United Nations chooses leading marketplace builder Arcadier to defeat non-communicable diseases around the world

SINGAPORE, Oct. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Arcadier, a Singapore-headquartered online marketplace builder, has been chosen by the United Nations Office for Project Services' (UNOPS) Defeat-NCD (Non-Communicable Disease) Partnership as the partner for their Defeat-NCD Marketplace.

The online marketplace will enable the cost-effective and efficient provision of essential NCD supplies to national NCD programmes in low-resource countries. NCDs claim more than 41 million lives each year, equivalent to 71% of all deaths globally.

Set to launch by end Q1 2019, the Defeat-NCD Marketplace will be available to pre-approved buyers, including government agencies and non-governmental groups, who will be able to source for NCD supplies. Having these supplies in a global, private marketplace will allow countries to pool their buying power; with lower prices from greater efficiencies in planning, manufacturing and supply chain.

Arcadier aims to deploy the marketplace in 100 resource-poor countries over the next three to five years. A pilot of six countries representing Southeast Asia, Africa, Central Europe and the Americas, will be able to purchase pre-approved supplies and undergo training on the system. Arcadier will be opening new offices in Europe and East Africa to bridge efforts between its African operations and the UN. 

Dr Mukesh Kapila, Chief Executive of the Defeat-NCD Partnership, said: "The world is moving towards digitalization and the UN is constantly seeking new technology to solve major world issues. We are excited to partner Arcadier to create the Defeat-NCD Marketplace, which will reduce barriers and costs in the distribution of quality-assured NCD medicines, diagnostics and associated equipment to where they are needed most, speedily and reliably."

The marketplace is based on Arcadier's platform, which has been in development since 2013 and used to create more than 7,000 marketplaces in over 130 countries.

Speaking of the announcement, Dinuke Ranasinghe, Chief Executive Officer of Arcadier, said, "This partnership adds a powerful operational capability to our team and effectively moves us from a marketplace provider to a technology company that manages and operates global, online marketplaces, with potentially thousands of SKUs from hundreds of sellers that will impact the lives of millions of people around the world. We're confident that the experience we have working on commercial marketplaces around the world will lead us to success in this project."

Media Contact

Kenneth Low
Public Relations for Arcadier
press@arcadier.com
www.arcadier.com

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