Humanistic Logistics

Lecture 7: Humanitarian Logistics
ITLS6015
Presented by
Jersey Seipel
The University of Sydney Business School
Chapter 7: Humanitarian Logistics
• Learning Outcomes:
1. Explain the 3 Humanitarian Principles & their importance

2. Describe the differences between business logistics &
humanitarian logistics & what drives them
3. Explain the disaster management cycle, it’s 3 phases &
the priorities within each phase
4. Describe the coping strategies of humanitarian logistics
The 3 Humanitarian Principles
• Impartiallity: Humanitarian Action must be based solely on need
• Neutrality: Humanitarian Action must not favour any side in an

armed conflict and bring assistance to people in distress without
discrimination
• Independence: Humanitarian Action must be kept separate from

political, economic, military or other objectives
Organisations involved in Humanitarian Aid
• UN agencies (UNHCR, UNCEF, UNOCHA, WFP)
• Red Cross (IFRC, ICRC)
• NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations): MSF, Save the Cildren,

Oxfam, Care, ACF & others
Types of Humanitarian Aid
What
Is
Humanitarian
Logistics?
“. . . purchasing and logistics for major disaster relief is
like having the client from hell – you never know
beforehand what they want, when they want it, how
much they want and even where they want it sent.”
(D. Arminas: “Supply Lessons of Tsunami Aid”, 2005)

Logistics is central to disaster relief:
1. It serves as bridge between preparedness & response,

procurement & distribution, HQs & field
2. It is crucial to the effectiveness and speed of response;

depending on the ability to source, transport, store &
distribute supplies
3. It can provide data on supplier & transportation provider

effectiveness, cost & timeliness of response, appropriateness
of donated goods & management of information for post-
event learning & further training
Business Logistics & Supply Chain Management:
Cost is the driving factor – logistics & SC costs are part of
the overall price for goods or services. If these costs
become too high, the price for the customer becomes
too high as well & the product or service is no longer
competitive in the market.
Humanitarian Logistics & SC Management:

Time is the driving factor – aid supplies that arrive too
late can not save lives. Unpredictability of demand and
the “last mile problem” of delivery are typical.
“Logistics account for approximately 80 % of a disaster
relief effort.”
( P.A. Trunick “Special Report: delivering relief to Tsunami victims”, Logistics Today, vol.
46 no. 2, pp 1-3)
“It is characterised by large-scale activities, irregular

demand & unusual constrains in large-scale
emergencies.”
(B. Beamon & S. Kotleba “Inventory modelling for complex emergencies in humanitarian
relief operations”, International Journal of Logistics, vol. 9 no. 1, pp1-18)
Characteristics of Humanitarian Logistics:
• Main Objective: Alleviate the suffering of vulnerable people
• Actors: NGOs, Red Cross & UN organisations
• 3-Phase Setup: preparation, emergency response &

reconstruction
• Supply Chain Philosophy: “push” in the emergency phase

“pull” in the reconstruction phase
Characteristics of Humanitarian Logistics:
• Time effects: Delays will result in loss of lives
• Bounded knowledge actions : Disasters demand an immediate

response, hence SCs need to be designed & deployed at once,
even if situational knowledge is very limited
• Supplier structure: Limited, sometimes even unwanted
• Control aspects: Lack of control due to emergency situation

The Disaster Management Cycle
3 distinct phases:
1.Emergency relief
2.Reconstruction / Recovery
3.Preparedness / Prevention
Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management must be

aligned with these different phases and be prepared to shift priorities
according to needs.
The Disaster Management Cycle
Priorities in Phase 1
A typical problem humanitarian supply chain managers face are

parallel, time-critical demands in a limited-capacity system:
Everything is urgent, all is needed at once in multiple locations,

prioritising becomes guesswork due to very limited information &
communication as well as transport capacities are unable to cope
with the amount of simultaneous requirements.
Rescue Equipment Power Supply
Drugs & Medical Material Communication

Medical Equipment Equipment
Water & Sanitation Transport
High-energy Food Storage
Shelter Distribution
Building Equipment
Building Material
Construction Experts
Civil Engineers
Basic Food
Expanded Water & Sanitation
Vaccinations
Emergency Stocks
Warning Systems
Training
Education
Coping Strategies
Improvisation
Flexibility
Adaptability
Rapid Reinforcements
Task Distribution
Priority Assessments

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Lecture 7: Humanitarian Logistics

1. Explain the 3 Humanitarian Principles & their importance

• Neutrality: Humanitarian Action must not favour any side in an

• Independence: Humanitarian Action must be kept separate from

• Red Cross (IFRC, ICRC)

• NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations): MSF, Save the Cildren,

(D. Arminas: “Supply Lessons of Tsunami Aid”, 2005)

1. It serves as bridge between preparedness & response,

2. It is crucial to the effectiveness and speed of response;

3. It can provide data on supplier & transportation provider

Humanitarian Logistics & SC Management:

“It is characterised by large-scale activities, irregular

• Main Objective: Alleviate the suffering of vulnerable people

• Actors: NGOs, Red Cross & UN organisations

• 3-Phase Setup: preparation, emergency response &

• Supply Chain Philosophy: “push” in the emergency phase

• Bounded knowledge actions : Disasters demand an immediate

• Supplier structure: Limited, sometimes even unwanted

• Control aspects: Lack of control due to emergency situation

Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management must be

A typical problem humanitarian supply chain managers face are

Everything is urgent, all is needed at once in multiple locations,

Drugs & Medical Material Communication

Water & Sanitation Transport

High-energy Food Storage

Expanded Water & Sanitation

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