Humanitarian Logistics at the service of the most vulnerable populations

In a few hours, the disaster has taken place. A flood, an earthquake or a cyclone. How to cope? Where to start ? How to trigger the appropriate support mechanisms? For a logistician, all these questions sometimes remain unanswered in the heart of the emergency. To better cope with it, you have to prepare for it.

The very first Logistics Response Team training, delivered in French language, took place in Tamatave, Madagascar, from 30 May to 5 June 2019. This unique module was organized by the National Office of Risk and Disaster Management in Madagascar (BNGRC), the Global Logistics Cluster and the World Food Programme. Photo Credit: Martin Keitsch / Global Logistics Cluster

A country’s ability to cope with emergencies strongly relies on the ability of its logisticians to develop the appropriate humanitarian response. To provide effective assistance to the population, national and regional structures must be strong and able to coordinate with all the actors involved to mobilize the necessary resources.

The Logistics Response Team Training consists of a one-week simulation of a real disaster situation: participants need to find solutions — fast and effectively — to complex problems that allow professional logisticians to make operational decisions on the allocation of resources, transport of first aid items in disaster-risk affected countries. Photo Credit: Martin Keitsch / Global Logistics Cluster.

Located in the South West Indian Ocean basin, Madagascar is at the heart of one of the seven global basins where cyclones develop. Because of this unique geographical position, it is the third country in the world most exposed to the risks of major climatic hazards (cyclone, flood, drought, locust invasion and epidemic) after Bangladesh and Haiti.

In 2017, tropical cyclone ENAWO revealed the logistical challenges that the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management in Madagascar (BNGRC) and its partners face in the event of a disaster. In its aftermath, a significant effort was made to build logistical capacity and to set up technical working groups in five regions of the island (Manakara, Majunga, Fénérive Est, Toliara and Ambovombe) in the framework of emergency preparedness work at regional level.

The flip chart page reads- from French- “the Logistics Cluster is a group of organizations, working TOGETHER, each main actor in the humanitarian action, to identify and respond to the lack/need and to increase the efficiency of the response through partners”. The 24 participants, from Madagascar (16), Côte d’Ivoire (1), France (3), Comoros Island (2), Mozambique (1) and Angola (1) ), guided by experienced facilitators in the field, spent a week in tents, under the rain in a military camp and with limited connectivity, to respond to a simulated crisis. Photo Credit: Gaia Paradiso/WFP Madagascar

A training on emergency preparedness and response management in Madagascar, the so-called Logistics Response Team Training, took place in Toamasina, from May 30 to June 5, 2019, with the objective of building capacity and knowledge in the field of emergency preparedness and crisis response for professionals and managers in logistics in Africa and in the islands of the Indian Ocean.

“Being fast, efficient, being able to work in Teams: time and coordination are essential to carry out humanitarian logistics operations and to be able to deliver shelters, medicines, water, food, all basic items to survive” says Mamy , one of the participants of the training.

The three drivers of this training the Logistics Cluster, the World Food Programme — lead agency for the logistics cluster, and the Madagascar National Office of Risk and Disaster Management, shared their knowledge and best practices to ensure coordination and information management and to improve the predictability, timeliness and effectiveness of emergency humanitarian responses.

“The lessons learned are in the understanding of joint support and inter-agency coordination: as humanitarian actors, if we are all involved in humanitarian crises, we can clearly clarify the roles and responsibilities of each, eliminate the duplication of tasks, ensure complementarity and joint planning “continues Cyril Seguy, one of the training organizers and facilitators.

One of the debriefing sessions, where participants and facilitators meet to share ideas and reflect on emergency response actions. Photo Credit: Martin Keitsch / Global Logistics Cluster

The strength of this training is knowledge management and information-sharing, bringing together different expertise in emergency response. The main objective of the training is ultimately to create a community of actors sharing best practices, focused on sharing of information, development of synergies and an optimal knowledge of the emergency management from the logistics point of view.

The group of trainers and participants during the Logistics Response Team Training, the first in French and which sees Madagascar as a training site Photo credit: Gaia Paradiso / WFP Madagascar

Community and Humanitarian are the key words of this adventure. Together, the humanitarian actors create a community, they reinforce the structures in place, they are ready to mobilize and coordinate internal and external resources, set up logistic services that allow to reach the populations in need during an emergency, and together, to cope with the crisis.

For more information on the Global Logistics Cluster, click here.