Logistics Cluster BLOG

On Friday the 11^th of June, in the mists of a Logistics Capacity Assessment mission in Central Asia, as a response to the Logistics Cluster forecasting the potential for a breakout in violence in the region, Blixt found himself in a restaurant with Mr. Rasmus Egendal – WFP’s Country Director - in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. It was at this lunch time meeting that Rasmus made a rather stomach churning statement. Apparently, the previous time he had been in the restaurant, the last revolution broke out...

Three hours later reports of violence began coming in; Saturday Mr. Blixt was confined to his hotel room for security reasons and by Sunday, June 13^th, through a series of meetings and teleconferences, a rather vivid portrait of the current situation outside was taking shape and a response urgently needed.

Knowing that Rasmus or the Global Logistics Cluster was likely going to ask him to stay in the country to offer his support during the initial stages of the response , all fleeting hope for ending his trip with a few days in  the Caucuses Mountains, before heading home to spend some real time with his newborn son were...unceremoniously squashed.

However, the opportunity to start the emergency response the way you want is unique and through the LCA process Blixt had already been in the region and as such was already familiar with the complex socio-political situation, as well as the many constraints that he would be charged with addressing.  

As one expects from a seasoned veteran, the first step in responding to the massive displacement became engaging with local staff. To not only acknowledge the importance of the local staff, but their deep commitment to the work that we do, often in the face of life threatening danger to not only themselves, but to family and friends. There role is something for another discussion, but sufficient to say that they are the foundation for what we do.

Through the various tools supplied by the Logistics Cluster, participants were able to hit the ground running. Though the initial fear surrounding the magnitude of the situation in Kyrgyzstan has been put to rest, our reaction was timely and accurate and in due in no small part to dedication of the local staff, as well as the “know how” of a veteran “Loggie”.

Tres Hombres with supplies to Haiti
© Atlantis Zeilende Handelsvaart

Running only on clean energy, generated by wind turbines or recycled vegetable oil, used mainly for navigation purposes, Tres Hombres sets a global example by becoming the first environmentally friendly transatlantic ship to bring humanitarian aid into a disaster area.

Rebuilt three years ago, Tres Hombres sailed off from Holland on 17 January to deliver humanitarian goods from Dutch organisations to the people of Haiti. As part of a pilot project, the captain and his crew are trying to promote sailing ships that would assure ecological and sustainable cargo transport. So when the green vessel Tres Hombres arrived in Port-au-Prince, the Logistics Cluster team led by WFP immediately organised to take advantage of this vessel to transport inter-agency cargo from UNICEF, FAO, and WFP. The vessel sailed from Port-au-Prince to Haiti’s southern port of Jacmel delivering urgently needed relief supplies of school kits, tools, seeds, and nutritious food. The first 12 carbon-free metric tons of humanitarian cargos with the Green Logistics in mind.

To read more about the Green Logistics, please visit the Logistics Operational Guide at http://www.log.logcluster.org

To see the photo gallery related to this story, please visit: http://www.logcluster.org/ops/hti10a/green-pirate-vessel

For information about Tres Hombres and its projects, please visit: http://www.fairtransport.eu/  

Based in Santo Domingo to coordinate UNICEF’s logistics response, I met an excellent group of logisticians – some familiar and some new faces – through working with the Logistics Cluster Cell. And especially when you work with people you know from previous emergency operations, it makes coordination and cooperation a lot easier, interesting, and strong. The bondage we developed and the team spirit we nourished greatly facilitated our work as a Cluster. The Logistics Cluster was the place where it didn’t matter which organisation you are coming from because we were all loggies. Despite the pressure and the 15-20 working hours every day, it was an amazing experience feeling supported, being able to smile, and playing down when the situation gets tough.

This team spirit makes difference when you are working under a challenging environment. On one occasion I needed to send supplies to Port-au-Prince and they needed to be flown in fast because they were medical supplies urgently needed on the ground.  I called colleagues at UNHAS which was providing humanitarian flights into Haiti and immediately received a positive feedback under one condition of which we needed to pre-position the cargo at the airport within the next hour to be able to ship them out. When I finally managed to deliver supplies to the airport to be loaded on time, I had another problem. Because this happened so fast, I did not have time to contact my UNICEF colleagues in Port-au-Prince in advance and the cell-phone and email networks in those days were extremely unstable. 

I was feeling desperate when I realised there would be no one on the other side to receive the medicines and there was possibility that these medicines would be left out on the sun which will turn all of our efforts into vain.  When I was anxiously going through my computer and cell-phone to figure out the best way to communicate with my UNICEF colleagues over in Haiti, there was something that made my eyes shine with happiness. It was a name on the skype, the name that I was familiar with from a previous Logistics Cluster. I immediately realised that this would be my last shot to communicate the arrival of medicines. I typed the urgent message and pressed enter with the last string of hope in my mind. The longest three seconds I ever remember. Then, something incredible happened. He replied and said: ‘No problem. Your colleague should be on the other side of the camp. I am walking over there now to let him know, my can of food can wait…’ 

With his help, our medical cargo was off-loaded on time to be immediately dispatched to clinics and hospitals in Haiti. Mission accomplished once again all together.

By Silvia Uneddu, UNICEF

Now that the battle has ended and considerable numbers of IDPs have returned from the camps to their villages in the Vanni, agencies’ operations in the area are stepping up and they need a place to work and overnight. 

As many agencies’ offices are no longer inhabitable or are currently in use by government bodies or armed forces, a temporary solution had to be found. This is where the Logistics Cluster comes in. Led by WFP, the Logistics Cluster was the first to set up office again in the town of Kilinochchi in the Vanni. A temporary Inter-agency Compound was to be set up in this office space. The WFP compound in Kilinochchi with its ruined buildings was plotted and agencies were allotted space for placement of containers. To date, UNOPS, UNOCHA, UNDSS, UNICEF, UNHCR and WFP have set up shop at the compound. Common space is available for other agencies in need of office and/or accommodation space for a short-term period. An Inter-agency Logistics Base is to follow suit soon. Kilinochchi is back in business!

By Ingrid van Beuzekom, Logistics Cluster

Introduction

The LOG has been developed through a joint effort facilitated by the Global Logistics Cluster and WFP, with representation from at least 18 humanitarian organisations. It is designed to be a single source of information on humanitarian supply chain best practices and easy access to simple tools and templates.

What is the LOG?

The LOG is a user friendly tool that can be used on-line and off-line. In addition to providing operational tools, templates and guidelines, it hosts information on the application of the different supply chain aspects in the humanitarian operational environment.

Created for field usage

Taking into account that internet connection in the field can be a challenge, with sometimes limited internet connectivity, the LOG can be used in online or offline mode. The user can download the LOG onto a computer, USB or other storage device and at which point all information can be searched and browsed in the same manner- offline or online. When updating the latest revisions of the LOG, only the revised parts of the LOG will be downloaded.

What is the LOG offering for you?

The LOG contains a comprehensive range of information and is easy to navigate and use. For example;

• Do you need to quickly set up a warehouse system with the basic documentation?
• Need guidelines on developing an SOP for transiting and importing goods?
• Looking for general documentation required for Importation of goods?
• Do you need to quickly verify a specific donor’s procurement regulations?

There is a world of information in the LOG!

How to get the LOG?

Free download available via the Global Logistics Cluster website: http://www.logcluster.org/tools/log

On this website you will also find supporting documents and tools, such as a quick guide for technical help, a brief Power Point Presentation and a PDF folder presenting an overview of the LOG. All ready to support you as you start using the LOG!

Launched version, first outline

The LOG is a dynamic tool that will be updated on a regular basis based on feedback, new insights and developments in the humanitarian sector. We invite you to support the further development of the LOG by sharing your feedback and suggestions via global.logisticscluster@wfp.org.

Towards the end of 2009, a series of typhoons and tropical storms hit the Philippines and I was deployed to its capital, Manila, as the Logistics Cluster Coordinator. With over 10 million people affected by the storms, the need to ensure that relief items reached those in need was felt across the entire country, but also by one man in particular, Mr. Oliver Bartolo.

As a Supply Chain Solutions Operations Manager with UPS, Mr. Bartolo headed a team of logistics experts from UPS, TNT and Agility that came together under the banner of the Logistics Emergency Team (LET) to assist the Philippines Logistics Cluster.

Mr. Bartolo was a key part of the Philippines Logistics Cluster, providing coordination and leadership to the LET. Easily matching the long hours that the rest of the team were putting in, he was always ready to give beyond what was asked of him in order to ensure the relief effort was a success.

But it was only during an innocent conversation we had while loading trucks that the true extent of dedication from LET became apparent. I happened to ask where he lived and only then did he make any mention of the fact that he lived in an area exactly in the path of one of the typhoons and that his house had been submerged. In fact, during my mission in the Philippines, I realized a number of LET staff members were directly affected by typhoons while they worked full time with the Logistics Cluster.

The quiet commitment of Mr. Bartolo and his colleagues to the Philippines Logistics Cluster was a reflection of their belief in its ability to effectively bring relief to those most affected. And I will remember and cherish their determination that made difference in our operation under the extremely challenging situation in the Philippines.

Pictures by Baptiste Burgaud/Logistics Cluster

Which is where UNHAS and the Logistics Cluster, led by the World Food Programme, came in – in style. A sizeable donation of medical supplies and food from the Taiwan government had been flown on a presidential aircraft into Santo Domingo in neighbouring Dominican Republic. The big question was – how to get it into Haiti and out to people in need as quickly as possible.

The problem was mentioned by the Dominican Republic Secretary of State to German Puente and Jose Odini from the UNHAS team in Santo Domingo during a meeting. The two immediately offered their services to assist the Dominican Civilian Defence who were handling the issue.

One of the cluster system’s greatest strengths is bringing divergent groups of people together to find the most efficient response in the circumstances. Everything proceeded very quickly. A tent was prepared at La Isabela airport where the cargo had been kept, and the UNHAS team got to work palletizing the cargo, with the help of labourers provided by the National Airport Authorities. The goods were then loaded onto WFP’s Caribou aircraft which carries out daily shuttles between the two capitals.

The take-off was attended by the Taiwanese Commercial Attache, the Head of the Dominican Civil Defense, the Minister attached to the Haitian Embassy and other high authorities, greeted in Port-au-Prince by UNHAS and Logs Cluster personnel, and immediately moved onwards straight to people in need. No delays, minumum red tape, and the only fuss being where to take the team photo.

At the airport to receive the goods on behalf of the Haitian government was the Director of the Haiti Civil Protection Department, Altea Jean Baptiste.

It was a good day’s work. Matthew Hollingworth, Global Logistics Cluster Coordinator, had the biggest smile of all.

From 20–21 January 2010 two members of the Global Logistics Cluster Support Cell (GLCSC) from Rome travelled to Dakar in Senegal to conduct a two day Logistics Cluster training session. More than 20 participants attended from Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone and Senegal with representation from UNICEF, UNHCR, IFRC, World Vision, CRS and WFP.

Day 1 started with Manuela Gonzalez from OCHA Dakar giving an introduction to humanitarian reform, Elena Rovaris from the GLCSC followed this with an overview of the cluster approach, the Logistics Cluster and its mandate and tools. To complete the morning activities Alastair Cook, also from the GLCSC, presented on Logistics Cluster response planning in emergencies with a Concept of Operations (ConOps), its purpose, structure and content.

Participants then divided into three groups to begin a simulation exercise, to develop a response plan for a large earthquake in the fictional country of ‘Turkastan’ where, according to the scenario, more than 800,000 people were homeless in a mountainous region at the beginning of winter. Each group was required to prepare a ConOps after the Logistics Cluster was activated to respond to this simulated disaster. During the afternoon the participants also conducted their first Logistics Cluster meeting, taking on the roles of the main humanitarian partners in the field, with the usual difficult cluster participant being very well acted by Elena!

Day 2 began with the completion of the ConOps followed by each group presenting their plan to the other teams.- it was soon apparent that the participants grasped the concept well and handled the challenge in a positive manner. Other presentations made during the course of the day covered emergency preparedness and the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC), which are essential components to effectively managing emergencies.

Many humanitarian organisations have increasing concerns about the stability of the region and any emergency would have a regional impact, requiring the activation of a cluster response. This training strengthened regional knowledge of how a Logistics Cluster works and built contacts among key organisations to prepare for a faster and more effective inter-agency response in any future emergency.

The office of the Logistics Cluster in Port-au-Prince is located right in the middle of the garden at the MINUSTAH Log Base where humanitarian workers set up camp the day after the earthquake.

It is at the Logistics Cluster help desk where Christophe Morard is constantly receiving and checking requests from the many different organisations asking for help to deliver relief items to those in need.

The Logistic Cluster in Haiti is coordinating the transportation of humanitarian aid through the inter-agency  fleet operated by Handicap International/Atlas Logistique.  The HI/AL team is supporting the cluster with 23 trucks operating out of Port-au-Prince, 10 out of Jacmel and 3 out of Petit Goave and by managing an interagency warehouse in Port-au-Prince. 

Atlas Logistique, a French NGO specialising in logistics and technical support, and Handicap International have worked together for a long time on emergency humanitarian and reconstruction programs.

As the two NGOs have complementary skills, resources and geographical coverage, Atlas Logistique and Handicap International decided to formalise their collaboration in 2005 by pooling their skills and resources. This merger has resulted in the creation of a new a Emergency Relief Department within Handicap International in 2006.

At the moment HI/AL have a team of 7 people dedicated to the Logistics Cluster. Four of them were in Haiti when the earthquake struck. Benoit, the project manager  tells me that he was in  the office when the earthquake hit and suddenly saw the shelves in front of him falling. He had to wait for the tremor to stop before getting out. 

All HI/AL staff, international and national, and their families were luckily safe. Most of them were on their way home at the time of the earthquake and therefore not in buildings. 

The HI/AL office didn't collapse, but their house did. Like everybody else a tent is now their home. Helicopters and cargo planes flying overhead with more relief supplies are the soundtrack to their work.

Elena Rovaris, Haiti Logistics Cluster

Photographs: Haiti Logistics Cluster

It’s 14:34h in Santo Domingo and Baptiste Burgaud, seconded by ACF to the Global Logistics Cluster, has been in the San Isidro military base for seven hours. He is one of many aid workers deployed to support the emergency response in Haiti – on his way to provide vital logistics support to survivors and humanitarians on the ground in Port-au-Prince.

The base is packed with NGO and UN staff trying to hitch a ride on the next plane or helicopter bound for the devastated capital. US military C-130s and Black Hawks arrive bringing in the wounded for medical treatment and depart with search and rescue teams with their dogs. As the situation for all those affected by the quake becomes increasingly difficult, the urge to get deliveries moving, get relief supplies in, is almost tangible.

This is a space to plan; to collect thoughts; to get some rest before the days ahead; to meet colleagues from past emergencies. And to think about the devastation that awaits, particularly those who have lost family, friends and colleagues.

As this is published Baptiste has secured a seat on a flight. He will be in Port-au-Prince to support the Logistics Cluster. Together with local authorities, NGO and UN colleagues he will help organise the delivery of humanitarian relief to affected communities.