Summary
Content
UNJLC Bulletin contents
1. GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS)
2. LOGISTICS COORDINATION
3. AVIATION
1. GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS
- Mapping on the basis of the common GIS database
A general map of waterways and railways has been drawn on a 1/3,500,000 scale. It includes data transmitted by the Régie des Voies Fluviales (RVF) which acts as the national body in charge of the Congo River maintenance and Société Nationale des Chemins de Fers Congolais (SNCC) which is in charge of the maintenance of a part of the DRC railway network. The data received by UNJLC pertains to the type of ports (main/ secondary river or sea ports etc…), the type of railway stations (stations that can perform important repairs/maintenance and those where only simple servicing is possible) and the waterways by draught category. That map is in the process of being validated by the RVF.
That way of feeding the database requires a sustained partnership with national institutions despite the fact that they do not always have the capacity to guarantee the reliability of their data for the time being.
- Discussions on the maintenance of the common GIS database
The discussion on the deployment of the system (i.e. who will do what and how the information will circulate) has also started with the drafting of a document of reference that will be submitted to all the partners.
An agreement in principle for a transmission of information on a regular basis has already been reached with Office des Routes (Road authority of the DRC) and RVF. These agreements should lead to the systematization of the exchange of data and/or services between those bodies and the database administrator.
The said information will deal for instance with the state of roads, the positioning of beacons in the River, the state and length of quays, the number of cranes in service for each port, the difficulties to dock and the draught for each port.
A specialized database focusing on the various humanitarian areas of work has also been built in MS Access format. Contrary to the common database, that one contains data organized according to subject. That data is likely to evolve and is specific to each agency.
The said data is designed in such a way that it can serve for mapping when necessary. Each information includes details on location, either the longitude/latitude or a link to the common database (for instance a name of a location or an administrative entity).
The data currently available are
- FAO : Presence in DRC
- UNJLC : Location of UN agencies warehouses and their capacity(compilation of the results of a survey conducted by UNJLC)
- UNJLC : air routes and their frequency :UNHAS, MONUC, ASF(compilation of UNJLC questionnaires results)
- UNMACC : Mined areas
That information is not yet available on the UNJLC website and an authorization from their respective owners is required prior to transmission.
That database will be enhanced by data that cannot be included in the common database and made available by the various partners of the GIS Working Group.
2. LOGISTICS COORDINATION
- Progress of the Sub Working-Groups activities
- Procurement
Concerning all the local procurement (feasible in the DRC), it was decided to pool information from various organisations. That information pertains to the availability of equipments (goods) as well as services. This work will lead to the creation of a common database. This sub- group is also working for the designing of a common database of suppliers.
The last meeting of this sub-group were held on 3 April 2006.
- Transport
The purpose of this sub Working Group is to coordinate the use of transport means by humanitarian agencies and to collect information pertaining to the availability of equipments (handling equipments, list of transporters etc…).
> Follow up of Mitwaba / North Katanga humanitarian crisis
UNJLC continues to follow- up and to facilitate the efforts of UN agencies and NGOs that ship goods to Mitwaba.
The following information concerning the convoys is available:
- A convoy of 180 tons of goods, mainly NFIs, was organized by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Caritas in the mid of March. The distributions to beneficiaries should start by the beginning of April. That convoy went from Lubumbashi to Mitwaba (550 Km) and lasted one week in March and lasted about one week.
- UNICEF has also sent by road 150 tons of NFI kits, which amounts to 1,500 kits (blankets, jerry cans, and cooking sets) between 13 March and 26 March 2006.
> Transport platform project
The web tool project focusing on information exchange on transport of cargo is currently being developed. A first version of the pilot should be tested by the end of April.
In the meantime, UNJLC will schedule information and training sessions, if possible, for the users (NGO and UN agencies members).
- Fuel
> Common fuel supply project for the UN agencies
Within the framework of the "Fuel" Sub Working-Group (led by UNICEF and UNJLC), an exercise consisting in the consolidation of needs of fuel (mainly diesel and Jet A1 fuel) was launched.
The purpose is to quantify the forecasted needs of fuel on all the territory of the DRC for the remaining months of 2006, 2007 as well as 2008.The needs will be compiled and a solution consisting in a common purchase of fuel will be considered.
In the meantime, MONUC was approached in order to examine the possibility to be granted an access to its supply infrastructures.
- Customs
The activities of this Sub Working Group are progressively being put in place after the finalization of the TOR, the timeframes and the integration of an expert from MONUC in the Sub Working-Group.
- Miscellaneous
> Workshop on common services of the UN in DRC
A workshop on the common services of the United Nations took place in Kinshasa from 8 to 10 March. UNJLC participated in that meeting and presented the work that is currently being done by the Logistics sub- working groups (the sub group on fuel in particular) and the air movement coordination project.
Participation in OMT (Operations Management Team) meetings
Following the workshop on common services, UNJLC is now involved in the OMT meetings as from the last meeting held on 17 March.
That group is made up of UN agencies and is meant at addressing common issues, or pooling resources in several areas, particularly in the administrative sector.
UNJLC has presented the logistical projects that are currently carried out and intend to continue to be involved in that working group since it fits into the same scheme than UNJLC's one which consists in facilitating the pooling of resources.
The next meeting of the OMT will be held on 6 April at 02.00 P.M at UNICEF Kinshasa.
> Logistics Cluster meeting
The second meeting of the logistics cluster took place on 28 March in Kinshasa. It was chaired by WFP and a Logistics expert from the WFP regional office of Kampala participated in the meeting.
That meeting enabled to gather all the UN agencies and many NGOs in order to discuss the operational issues faced in the area of humanitarian logistics.
The cluster meeting will keep the same frequency than the " Logistics Working Group " which used to take place twice a month since November 2005.
The next Logistics cluster meeting will be held in Kinshasa on 11 April at 3 P.M
The functioning of the Logistics Sub Working Groups set up on UNJLC initiative in January 2005 will remain unchanged.
A similar meeting of the Goma Logistics cluster took place on 22 March 2006.
3. AVIATION
- EU blacklist
For information, on 22 March 2006, The European Union presented a blacklist of 96 Air carriers that were to be banned by EU states as from 25 March 2006.
More than a half of the companies on the list are from the DRC, only one DRC air carrier (Hewa Bora) is allowed to fly in Europe only with one of its aircrafts linking Kinshasa to Brussels.
That blacklist was drawn up in accordance with common criteria of EU member states; it can be updated every three months after the proposal from member states or the commission. Moreover, the EU advises its citizens not to use those companies outside the EU.
- Follow-up of the Air Safety Evaluation
Following the evaluation facilitated by UNJLC and carried out by experts from the International Association of Air Transport (IATA), WFP Air safety and the Direction de l'Aéronautique Civile (DAC) which acts as the DRC Civil Aviation Authority in December 2005; recommendations were made during the ISMT meeting held on 8 February 2006.
According to the humanitarian coordinator a.i, three out of the six evaluated companies closely meet the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards which have been used by IATA to conduct the evaluation. These standards derive from the Chicago Convention which the DRC state has signed. However, these air carriers have not been accredited for UN staff air transport pending a post-evaluation.
UNJLC air cell is in touch with the evaluated companies to assess the measures that they are taking in order to catch up with the required standards and also in order to prepare a possible post-evaluation.