The UNHRD network reached 95 countries in
2024, enabling rapid humanitarian response for UN agencies, NGOs, and government partners. As
one of the World Food Programme’s common services within its global Supply Chain & Delivery
operations, UNHRD plays a vital role in strengthening emergency preparedness and response across
the humanitarian community. We supported our valued partners in complex emergencies including in
Yemen, Gaza, Afghanistan and Sudan, as well as for broader humanitarian needs worldwide.
The humanitarian sector is managing multiple challenges that demand agility, innovation
and collaboration. The UNHRD network, with its focus on supply chain solutions, strategic
partnerships, research and development and sustainability is well positioned to advance shared
priorities in the humanitarian community.
Under the INITIATE project, UNHRD convened 150
participants from 48 organizations at its hub in Accra, Ghana, for a full-scale simulation of a
health emergency and infectious disease treatment module. This exercise strengthened coordination
among partners and health emergency responders, ensuring a more seamless and efficient crisis
response. As a result, critical medical supplies tailored to the treatment module will be
strategically pre-positioned in UNHRD hubs, enabling faster and more effective deployment of
life-saving resources whenever and wherever the next health emergency arises.
The success of
UNHRD is a testament to the generosity of donors, host and non-host countries, and humanitarian
partners alike. In 2024, we welcomed a new contribution from the German Federal Foreign Office to
support the running costs of the hub in Accra, while the EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid
Operations department renewed its strategic support through a continued contribution to UNHRD for
the period 2024-2026 via the European Humanitarian Response Capacity. These contributions help us
provide critical services to our partners and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of global
humanitarian response efforts.
UNHRD’s track record of success is also attributed to the
employees who drive our mission forward. From those who work diligently in warehouses and at
logistics hubs, to the people supporting operations behind the scenes in finance, procurement, and
systems, their expertise and commitment are essential. Their passion for collaboration,
problem-solving, and service excellence are recognized by partners as factors that make UNHRD a
trusted and effective humanitarian platform.
For data on weight, volume and value of goods delivered to crisis responses, see Operational highlights.
In 2024, 34 partner organizations relied on our network of hubs to dispatch their stock and organize deliveries across the world.
In addition to WFP – which relies on our hubs to deploy support
equipment and emergency food – the partners that made the most use of our services were ECHO,
UNFPA, UNHCR and Shelter Box.
Top 10 priority supplies in 2024
Yemen
After a decade of
conflict, humanitarian needs in Yemen remain at record highs
The Yemen conflict was still one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises in 2024. An estimated 18.2 million people needed humanitarian assistance out of a population of 38.7 million. Conflict, protection risks, climate shocks, food insecurity and health crises were compounded by economic insecurity and humanitarian funding challenges. UNHRD supported the response by delivering stocks on behalf of two partners, including emergency food and medical supplies, among other items.
Gaza
Displacement, food
insecurity and health crises affected the entire population of Gaza
Nearly 2 million of Gaza’s 2.2 million people were estimated to
have faced crisis-level (or above) food insecurity in the period from November 2024 to April
2025. This was due to mass and repeated displacements, loss of livelihoods, destroyed crops, and
the collapse of health and sanitation systems, driving widespread humanitarian
needs.
UNHRD supported 15 partners in the Gaza humanitarian response, delivering mobile
storage units (MSUs), medical and health items, shelter kits, and emergency nutrition
supplies.
Sudan
A deepening
humanitarian crisis in Sudan drove record food insecurity and displacement across the region
The Sudan crisis entered its second year in 2024, worsening an
already fragile humanitarian situation of food insecurity, economic instability, displacement,
disease outbreaks, and climate shocks. By December, it was the world’s largest displacement
crisis, with 11.5 million people—over half of them children—displaced internally and 3.3 million
fleeing to neighbouring countries. The conflict also triggered an unprecedented food security
crisis, leaving half the population—244.6 million people—facing acute hunger.
UNHRD
supported partners by dispatching mobile storage units (MSUs), medical and health supplies, and
emergency nutrition goods to Sudan, South Sudan, and Chad.
Afghanistan
Persistent humanitarian
needs affected half the country’s population
Afghanistan remained one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises
with 23.7 million people requiring assistance as of September 2024. Acute food insecurity
affected 11.6 million (around 25 percent of the population) from September to October, with
projections rising to 14.8 million between November 2024 and March 2025. A complex set of
factors, including economic contraction, political transition, conflict, and natural disasters,
continued to drive humanitarian needs.
UNHRD supported the response by delivering
emergency nutrition stocks on behalf of one partner.
Protracted crises
Humanitarian needs
remain high in Syria and Ukraine
Ongoing conflict and humanitarian needs persisted in Ukraine and Syria, impacting millions. In Ukraine, displacement, infrastructure damage, and energy shortages continued to challenge communities, while in Syria, food insecurity and limited access to essential services remained critical concerns. UNHRD supported the emergency response of four partners in Syria and three partners in Ukraine with deliveries of essential humanitarian supplies, including water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) kits, and health items.
Syria
Ukraine
Typhoon Yagi
Severe storms drive
humanitarian needs across affected communities
Typhoon Yagi brought heavy rainfall, flooding, and strong winds, displacing thousands and damaging critical infrastructure. The storms exacerbated food insecurity and access challenges, leaving vulnerable populations in urgent need of assistance. UNHRD supported the emergency response delivering emergency shelter, heath supplies, and relief items on behalf of one partner from its hub in Kuala Lumpur.
Partners served in
2024
UNHRD Brindisi Training and
Simulation Academy
In 2024, the Training Academy hosted 13 simulation sessions and four workshops. These learning experiences covered critical topics such as emergency preparedness, safety and security, protection and health. In collaboration with seven partners – WFP, UNHCR, IOM, WHO, IFRC, UNGSC, and the Italian Red Cross – the Academy welcomed 184 facilitators and 634 participants to sessions enhancing essential operational skills. These included five Safe and Secure Approaches to Field Environments (SSAFE) training sessions, which played a key role in reinforcing duty of care by preparing personnel for deployments in high-risk environments.
Stock Management Taskforce
(STF)
Our STF completed the first phase of its stock composition review
across the UNHRD Network in 2024. The focus was on identifying priority core relief items
pre-positioned for emergency response by humanitarian partners. Analysis and review were
complemented using UNHRD data from the first 90 days of emergency responses between 2017 and
2024, coupled with survey results from the wider humanitarian community. The list of relief
items that were identified covered key relief clusters such as Emergency Shelter, Water and
Sanitation (WASH) as well as health kits and medical equipment.
The second phase of the
STF will focus on determining required stock levels for core items, ensuring preparedness for
future emergencies. Pre-positioned items will meet the highest expected demand during a 90-day
period, without replenishment, following a humanitarian crisis.
The stock levels of core
relief items will be released soon, along with a strategic plan for supporting affected
populations and a framework for maintaining stock levels in collaboration with partners.
An agile infectious disease treatment
module
One hundred and fifty participants from 48 organizations gathered at UNHRD Accra
in November 2024 for an emergency exercise in a simulated remote field environment. It was the second test
of the infectious disease treatment module (IDTM) and part of the INITIATE project.
During the
exercise, participants explored kit configurations, worked on training scenarios and validated surge
options. Opportunities for socialized innovation came from the findings of the complex simulation.
The IDTM was developed with INITIATE partners and is built to be ready within the first 24 hours of an emergency. The module offers the structure to isolate and treat disease, including intensive care facilities, and can expand into a full-fledged Health Emergency Facility (HEF). By positioning the IDTM modules closer to disease endemic areas, partners can respond to health emergencies and fight infections faster, from influenza to the Mpox virus and hemorrhagic fevers. A prototype of the treatment module was first tested at the Brindisi hub in 2023.
Innovation Platform
The Innovation Platform enhances the delivery of humanitarian aid by
leveraging advanced technologies and the expertise of the UNHRD network, to create smarter
emergency preparedness and response systems by leveraging advanced technologies, sustainable
practices, and the UNHRD Network.
Collaboration between UNHRD stakeholders including
governments, the private sector, universities and humanitarian organizations, is crucial for
successful aid delivery. The Innovation Platform focuses on effective and sustainable crisis
response that answers the needs of affected communities.
Most importantly, the Innovation Platform is structured
around well-defined phases:
The Innovation Platform collaborated with partners and identified three key challenges:
In the area of life-cycle innovation, plastic waste was shown to be a major problem during emergencies. The UNHRD Innovation Lab proposed an Expression of Interest to address this challenge which was circulated among potential stakeholders. They have been invited to join forces with UNHRD and think through practical solutions to these challenges.
Greening
UNHRD is committed to reducing the environmental impact of humanitarian
operations. This includes adopting green technologies like renewable energy and finding ways to
reduce waste through reuse and recycling.
Carbon managementA carbon
management plan was developed for the Accra Hub in March and an energy audit was conducted in
the Panama Hub in December 2024. Thanks to these initiatives, UNHRD was able to establish a
baseline for reducing carbon emissions across UNHRD facilities.
Green
PlanningIn 2024, UNHRD initiated a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of mobile storage
units and WFP prefabricated structures with Politecnico di Torino (POLITO), completed a
comparative LCA of solar lamps with the UNHCR Sustainability Group, and carried out an LCA of
core item packaging with the Joint Initiative for Sustainable Humanitarian Assistance Packaging
Waste Management (JI).
In addition, UNHRD conducted a recycled plastic pallets product
assessment and used the Innovation Lab to define green and frugal principles covering design,
assessment, product evaluation, and market intelligence.
UNHRD’s network of global teams is the glue that holds its operations together. We took vital steps in 2024 to deliver on our 2022–2026 Strategy by focusing on capacity development, acquiring new skills, and enhancing knowledge areas.
Supporting UNHRD talent: Key
highlights
Five employability groups were hosted and multiple
one-on-one sessions in all hubs offered upskilling around CVs, applications, and job
interviews.
Five UNHRD strategy workshops were delivered across the hubs to
ensure staff can articulate UNHRD’s objectives and contribute to achieving them.
Three Spotlight Sessions were held, including network-wide webinars about the
Stock Taskforce, the new HRD structure and The Lab.
A Learning Needs Analysis
(LNA) was used to identify skills and knowledge areas that staff would like to develop
to better perform in their roles, and to develop a new learning portfolio. Five
in-person and four online Human Centred Design sessions were co-designed and delivered
alongside the WFP Innovation Accelerator for 80+ participants from 30 organizations as
part of the Global Partner Meeting: Innovation Journey.
UNHRD will continue to enhance its global emergency preparedness and response capabilities in 2025, ensuring rapid mobilization of supplies to the people who need them most.
Priorities include optimizing stock management, reducing dispatch
lead times and enhancing replenishment processes. These will be achieved by integrating
advanced tracking systems and data analytics to drive efficiency and effectiveness
across our operations.
We will focus additional effort on innovation and
reducing the environmental impact of humanitarian operations.
Partnerships,
capacity building, and strategic collaboration with the international humanitarian
community will stay at the heart of everything UNHRD does to ensure coordinated, fast,
and reliable support to humanitarian operations worldwide.
Key Performance Indicators
