Venezuela - General Guidelines for Handling Unsolicited Bilateral Donations (UBD) - Logistics Cluster

Content

Spanish Translation of "Guidelines on Unsolicited Bilateral Donations (UBDs)"

Background

During large-scale emergencies, governments, NGOs, civil society organizations, solidarity groups, and individuals often provide humanitarian goods in kind. These relief goods are intended to meet some of the needs of the affected population and are typically delivered at the points of entry into the country affected by the emergency. However, these goods may not have been planned for or requested as part of the humanitarian response, and if not properly managed, they can negatively impact response operations.

What is an UBD?

Unsolicited Bilateral Donations (UBD) are typically characterized by:

• Arriving without prior notice or with very little advance notice.
• Incorrect or incomplete documentation.
• Lack of a clearly identified consignee.
• Non-standardized items.
• Inadequate packaging.

What impact can UBDs have on the humanitarian supply chain?

Even when motivated by good intentions, donations that are inappropriate or delivered at the wrong time can unintentionally hinder response efforts. The humanitarian supply chain supports the distribution of emergency items and resources from their point of origin to people in need. The arrival of UBDs can disrupt this chain, congesting ports and points of entry and competing with priority relief supplies for transportation and storage.

For humanitarian aid to provide the greatest benefit to the affected population, donations must address needs identified on the ground and be properly planned in coordination with national authorities and the humanitarian community, while also ensuring compliance with national requirements for the importation of goods. Therefore, it is important to clarify the following aspects:

• Ownership: Who is the consignee?
• Donor responsibility: tracking, monitoring, and accountability.
• Costs: Who will organize and cover the costs associated with customs clearance, transportation, distribution, or final disposal (when necessary)?

General Recommendations

Responsibility and Accountability

Ownership of relief items without a consignee typically falls to the national authority responsible for disaster management. In some cases, this responsibility may also fall to another government entity or a humanitarian organization.

It is also important to clearly establish who will be responsible for distribution and the associated costs, ensuring that roles and responsibilities related to the management of UBDs are clearly defined among government authorities and the humanitarian community. Guidelines should also be established to mitigate the impact of UBDs.

Consistent Messaging and Communication

It is essential that the humanitarian community produce consistent and up-to-date information that clearly indicates what is needed throughout the response and, where possible, during the preparedness phases. Given the challenges that UBDs can pose to the humanitarian supply chain, cash donations to humanitarian organizations on the ground are often considered the best way to contribute.

To better align supply with actual needs, government authorities can take proactive measures—especially in sudden-onset emergencies—by quickly publishing and disseminating lists of priority items, both food and non-food items (NFIs), required for the response.

• Items that are not needed or will not be accepted.
• Guidelines for donors on requirements for in-kind donations.

This practice has proven effective in preventing the shipment of inappropriate items or unwanted surplus goods.

Processing at the point of origin

Processing items prior to shipment can facilitate better management of UBDs and reduce the operational burden on the affected country. This process should include:

• Sorting items prior to loading, separating those that require special storage or handling conditions.
• Enforcement of standards to prevent the shipment of unsuitable, unusable, or substandard items.
• Disposal or local use of items that cannot be transported properly.

It is also advisable to prioritize the goods to be shipped based on their relevance to the needs of the affected population. Furthermore, it is essential to promote agreements on the standardization of relief items used in emergencies.

Disposal and Final Disposal

Support should be provided to disaster management authorities to develop guidelines regarding the disposal or final disposal of unsuitable or deteriorated UBDs. This can help reduce some of the difficulties faced by the recipient country in its relationship with the donor country.

Challenges and Specific Conditions for Food, Medicines, and Clothing

Source: Translation based on the original English document “General Guidelines for Unsolicited Bilateral Donations (UBDs).”