The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Angolan government, and representatives of various organizations gathered in Luanda today to develop the N4H Angola project. This project will have a total cost of $2.5 million (€2.1 million) by the end of its implementation and will last for three years.
The N4H initiative is a global program, partially funded by the German government with €50 million, aimed at preventing pandemics and epidemics by tackling environmental causes.
UNDP's expert on nature, climate, and environment and an N4H Angola coordination member, Adjani Costa, reported that unlike other programs, N4H unites all participants. She emphasized that the program encourages viewing the issue from the perspective of how to avoid the spread and transmission of diseases, which is closely linked to nature, nature conservation, and biodiversity preservation. This represents a holistic approach to human protection through nature protection, as humans are part of nature.
According to Adjani Costa, Angola is concerned about all the most dangerous diseases, such as Marburg, Ebola, dengue fever, as well as malaria, which is a zoonosis transmitted by mosquitoes. She noted that depending on the identified priority risk and area, there will always be a disease affecting the healthcare system, and in some cases, the country may not even have the capacity to respond adequately.
Adjani Costa specified that the project should be ready by May of next year, and its implementation will begin by the end of 2027.
In her speech, Nasimento Soares, State Secretary for Climate Action and Sustainable Development of the Angolan Ministry of Environment, recognized the enormous potential of this initiative in creating comprehensive solutions that allow for a better understanding of the relationship between health, biodiversity, ecosystems, and climate change issues.
In turn, State Secretary for Public Health, Carlos Souza, stated that prevention is 'much smarter and more economical than late emergency response.' He stressed that Angola's sanitary security must be understood broadly: it is not only the ability to respond to an outbreak after it occurs but also building permanent capacities for prevention, early detection, surveillance, diagnosis, risk information, and rapid response.