What we do in UNHRD can be easily described in numbers: shipments, tonnage and volume of items, countries and partners served, funds raised and values of cargo dispatched. That is what you will find in this Year in Review.
These figures are the result of our day-to-day operations, organizing transports and loading airplanes, ships and trucks, handling and storing stocks. Behind the scenes, there is the work of those in the offices in touch with the partners, preparing pro-forma invoices and packing lists, launching bids and procuring items, providing services, managing and mobilizing resources.
When travelling to disaster-affected areas as part of a UNHRD Rapid Response Team, some of us can witness in person the impact of our work, while making our response more effective and efficient. UNHRD staff is always ready to step up, among the first to reach emergency areas, get the operations started and join forces with our colleagues in WFP Supply Chain division and in our partner organizations.
What you may not directly find in this Year in Review is the final touch of dedication and passion we put in what we do. Throughout the Network, we all strive to enable our partners to respond to emergencies and complex crisis faster, more efficiently and effectively. From our desks, in the warehouses or in the field, we all work in the spirit of the 2030 Agenda’s call for greater cooperation to deliver quickly and effectively so that no one is left behind. Our ultimate goal is to make a difference to the lives of the people we serve.
We all know another challenging year in the humanitarian sector is ahead of us. We recognize the need to review, adapt, and innovate our tools to better prepare and respond to emergencies and crisis. We would not be able to rise to these challenges without the generous support of our donors, partners and colleagues. Thanks to their partnerships and collaboration and with our hallmark final touch, we can keep working with full dedication and passion to quickly reach those in need.
49%
31%
20%
(575 overall shipments)
49%
31%
20%
33%
39%
28%
Hurricane Irma first made landfall on the northeast Caribbean islands on 6 September 2017. Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, St Barthélemy, St. Martin, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos, and the US Virgin Islands felt the impact. 169,000 people were affected and at least 134 were reported dead. ▶ View the operational snapshot at unhrd.org
After violence broke out in Myanmar’s Rakhine state on 25 August 2017, more than 500,000 Rohingya refugees crossed into neighbouring Bangladesh in less than five weeks. Not only has the pace of new arrivals since 25 August made this the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world, the concentration of refugees in Cox’s Bazar is now amongst the densest worldwide. ▶ View the operational snapshot at unhrd.org
March - Airlift generously provided by UAE, carries high-energy biscuits and relief items for ADRA, UNICEF, WHO and WFP after cyclone Enawo.
April - Loading relief items including tarpaulins, family tents, emergency shelter kits and mosquito nets after the floods.
July - Sending emergency shelter, WASH items and staff supplies for AHA Centre to respond to the Marawi Crisis.
May - Disassembling, checking and repacking 750 ShelterBoxes destined for deployment to Somalia and Chad.
October – The Italian Government sends blankets, tents, hygiene kits and kitchen sets following the earthquake.
November - Following the earthquake two flights carry emergency shelter, WASH and health kits to those affected. Click to see the team in action.
When a humanitarian emergency occurs, the first 24 - 48 hours are crucial in procuring, dispatching, and delivering relief items. But what happens next? In a prolonged emergency, it is not only important to deliver needed goods and relieve affected people, but also to provide an essential infrastructure to support humanitarian organizations' efforts. This is why in mid-December 2016 through early 2017 a UNHRD Rapid Response Team was deployed in Nigeria to support, among several humanitarian partners, WFP's Emergency Telecommunications Cluster operations.
In the aftermath of Cyclone Enawo in Madagascar in March 2017, a UNHRD RRT was deployed to the affected areas to support Logistics Cluster operations. Assessment of the area in Antalaha, instructions for the set-up of a warehouse and the installation of mobile storage units were integral parts of this mission. Further, the Ambodivafaho bridge connecting Maroantsetra to the airport and the river port of Ankompy was consolidated, a dock on the Ankompy river was restored and a small jetty in front of the interagency warehouse was built to save time and resources during loading.
A UNHRD Rapid Response Team was once again deployed to support the hurricane ridden Caribbean with warehousing and palletization expertise. Pino Semararo, UNHRD Brindisi, joined forces with his colleague Kelvin Wong, UNHRD Kuala Lumpur, for five intensive weeks of operational support between September and October. In Haiti, usually on the receiving end of food distribution, infrastructure was put in place to facilitate the receipt of food and other relief items and their further dispatch to the other affected country islands.
Over the course of 2017, UNHRD placed procurement orders for goods and services (excluding transport) with a total value of USD 20,698,423.39. UNHRD Procurement strives to ensure a seamless pipeline of the core relief items and humanitarian support equipment required by our Partners, particularly those key items that are pre-positioned in our hubs and ready to deploy at short notice. This is achieved through the establishment and utilisation of Long Term Agreements, forward positioning of supplier stocks and careful monitoring of the supply chain. These activities bring with them costs efficiencies for our Partners as we source the best value goods and maximise freight whenever possible. While logistics and staff support equipment have been the most procured items in 2017, beneficiary items such as tents, tarpaulins, hygiene kits, kitchen sets, blankets and family kits were also all in the “Top 15” items.
A passive thermal insulation solution that protects temperature sensitive products (such as SNF) during transportation and storage.
Further information is available at unhrd.org
A ready-to-go accommodation and office kit for first responders to transport and construct during the first days of an emergency.
Further information is available at unhrd.org
On November 11th, Laura Boldrini, the President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, visited UNHRD Brindisi. As she recalled upon her arrival, while serving as spokesperson for Italy for WFP and UNHCR she often visited the hub to fly out to emergencies areas and described it as the “airport of hope”.
In July, the International Humanitarian City became an official partner, reinforcing UAE’s long-standing partnership with UNHRD. Since 2008, UAE kindly provides the facilities for the Dubai hub within IHC. Over the years, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and his wife Princess Haya of Jordan, generously provided airlifts.
Over 60 participants from 36 organizations gathered in Las Palmas for the 2017 UNHRD Global Partner Meeting. Stakeholders followed up the 2015 GPM action points, reviewed operational successes, and discussed challenges. Together, they inspected UNHRD’s strategic development and worked on finding solutions for stronger emergency preparedness and optimized responses.
Innovation Norway, a state-owned agency and national development bank, became an official partner of UNHRD in November. It will support the UNHRD Lab with the research and development of innovative supply chain solutions and waste management systems.
Switzerland generously continued to provide a standby partner, Doris Mauron, that worked to support not only the Dubai hub but the UNHRD network overall with knowledge and expertise in logistics and a strong commitment to improved communications.
Thanks to Ireland’s Rapid Response Corps, a member of the roster, Derek Mc Guiness, was deployed to Accra via the UN Standby Partnership agreement between Ireland and WFP.
UNHRD is generously supported by:
