Belgian Queen briefed on use of drones

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Belgian Queen briefed on use of drones

8:46 CAT | 06 Feb 2019

Photo: Twitter / @wfp_mozambique

Mozambique’s National Disaster Management Institute (INGC) on Wednesday briefed Queen Mathilde of Belgium on how it is using drones to assist with the delivery of emergency aid.

The briefing took place at the headquarters of INGC in Maputo during a meeting between Queen Mathilde and INGC general director, Augusta Maita, who explained how the drones are used for mapping for both disaster prevention and response.

Following the briefing, Maita told the press that he had shared with the Queen real-time images which allowed his organisation to respond rapidly to populations hit by flooding. He noted that this was of particular interest to Queen Mathilde.

Queen Mathilde was on a working visit to INGC to see the work it is carrying out with funds from the Belgian government. In particular, the United Nations World Food Programme is working with the Mozambican government on the effective use of unmanned aerial vehicle technology – drones – for emergency response across the country.

On Tuesday, Her Majesty Mathilde #Queen of ?? visited Guija, one of the districts in Gaza province frequently affected by drought. From 2013 to 2018, @WFP in #Mozambique implemented the Belgium Fund for #Foodsecurity Joint Programme in Guija, Massingir, and Chicualacuala. pic.twitter.com/bcaVU1UyaX

— WFP Mozambique (@wfp_mozambique) February 6, 2019

According to WFP’s country representative Karin Manente, “Belgian funding was seminal to this project, currently funded by the European Union’s European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations. We are grateful to Belgium for enabling the World Food Programme to support the Mozambican government’s efforts to enhance national disaster risk management systems”.

Before the briefing, Queen Mathilde met with President Filipe Nyusi. Later in the day she delivered a speech at Mozambique’s oldest institution of higher education, the Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) during which she said “it is essential to prevent malnutrition and starvation. You are the leaders of the future, make the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals your own”.

Queen Mathilde arrived in Mozambique on Monday and will be ending her visit on Thursday.

Deuxième journée de visite de travail de Sa Majesté Reine Mathilde au Mozambique : projet de dessalement de l’eau dans la province de Gaza, mis en oeuvre par Enabel. Ce projet fournit de l’eau potable par dessalement grâce à de l’énergie solaire. #GlobalGoals #SDGs pic.twitter.com/mHKfrAK0TT

— Enabel (@Enabel_Belgium) February 6, 2019

?? Mathilde in Mozambique, dag 3. En opnieuw, nu voor de start van een werkvergadering in de hoofdstad Maputo, wordt er gedanst voor de Belgische koningin. pic.twitter.com/rI2XRBwNNF

— [Wim Dehandschutter] (@WDehandschutter) February 6, 2019

Source: AIM