Letter from the Chairman

Welcome to the HLA website! It is great a pleasure for me to see the progress that has been made in recent years to professionalize Humanitarian Logistics. But there is much, much more to do. I have been involved for most of my career in humanitarian logistics, a sector which is often under-valued within the Aid community. The HLA aims to change that perception and so your membership and active participation is extremely important to enable us to develop the Association to support you.

The HLA differentiates humanitarian logistics from commercial logistics and therefore promotes the development of the profession among a wide range of Aid organisations and donors. A humanitarian (or emergency) logistician, as distinct from a commercial logistics professional, must tackle a wide range of often complex issues in order to optimise operational efficiency and cope with the variety of bottlenecks that can hamper effective disaster response.

Not only must a humanitarian logistician implement demanding logistics and supply-chain management tasks, but she/he will often have to do this within sensitive political and security situations.  Humanitarian logisticians often have to act under their own initiative taking responsibility, for example, for the provision of shelter to protect the wellbeing of hundreds or even thousands of people that might have been displaced by natural disaster, conflict or even pandemic.  They must be able to act decisively within the remit of international humanitarian law and international disaster response law, according to the Red Cross Code of Conduct and in full compliance with inter-agency ‘Sphere’ standards. To meet the needs of beneficiaries effectively programme teams must also be supported, requiring the humanitarian logistician to set up operational bases and radio communications in remote locations. Challenges are compounded when large scale complex emergencies involve multiple actors, frequently including the military, and so an understanding of civil-military cooperation is vital.

Do you have the right aptitude, strength of character, diplomatic skills – not to mention professional logistics skills – and are ready to meet such humanitarian logistics challenges?  The HLA will help you to achieve this and more as part of a rewarding career.

I encourage you to sign up as a member of the HLA right now – it’s free!  You will gain access to a valuable network of like-minded logisticians, information and knowledge sharing and the opportunity to improve your professional skills and qualifications. I invite you to explore our site to learn more.

George Fenton

Chairman