NATO scientific project to help Mauritania with civil protection and health
Boosting NATO’s support to Mauritania’s ability to plan for civil emergencies and telemedicine was discussed on Monday (12 March 2018) by experts from Mauritania, France and Romania.
Through its Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme, NATO has already supported crisis management centres in Mauritania’s capital Nouakchott and in three other regions of the country. The centres help national authorities to quickly respond to crises and coordinate an appropriate response.
At the meeting, which took place at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, health and civil protection experts discussed how to build on the success of this asset by developing new civil emergency units in remote areas in Mauritania, and adding a telemedicine component. France and Romania offered valuable experience and best practices.
“Better crisis and risk management means better protection and security for the entire local population,” said Dr Antonio Missiroli, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, who opened the event. “This is also in our interest, as terrorism and illegal trafficking – affecting Mauritania as well as the wider Sahel region – have tangible effects also in our countries,” he added.
A follow-on project could be agreed by Allies by November 2018. “We agreed to make every effort for a rapid development over the next two years of a programme allowing our country to improve the standards of detection and response in the field of emergencies,” said Professor Kane Boubacar, Minister of Health of Mauritania. “It is important to develop an integrated and multi-sectoral management of emergencies”.