On Monday and Tuesday authorities from Costa Rica and Panama will conduct a cross-border drill, in Sabalito de Coto Brus.
This is the first binational simulation exercise between the two countries, with regard to the protection of people displaced across borders in disaster contexts.
The activity seeks to contribute to the strengthening of the national capacities of both countries regarding the humanitarian response due to disasters and risks of natural origin, through the validation and implementation of operational procedures.
Iván Brenes, President of the National Emergency Commission (CNE), emphasized that with these binational efforts, the mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to the most vulnerable people, regardless of their status and nationality, is finally fulfilled.
In March, a binational Costa Rica-Panama workshop was held to develop procedures for cross-border displacement in the context of disasters, where it was agreed to carry out a binational simulation exercise in the border sector, with the objective of validating and implementing these procedures and identify opportunities for improvement to the document they drafted that day.
The simulation exercise will have a disaster scenario that will be announced at the moment and that will affect the common border zone between Costa Rica and Panama.
Institutional representatives from both countries will participate in the areas of health, public safety, Red Cross, civil protection and emergency care, migration, municipal committees of emergency, among others.