UPDATES
With the launch this week (29 April) of the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week, we are excited to let you know that HLA will be represented in Geneva next week for in-person and hybrid sessions at HNPW.
As you may know, HLA is a partner with UNICEF to implement an Innovation Norway funded project – Kits that Fit. We will share the latest learnings from the project on Tuesday 7 May at 14:00 Geneva time. Please register to join online or in person.
Kits that Fit is exploring communications and supply chain innovations that will empower people to share what they really need to start the road to recovery. The project prioritizes locally assembled kits containing locally sourced items.The briefing session will share learning from the first ‘experiment’ being conducted in Kenya, which is focusing on WASH kits to address continuous humanitarian needs.
Follow this link for online access via Zoom
Time: May 7, 2024 02:00 PM Brussels / Geneva
Meeting ID: 821 0474 1875 Security Passcode: 597123
HLA 2024 CONFERENCE
The Health & Humanitarian logistics conference takes place from 29th -31st October in Nairobi. The theme ‘Strengthening health and humanitarian supply chain in the digital age’ will bring together INGOs, NGOs, Supply Chain Experts, Private sector and academia. There will be a strong focus on the use of AI in aid supply chains, last mile delivery, environmental sustainability, waste management and strengthening localisation capabilities.
The conference is context specific and provides a platform to discuss challenges, best practices, innovations, and ideas to support national supply chain systems and human resources, disaster preparedness and response and long-term development. The 2024 event will facilitate potential cross-sector collaborations, with the goal of enhancing local efficiency and effectiveness in health and humanitarian logistics systems to ultimately improve and save lives.
The three days will be highly interactive, ensuring all attendees leave with new learnings. Each day will see keynote speakers, panel discussions, case studies, Q&A, training in key areas and site visits to the MEDS and ICRC distribution hub.
EVENTS
MULTIMODAL 2024 GIVEN ROYAL SEAL OF APPROVAL WITH VISIT FROM HRH THE PRINCESS ROYAL
Clarion Events is delighted to announce that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, will be attending Multimodal 2024.Her Royal Highness will be visiting the show on 13th June in her capacity as Patron of Transaid, the international development charity founded by Save the Children, The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), and HRH The Princess Royal.Transaid and Multimodal have a deep and long-standing relationship forged over the last fifteen years. Many of Multimodal’s clients are corporate sponsors of Transaid and the charity has been the Official Multimodal Charity for that period of time.Robert Jervis, Event Director for Multimodal commented: “We are incredibly honoured that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal will be visiting Multimodal and we very much look forward to welcoming her again.“Like us, she is very passionate about the role that Transaid plays in changing lives for the better, and the role that the UK logistics industry can play in that mission.“We hope that her visit further highlights how companies can get involved with Transaid and the vital work that they do.”Caroline Barber, CEO of Transaid added: “Our partnership with Multimodal is very special, over the years the event has facilitated the formation of many of Transaid’s key corporate partnerships.”We are delighted that The Princess Royal will be attending Multimodal 2024, and we look forward to introducing Her Royal Highness to many of our important supporters who have helped to make Transaid the organisation it is today.”
SECTOR NEWS
U.S HUMANITARIAN DOCK AND CAUSEWAY TO GAZA ALMOST COMPLETE
During his March 7 State of the Union Address, President Biden announced an ambitious project that will significantly boost the amount of desperately needed humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.
The project, known as Joint Logistics-Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS, will consist of a floating dock about three miles off the Gaza shore, a floating pier attached to an approximately 1,800-foot-long modular causeway anchored to the shore and, finally, a group of logistic support vessels (LSVs) that will transport the aid from the dock to the pier/causeway
About 1,000 soldiers and sailors and at least 14 U.S. ships are engaged in the project.
Once fully operational, JLOTS will permit the delivery of up to 2,000,000 meals per-day for Gaza’s 2.3 million people, starting with an estimated daily transport of 90 truckloads, eventually ramping up to 150 truckloads when the pier-causeway is fully operational.
In close cooperation with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the World Health Organization, aid providers, Israeli representatives and other agencies, the aid will be inspected and loaded at Larnaca, Cyprus, onboard commercial ships and then transported to the floating dock, a journey that normally takes about 15 hours.
Once at the dock, the aid will be offloaded onto U.S. Army LSVs and taken to the floating pier where trucks from a “third country” will transport the aid over the causeway to distribution centers run by the United Nations and others.
With one week left to the deadline, it seems that the U.S. military will meet the ambitious schedule.
A “Senior Military Official” at an April 25 DoD background briefing provided the latest status. “Earlier today, the at-sea assembly of key pieces of the temporary pier began off the coast of Gaza. We are on track to begin delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza from the sea in early May,” he said.
The official concluded: “I’ll leave you with just three thoughts. Big picture. The U.S. military is building up and building a maritime pier to surge global aid. We have developed a comprehensive, integrated security plan with the Israeli Defense Forces to address force protection of American troops. And everything is in place: the people, procedures, ships and coordination protocols. Our plan to deliver lifesaving aid from the sea is on track for delivery in early May.”
Further details: https://www.sdjewishworld.com/2024/04/30/u-s-humanitarian-dock-and-causeway-to-gaza-almost-complete/
Supply Chain Leadership Across Africa: Are Drones the Key to Broadening Access to Healthcare in Africa?
Our Supply Chain Leadership Across Africa series continues in earnest with a fascinating discussion around the proposition of using drone technology for social good.
In this episode, host Scott Luton welcomes Prashant Yadav to the show, a globally recognized expert in healthcare supply chains and affiliate professor at global business school INSEAD, where he leads the Africa Initiative. Prashant is something of a media virtuoso, having appeared in prominent publications such as The Economist and Financial Times to share his expertise.
Sitting alongside Prashant is Olivier Defawe of VillageReach, a global nonprofit that transforms health care delivery to reach everyone by working with partners to build responsive primary health care systems that deliver health products and services to the most under-reached.
A key priority for both guests centers around realizing the immense potential for drones to unlock healthcare access, supply chain optimization, and socioeconomic development across the African continent.
During the discussion, they touch on a number of pertinent questions:
- What are the major challenges to scaling and sustaining drone transport operations in Africa?
- How can we ultimately ensure drone transport is more cost-effective for public health supply chains?
- What can stakeholders do on the supply and demand side to increase adoption of drone transport across sectors, beyond just public health?
To hear Prashant and Olivier’s thoughts on these issues, and much more, tune into the podcast now.
KENYA AIRPORTS AUTHORITY
A Team from the United Nations made a site visit to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to view the proposed site for the creation of a UN Humanitarian Logistics Hub with the support of Kenya Airports Authority.
The Hub will be the first on the African Continent. The other three (3) are in Dubai, Copenhagen, Brindisi in Italy. Locating the hub in Kenya will provide for speedy delivery of life saving aid to conflict regions and areas of humanitarian crises on the continent and other regions in the global south.
For further information please follow this link; https://bit.ly/4bhha4a
PHARMA LOGISTICS MASTERCLASS
29 September – 3 October 2024, Dallas Fort Worth, USA
Venue: Pegasus Park, 3000 Pegasus Park Drive, Dallas TX 75247
Register here; https://pharma.aero/product/pharma-logistics-masterclass-2024/
Don’t miss out, stay involved and move forward with us – sign up for HLA membership, follow us on social media and stay connected! Visit the HLA website for more information
The Humanitarian Logistics Association is Registered Charity 1127723 and Company Limited by Guarantee 06477969 of England and Wales. Registered office c/o CILT UK, Earlstree Court, Earlstree Road, CORBY, Northamptonshire, NN17 4AX, UK