,Topic 1: Humanitarian Logistics
Papers
• Van Wassenhove, L. N. (2006). Humanitarian aid logistics: supply chain management in high gear. Journal of
the Operational Research Society, 57(5), 475-489.
Abstract
This paper builds on the idea that private sector logistics can and should be applied to improve the performance of disaster logistics but
that before embarking on this the private sector needs to understand the core capabilities of humanitarian logistics. With this in mind, the
paper walks us through the complexities of managing supply chains in humanitarian settings. It pinpoints the cross learning potential for
both the humanitarian and private sectors in emergency relief operations as well as possibilities of getting involved through corporate social
responsibility. It also outlines strategies for better preparedness and the need for supply chains to be agile, adaptable and aligned—a core
competency of many humanitarian organizations involved in disaster relief and an area which the private sector could draw on to improve
their own competitive edge. Finally, the article states the case for closer collaboration between humanitarians, businesses and academics to
achieve better and more effective supply chains to respond to the complexities of today's logistics be it the private sector or relieving the
lives of those blighted by disaster.
Introduction
Logistics and supply chain management are crucial in humanitarian relief efforts, considering the significant
impact of natural and man-made disasters on human lives. The World Conference on Disaster Reduction in
2005 emphasized the need for better preparedness to mitigate the effects of such disasters. Humanitarian
organizations face increasing pressure to prove their effectiveness and transparency to donors. Since logistics
constitutes approximately 80% of disaster relief efforts, efficient logistics operations and supply chain
management are vital. This recognition mirrors the importance given to logistics in the private sector,
highlighting the growing significance of logistics for humanitarian organizations.
Defining logistics
To the military, it is ‘the science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of forces […]
those aspects of military operations that deal with the design and development, acquisition, storage,
movement, distribution, maintenance, evacuation and disposition of material’ ().
To business it is defined as a planning framework for the management of material, service, information, and
capital flows and includes the increasingly complex information, material, communication and control systems
required in today's business environment.
Humanitarians define it as ‘the process of planning, implementing and controlling the efficient, cost-effective
flow of and storage of goods and materials as well as related information, from point of origin to point of
consumption for the purpose of meeting the end beneficiary's requirements’ (). Essentially for humanitarians,
logistics is the processes and systems involved in mobilizing people, resources,
skills and knowledge to help vulnerable people affected by disaster.
By ‘disaster’ we mean ‘a disruption that physically affects a system as a whole and
threatens its priorities and goals.’ A disaster can be natural or man-made.
Similarities with the private sector
It is only recently that humanitarian organizations such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have tried to break free of the vicious circle by
pin-pointing logistics and supply chain management as key to a relief operation.
Just as the private sector, humanitarian organizations are beginning to wake up to the fact that logistics:
• is crucial to the performance (effectiveness and speed) of current and future operations and programmes;
• serves as a bridge between disaster preparedness and response, between procurement and distribution and
between headquarters and the field. ();
• provides a rich source of data, since it is this department that handles the tracking of goods, which could be
used to analyse post-event effectiveness ();
• is the most expensive part of any relief operation and the part that can mean the difference between a
successful or failed operation.
2
,Whatever the definition, one thing that logistics has in common is the fact that it includes the planning and
preparedness, design, procurement, transportation, inventory, warehousing, distribution and recipient
satisfaction.
A complex environment
Although humanitarian logisticians can learn from and work with private sector logisticians their work in the
context of a natural or man-made disaster is very different from logistics in the business context. Examples:
• Operating Conditions: infrastructure destruction, remote and difficult-to-reach areas, fragmented technology,
and poorly defined processes add to the complexity.
• Robust equipment: that can be set up and dismantled quickly for changing circumstances.
• Politically volatile climate: issues of safety.
• High levels of uncertainty: in terms of demand, supplies and assessment.
• Many stakeholders: uncoordinated disparate donors, the media, governments, the military.
• Accountability and transparency: which is demanded by donors.
• Unsolicited donations: which can cause bottlenecks in the supply chain as much-needed resources.
• Interactivity: among the factors accelerates the rate at which the disaster might escalate.
• Invisibility: inability to anticipate factors, typically because they are unknown in different dimensions to the
managers. (habits in the relief area)
• Ambiguity: difficult to know the direction in which the crisis might escalate since the cause-effect
relationships are not clear.
• Incremental change: when the impact of the crisis is so strong early on that everything else is disregarded.
A question of principles
Humanitarian organizations live by their principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality. In other words, they
will help everyone in need wherever found; will not influence the outcome of a conflict with their intervention;
and will not favour one group of beneficiaries over another.
Humanitarian space physical sense represents a zone of tranquillity where civilians, non-combatants and aid
workers are protected from gun fire and can move and operate freely. Safety is still the number one issue of
concern these days. (no contact of humanitarian workers with military force to stay safe).
In the ‘virtual’ sense, humanitarian space is used to guide humanitarians and help shape their decisions to
ensure they remain firmly within an ethical context.
Humanitarian work cannot judge the conflict; only judge the extent to which the conflict is affecting civilians ().
Managing the supply chain:
The emergence of SCM
The Supply chainnetwork supports three types of ‘flows’ that require careful design and close coordination:
material flows, Information flows and Financial flows. The ultimate effective humanitarian supply chain
management has to be able to respond to multiple interventions, often on a global scale; ‘multiple, global,
dynamic and temporary’.
Working with uncertainty and risk
In humanitarian context, getting the right goods, at the right time, to the right place and distributed to the right
people are still applicable. At the start, speed at any cost is crucial in the first 72 hours. Later on (the first 90 to
100 days), it becomes a mixture between being effective in helping people and doing this at a reasonable cost.
Humanitarians are always faced with the unknown. They do not know when, where, what, how much, where
from and how many times. Also, even with accurate data both demand and supply can vary dramatically during
the length of the relief operation. There are more opportunities for disruption and a smaller margin for error if
a disruption takes place.
3
, What makes a successful response?
‘A successful humanitarian operation mitigates the urgent needs of a population with a sustainable reduction of
their vulnerability in the shortest amount of time and with the least amount of resources’ ().
A successful response to a disaster includes disaster management and preparedness strategies, local
capabilities and collaboration with the host government, general willingness of other governments and the
general public to donate or offer assistance.
4 phases in disaster management:
• Mitigation phase; e.g. avoid building in shorelines with high chance of a tsunami.
• Preparedness phase; e.g educating village heads, early warning systems, communication technology, supplies.
• Response phase; e.g. enough supplies (food, medical) to respond to chances.
• rehabilitation; e.g. reconstruction of infrastructure
Five key elements
Five key elements of preparedness to produce effective results leading to effective disaster management:
• Human resources: Selecting and training people who are capable of planning, coordinating, acting and
intervening where necessary. (training locals)
• Knowledge management: Learning from previous disasters by capturing, codifying and transferring knowledge
about logistics operations.
• Operations and process management: setting up goods, agreements and means needed to move the
resources quickly.
• Financial resources: Preparing sufficient money and financial resources to prepare and initiate operations and
ensure that they run as smoothly as possible.
• The community: Finding effective ways of collaborating with other key players such as governments, military,
business and other humanitarian organizations.
The systems and departments need to be set up so that they enable the flow of goods (material flow),
information to ensure collaboration and coordination (information flow) and funds from donor support and
assets or goods in kind (financial flows) between each element or ‘link’ in the chain. However, the main issue
holding back many humanitarian organizations is finding the funds to finance the training and procedures.
Example: the IFRC realized they needed to improve their disaster management and, more specifically, be better
prepared. They raised the profile of logistics from largely a back-office function mainly geared at procurement
to a division in its own right—the Disaster Management and Coordination division consisting of Emergency
Response Preparedness and Logistics and Resource Mobilization.
4
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller jesmen12. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $9.52. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.