Summary
Content
- DRAFT business plan 2008 for the Support Cell – Your feedback please!
- Mozambique Logistics Cluster update - No. 4
- ActionAid Report on Cluster Approach in Mozambique 2007
Kenya Logistics Cluster update - No. 4 - Support Cell mission to Zambia for Cluster gear up
- Four Humanitarian Response Depots operational, fifth to join shortly
- Logistics Capacity Assessment Ruanda revised
- Japan Platform
- Interesting logistics articles and weblinks
- Missions and Events
DRAFT business plan 2008 for the Support Cell – Your feedback please!
Please find the first draft of our business plan attached. This is a first attempt to outline our positioning and scope of work during this year. Of course this needs to be critically analyzed by you as we need to be sure that this is in line with what you think is the way forward for the Logistics Cluster.
Mozambique Cluster operation update – No. 4
Storage: 3 Wiikhalls are available for interagency use in Caia. The storage facility is provided by the Logistics Cluster and should be considered as a transit store. One NFI Wiikhall will be erected in Mutarara during the coming week.
Airops: Of the two helicopters based in Caia, presently one is fully operational; the second one has a mechanical problem due to a plastic bag that caught in the rotor upon landing. (Users are reminded that they have to make sure that the locations where we are asked to fly to are well informed of arrival of the helicopter and clear the landing area from high grass and any other debris.)
River transport: For areas that are accessible by boat and/or barge there is a need for augmented transport capacity. TNT is contributing funds to organize river transport, commercial entities have been contacted and arrangement made to mobilize a 30 MT barge, and 4 boats of 8; 4,5; 3 MT capacity.
Cargo movement requests and more info is available on Logistics Cluster web page: http://www.logcluster.org/mz08a.
Logistics Cluster meetings take place every week in Maputo: Wednesday at 1400 hrs and Caia: daily at 1800 hrs.
CONTACTS
Maputo, Logistics cluster: Pedro Figueiredo, pedro.figueiredo@wfp.org, +258 82515 4752
Maputo, Logistics/reports: Eva-Kristin Pedersen, evakristin.pedersen@wfp.org, +25882 711 5961
Caia, Logistics Cluster: Hugo Van Vuuren, hugo.vanvuuren@wfp.org, +258 82 515 4752
Caia, UNHAS CATO, Stig Larsson, stig.larsson@wfp.org, +258 82 678 3535
ActionAid Report on Cluster Approach in Mozambique 2007
Please find attached the ActionAid publication “The Cluster Approach in Mozambique 2007: Is it improving emergency response? An NGO perspective”
Kenya Cluster operation update – No. 4
Security: The situation has remained unstable in many areas and tensions are very high. On 31 January another opposition lawmaker was shot dead in the town of Eldoret. This incident is likely to escalate the tension in the volatile area. Police have intensified patrols along the highway and major roads. Transporters were able to drive from Malaba–Nakuru and vice versa along the highways without police escort.
Escorts: Cluster members were in agreement that army protected convoys from Nairobi was the only solution to the problem of moving food and NFIs to the zone of operations. So far windows of opportunity have been used by transporters to move through supplies. Nevertheless, there seems to be a good development with the ‘Government Transport Committee’ organised escorts. On 31 January the army is escorting over 200 trucks and buses from Nairobi all the way to Malaba and Busia. OCPD at the Nakuru Police Station advises that the Nakuru-Eldoret road is only passable with security
Contingency Planning: Due to the escalation of the conflict the impact on the economy and humanitarian relief services regionally has become a growing concern. OCHA will hold a workshop on scenario development and planning on 21 February.
Corridor cost comparison: WFP is also conducting a cost comparison exercise which examines the various road, rail and ferry options of moving commodities through Tanzania to Uganda, Rwanda, DRC and South Sudan. The report will be shared when completed.
Early Recovery: The Early Recovery cluster will send representatives to all existing clusters in order to understand the early recovery component of each cluster, and vice versa other cluster representatives are invited to be permanent members of the Early Recovery Cluster.
Next Meetings: Nairobi: 7 February, 1400 hrs, Eldoret: 5 February, 0900 hrs, Nakuru: first meeting 6 February, 1700 hrs, UNICEF Office
More info on the website: www.logcluster.org/kenya
Support Cell mission to Zambia for Cluster gear up
In response to the heavy rains that have been hitting Zambia and the potential for serve floods, the Support Cell is deploying one staff member for a one month mission to be based in Lusaka. The WFP Country Office has identified one staff member who will act as Logistics Cluster focal point and lead WFP's coordination activities for the Logistics Cluster. Kevin Kowley will help train this staff member and assist in getting the Logistics Cluster fully operational within Zambia. This will involve close collaboration with the Zambian Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit as well as humanitarian actors in country.
Please forward Kevin’s contact to your colleagues in country: Kevin Howley, kevin.howley@wfp.org, mob. +39 340 560 5725
Four Humanitarian Response Depots operational, fifth to join shortly
The establishment of the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depots (UNHRD) in Subang (Malaysia), Accra (Ghana), and Panama City (Panama) further expanded WFP’s and the wider humanitarian community capacity and global reach, adding a level of flexibility to operational response by inter-linking five facilities - The aforementioned three plus Brindisi (Italy) and Dubai (UAE).
Final negotiations with the government on the agreement for the Subang HRD have been completed and signing is expected end February; agencies/NGOs interested in prepositioning their rapid response stocks in Subang will be able to do so immediately after signature of the agreement.
As WFP is starting construction in Ghana, Panama and Subang, pls see below a prospect of the warehouse. Main features include 5,000 sq/m of covered space with cold room storage and a refrigerated cell, plus 5,000 sq/m of uncovered space.
At present the UNHRD Network is comprised of 19 partners, 50% of which joined the Network in 2007. Recent signatories include: ECHO, FAO, UNDP, Islamic Relief, and CRS. The other organizations which have an agreement with the UNHRD are: WFP, WHO, OCHA, Irish Aid, Swedish Rescue Services Agency, World Vision, Intersos, Italian Cooperation, Solidarity (Greece), Mercy Corps US, Norwegian Church Aidm, Goal Ireland, Care International, International Rescue Committee.
For further information please write to UNHRD.customerservice@wfp.org.
Logistics Capacity Assessment Rwanda revised
Please find attached the Logistics Capacity Assessment (LCA) that WFP recently updated for Rwanda. This is not a full-fledged Inter-Agency LCA, but we thought there might me some interesting facts and figures already useful.
Japan Platform (JPF)
JPF and NYK Line (Nippon Yusen Kaisha, one of the world's biggest shipping companies) have had a strong relationship for marine transportation of relief goods since 2004. They collaborated during the Indian Ocean Earthquake (Tsunami), Pakistan Earthquake, Java Earthquake and Peru Earthquake and have an agreement for future possible disasters.
In 2005, NYK received the Aashi Corporate Citizen Award, an award for the best social responsibility activity of Japanese corporations sponsored by one of Japanese leading daily newspaper for their activities supporting disaster and developing countries.
NYK CSR report 2007 (on page 36, there is an article regarding their collaboration with NPO/NGOs including JPF) Click Here
Interesting logistics articles and weblinks
- A few web-links of interest, probably known by some of us and relevant to different areas of humanitarian logistics or logistics in general:
- Academia: Research / publications from MIT: Inventory Pre-positioning in Humanitarian Logistics by Anup Akkihal, MLOG thesis, 2006; Click Here
- A presentation from Edgar E. Blanco and Jarrod Goentzel from MIT Center for Transport and Logistics that includes references to available literature on Humanitarian Supply Chains as well as WEB Resources; Clich Here
- Health & Logistics: In May 2007 IAPHL: International Association of Public Health Logisticians was created. The following website is also used as forum between peers. Click Here
- A data base of global logistics industries - daily logistics news service (there is a category of "Humanitarian Logistics", too) Click Here
- DFID: Information about transport-related matters in developing countries: Click Here
- DFID: Appraisal of investments in improved rural access: Click Here
Missions and Events
- Logistics cluster NGO information meeting, 11 Feb, London, UK (Julia Bacher, Laurent Blanc, GLCSC and Gerard Rebello, WFP, present)
- Third Logistics Response Team (LRT) training, 9 - 16 March, Brindisi, Italy
- Next Global Logs Cluster meeting planned for 23-24 April, Geneva, Switzerland