On Thursday 13 October in Panama, the European Union established a humanitarian stockpile for the entire Latin America/Caribbean region and announced the mobilisation of a €152 million humanitarian aid package for this region, which is particularly exposed to the risks of natural disasters.
The stockpile of humanitarian equipment in Panama City is the first to be set up in a third country under the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism. It was opened by the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, during his visit to Panama - the second stop on his tour of Latin America, after Colombia (see EUROPE 13040/31).
The Commissioner stressed that this is “a strategic point to efficiently deploy aid where it is most needed”.
Funded by the EU and building on the success of rescEU, the EU-based reserve of equipment, this stockpile will pre-position equipment - items for emergency shelters, first aid kits, food and basic sanitation products - for delivery directly from the region in the event of a natural disaster.
The European satellite map programme Copernicus will be used for maximum efficiency.
The €152 million package for 2022 is intended to help “people in the region facing difficulties due to complex overlapping emergencies”, Mr Lenarčič said.
The funds will help meet urgent humanitarian needs across the region, including those resulting from the Venezuelan crisis, food insecurity, exposure to natural hazards, transcontinental migration, and the consequences of pervasive violence, conflict and forced displacement. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)