer, the month of March will be tinted blue for a parallel problem.

This pathology, which is responsible for 18,000 deaths each year in France, mainly affects individuals over the age of fifty. This demographic will be the main target of the awareness campaign in the Principality and in neighbouring countries. This cancer is very common, second only to lung cancer in men, and breast cancer in women.

Colon cancer can be detected despite the absence of symptoms. This campaign for prevention and screening aims at encouraging people to seek a colonoscopy, especially if there is a family history, a “transit” that becomes irregular, unusual intestinal pain or blood appearing in the stool.

A permanent screening program, supported by the Department of Health and Social Affairs, began in 2006. It covers all people between the ages of 50 and 80. Between 2006 and 2015, 30,000 people received an invitation for a test and 12,000 people benefited from the “Hemoccult” test which allows the search for blood in the stool, of which 130 tests proved positive.

In November 2015, a new immunological test replaced the Hemoccult test: it is easier to use and more efficient. The Laboratory of Biology at the Princess Grace Hospital Centre has been equipped with an automated system designed to interpret the immunological tests (OC Sensor).

A total of 1,900 tests were conducted in 2016, of which 56 returned positive and allowed an early and favourable treatment of the affected patients. In the case of a negative test, screening will be repeated every two years. The survival rate of this pathology is closely correlated with the speed of its diagnosis: the earlier it is taken, the less invasive the therapy will be, and the less severe the side effects of the treatment.

Colonoscopy is carried out on an outpatient basis with a very light general anaesthesia and allows an accurate diagnosis: possible discovery of polyps, which can be ablated, or cancer. Colonoscopy and screening significantly decrease the mortality rate of this cancer. The rules of hygiene and dietetics – limiting the consumption of tobacco, alcohol, red meats, and engaging in sporting activities – contribute to the reduction of this contribution to the health vulnerability of Western populations.

Operation “Mars Bleu” 2017, like every year, is able to send out a strong message to highlight the fight against colon cancer. For any questions regarding colon cancer screening, contact +377 97 98 83 02. The Monegasque centre for screening is open Monday through Thursday, from 9 am to 5 pm; and Friday from 9 am to 2 pm.

In February 2000, President Bill Clinton officially dedicated March as National Colon Cancer Awareness Month, which has gained support by various countries around the world. Share your blue look in Monaco this month on Instagram #monacolife_ (Feature image: Vic)

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Avinco Helicopters, a Monaco company that specialises in helicopter sales, acquisitions, and trading, has reported 27 helicopter transactions in 2016, plus a repossession contract involving 21 Airbus H225s and an EC155.

In its 2016 annual results, Avinco said the 27 transactions had a combined value of $54 million. The repossession contract involved Avinco recovering, storing, managing and remarketing the aircraft on behalf of a consortium of creditor banks along with Coface, France’s export credit agency.

Avinco CEO Francois Gautier said, “There is a healthy liquidity for single-engine helicopters in most parts of the world, and demand remains fairly strong in Emergency Medical Services. Finding a home for heavy machines, even for a short lease, is harder, and 2017 will see overcapacity in heavy machines with uncertain prospects for both AH225s and [Sikorsky] S-92s. This may impact overall market confidence.”

Avinco has bases in Monaco, Dublin, New York and Singapore and also manages a portfolio of 14 leased aircraft, according to Aviation International News.

“Fundamentally, Avinco’s approach to the market remains unchanged. In spite of the ongoing downturn in oil-and-gas, Chapter 11 issues with North American operators and economic uncertainties in Europe and the US, we continue to identify opportunities where they lie in the market. Our success is mainly due to our international presence and long-standing track record, Gautier said.

The company operates from the Gildo Pastor Centre and has offices worldwide. For a list of available helicopters see their website.

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