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LOGISTICS SUPPORT SYSTEMS WORKSHOP

WHO/PAHO/WFP/OCHA 
Geneva, 25 to 27 July 2001

The logistical management of humanitarian supplies represents a formidable challenge for all agencies attempting to provide immediate assistance to the victims of disasters and emergencies. Collectively, the humanitarian community, including the national relief coordination authorities, is faced with the task of sorting, classifying and monitoring unsolicited and often inappropriate donations that clog the supply chain of most humanitarian operations. 

The World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) joined efforts with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which also serves as the regional office for the Americas of WHO, to convene and organize an inter agency workshop on Logistics Support Systems (LSS).  

More than 50 experts from UN Organizations, the Red Cross movement, humanitarian NGOs and national disaster coordinators from affected countries met at WHO HQ in Geneva on 25-27 July to discuss and identify steps toward a common approach to logistics support in emergencies. 

The meeting was presented with a comparative study made by WFP looking into the existing Commodity Tracking System (CTS) used by Agencies. This study assisted the experts in taking stoke of the systems currently used by the participating partners. After splitting into two working groups the experts reached a consensus on the following:  

Objectives of a Common Approach to Logistic Support; 

• To consolidate and share information between all actors (national disaster coordinators, agencies, donors) to facilitate inter-institutional coordination; 
  
  

• To improve transparency to promote accountability in the management of humanitarian assistance; 
  
  

• To provide common support to joint logistics planning to prevent oversupply and/or under-supply (centrally or locally) in a given emergency;
  
  

• Register and monitor “electronically undocumented items,” i.e., those not covered by commodity tracking systems and, in particular, unsolicited donations. 

Features of a Common Logistical Approach:

1.      The result of a common logistical approach can best be described as a common “data warehouse” covering goods from their procurement to the entry into a disaster-stricken country or area, and at a later stage, those at the intermediate level in the distribution chain. This database would also be able to accommodate any available information on planned deliveries with lead times of up to three months 

2.      The same approach should be used for all types of emergencies (natural disasters, complex emergencies, etc.). It is not necessary to develop different systems for different types of emergencies, as the logistical challenges are similar. However, a common approach should be specifically designed for emergency situations (as opposed to routine procedures).

3.      Food and non-food items need to be approached in a distinct manner. Non-food items and particularly pharmaceuticals present particular problems due to the complexity, diversity and the amount of unsolicited donations in this category.

4.      A common approach should not aim to substitute the commodity tracking systems (CTS) already in use or under development in many agencies. A considerable investment (time and money) has been made to ensure that these CTS respond to the operating procedures and donor reporting requirements of each agency. The CTS of humanitarian organizations should continue to track items down to the end user and report to their donors and constituents. Recognizing the benefits of these CTS the experts agreed to find ways to have these systems interface by means of a common platform; a common information system that would constitute the data warehouse mentioned above.

5.      The "data warehouse" system should be very flexible and easy to use. It must contribute to building the capacity of local authorities and NGOs through training and user support. It should be envisaged clearly as a long-term development project rather than a “crash” response capability.

6.      The importance of including the private sector and its financial and/or technical support was stressed. The general consensus is that the humanitarian sector should take the lead role and responsibility in the design and implementation of this initiative with the support of the private sector.

7.      It was generally agreed that the best solution would be to use existing practices that work and build on them to develop a system able to service a global community of users.

Next Steps

The participants identified three major areas for action:

1.      Working towards a common classification of items/commodities
2.      Launching a capacity building initiative for local authorities and NGOs
3.      Establishing channels of communication among the community of users.

1.      Common Classification Of Items/Commodities

The CTS presently used by humanitarian organizations are not designed to exchange data partly for lack of a universal classification/coding of individual items.

There was consensus that food and non-food items need to be treated separately. Non-food items refer to the sectors of health, shelter, water and sanitation.

WFP agreed to undertake a review of all existing classifications and categories of humanitarian supplies.  It also accepted to take the lead role in a technical working group towards a common or compatible classification of food items.

UNICEF agreed to take the lead role of a technical group to propose ways and means to standardize the classification of non-food items (particularly medical supplies). WHO, UNHCR, WFP and OCHA offered their collaboration and support to UNICEF in this endeavour.

2.      Building Local Logistical Capacity

As indicated, a common logistical information warehouse should be based on existing successful practices, include training of local authorities and NGOs, provide technical support and last but not least, benefit from political support from donors and political authorities concerned with transparency in management of supplies.

FUNDESUMA briefed participants on the experience and developmental approach of SUMA. SUMA provides disaster coordinators and local humanitarian actors with a simple tool for inventorying, classifying and sorting of all relief supplies including unsolicited donations.

The consensus was that the humanitarian sector should take the lead role and responsibility in building local capacity with the support of the private sector.

Because non-food items and particularly pharmaceuticals present particular problems due to the complexity, diversity and the amount of unsolicited donations, participants agreed that WHO, in coordination with other agencies, should lead in developing and implementing an inter-agency project to adapt and expand the experience of SUMA in a global context. This “SUMA-Global” project should work at strengthening local institutions and NGO’s in a capacity building rather perspective, than establishing an international response capacity. Building on FUNDESUMA, a similar instrument should be developed for regions other than Latin America.

Such an approach will lead to a hybrid system (data-warehouse):
on the one hand, these system will interface with existing CTS and, on the other hand, will provide a simple logistical tool, technical support and equipment to those actors, governmental institutions or NGOs that have no corporate CTS.

NGO’s (such as FUNDESUMA) and UN agencies would be the principal actors for the delivery and implementation of such a technical cooperation. Activation of a "SUMA"- like system in emergencies will be closely coordinated with OCHA.

WHO agreed to develop and circulate an outline for the “SUMA-Global” project. Meanwhile, PAHO and FUNDESUMA will initiate a consultation process on the redesign of SUMA, taking into account suggestions made during the workshop as well as further comments to be received by those concerned.

3.      Communication Among the Community of Users

The objective of a common approach towards logistic support requires the establishment of mechanisms for continuous dialogue and exchange among all interested parties. The dialogue should not only cover the proposed common approach but also Logistics Management in a broader perspective

OCHA and WHO agreed to look into setting-up an electronic/web-based discussion group to continue the dialogue. FUNDESUMA will utilize these mechanisms to consult and provide feedback on the conceptualization of the redesign of SUMA.

OCHA offered to disseminate the proceedings and documents of this meeting through, among other channels, ReliefWeb.

WHO and OCHA will take responsibility for calling the next meeting in 6 to 12 months time.

During the meeting the following issues were brought-up and referred to the IASC/WG and other bodies as they appeared to be not within the scope of the meeting

• The international humanitarian system, mainly the UN, has developed various mechanisms of co-ordination to facilitate response following disasters e.g. UNDAC, EFCT, UNDMT, IERCM, Crisis Response Coordination and the various Humanitarian Information Systems etc…. As logistic support and information systems should interact with and contribute to all of these, modalities of interaction (coordination of coordination mechanisms?) need to be discussed
  
  

• The private sector in general and in particular certain corporations are increasingly providing assistance for victims of disasters. Recently their support has expanded from financial and in-kind donations to direct implementation of humanitarian operations. Two of the areas where they are active are information management and logistic support. To take full advantage of such initiatives the IASC/WG should discuss these trends and identify needs for coordination and linkage so to be able to provide guidance to humanitarian actors
  
  

• Unsolicited/inappropriate donations from the public continued to be of concern in humanitarian emergencies. It was recalled the IASC/WG discussed this issue and recommended further consultations with agencies on the adverse consequences arising from the practice of inappropriate donations, and on possible steps to be taken with governments, the public and the private sector. The progress in the implementation of this recommendation has to be discussed.