C- WFP Logistic30
For decades, WFP has been developing its expertise in
humanitarian logistics. But it did not begin this way. From the organization's
establishment in 1962 up until the 1980s, development projects consumed 80 per
cent of WFP's resources. A robust shipping capacity formed the cornerstone of
food delivery operations, as vessels carried commodities intended for
developing countries around the world. In the mid-1980s, WFP gradually started
to build its land transport networks; and, by the early 1990s, these networks
thrived in more
30 Source: WFP Logistics in 2012. Changing the Way We
Deliver.
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than 90 countries. Air operations received international
recognition when WFP staged the longest-running humanitarian airdrop in
history: `Operation Lifeline Sudan' was launched in 1989, and involved
airdropping more than 1.5 million metric tons of food.
Two further strategic shifts in the last 20 years changed the
way WFP operated, and in turn, moulded Logistics to better support the
organization's needs. The early 1990s saw emergency relief becoming the major
area of WFP assistance. With each emergency, WFP's expertise in logistics grew
and developed. During this period, WFP began to earn its reputation as a
provider of logistics services for the humanitarian community.
From around 2010, another historic shift occurred within WFP.
In response to a changing global environment and the heightened need for
longterm hunger solutions, WFP launched a new strategic plan, aiming at the
transition from food aid to food assistance. WFP diversified its food
assistance tools to include innovative solutions, such as: issuing cash or
vouchers in emergency relief; building community resilience through programmes
like Purchase for Progress (P4P); and using new nutritious food items,
particularly in relief operations. The shift in WFP's strategy and changes in
the humanitarian environment made it imperative for WFP Logistics to change.
The Logistics strategy `Driving the Supply Chain', which was launched in early
2012, emphasized four priority areas of focus and innovation: Emergency
Preparedness and Response, Controls and Risk Reduction, External Service
Provision, and Food Assistance Initiatives.
In 2012, WFP operated 60 fleet workshops, airdropped 4,200 Mt
of food, provided 63 humanitarian partners with bilateral logistics services,
valued at US$23 million. It coordinated an average of 5.000 trucks, 30 ships
and 50 aircraft, managed a network of 650 warehouses around the globe and 700
WFP-owned trucks. In order to ensure timely and efficient delivery of food
assistance, WFP developed tools and systems that facilitated supply chain
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management, one example being a user-friendly dashboard of key
operational data and indicators. Other logistics priorities in 2012 were
emergency response efforts in South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, along with large
relief and recovery operations undertaken in Ethiopia and elsewhere. Through
UNHAS, UNHRD, the Logistics Cluster and our bilateral services, we continued to
act as a logistics service provider to the wider humanitarian community.
1- Shipping
In 2012, over half of WFP's food -- about 2.2 million metric
tons -- travelled by sea. Nearly 75% was shipped to Africa last year, serving
emergencies in eight countries across the Sahel region, and many others all
over the continent. On any given day, WFP has 30 ships at sea, carrying
humanitarian assistance for distribution in more than 70 countries. WFP works
with a specialized and reliable network of shipbrokers and freight forwarders,
moving cargoes from 60 load ports to 75 discharge ports across five continents.
WFP's shipping team makes every effort to ensure that ocean transport saves
time and money. In 2012, WFP directly contracted the ocean freight instead of
accepting the best offer of food suppliers, reducing costs by a total of
US$12.5 million. In order to contract the right vessel at the right price, WFP
ensures advance planning -- thanks to both its inhouse shipping expertise and a
new finance mechanism, the Forward Purchase Facility (FPF).
Many vessels were chartered last year in response to urgent
needs during the Sahel crisis. In April 2012, an urgent request came for a
unique type of vessel that could immediately ship 24,000 metric tonnes of FPF
cargo to various ports across West Africa. However, there was one catch: the
precise discharge ports had not yet been decided, as regional priority needs
were still evolving. This shipping operation was further complicated by the
fact that every port had different restrictions. Despite the challenges of this
charter, WFP was able to deliver the cargo by July 2012. By opting for one
large vessel instead
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of four separate smaller ones, WFP saved US$30/per metric ton
on this critical delivery. In addition to cost savings, lead times were reduced
thanks to the FPF mechanism and WFP's shipping expertise. WFP's container
bookings are increasing WFP ships its commodities in two ways: in bulk or by
containers. In shipping terms, `charter' vessels carry bulk commodities, which
are loaded unbagged and in large quantities into ships' holds, then bagged upon
arrival at their destinations. WFP uses `liner' services when transporting food
by containers. When commodities need extra care, such as refrigeration or
humidity-control to prevent damage during transportation, containers can
provide it.
2- Aviation
When faced with blocked roadways, poor infrastructure, or
communities affected by conflict or natural disaster, WFP turns to the skies.
Last year WFP used its aviation expertise in several emergency responses. In
South Sudan and the Central African Republic, WFP organized a combination of
airlifts and airdrops to reach cut-off communities. To ensure that food
distributions could continue uninterrupted to the refugees who had fled
fighting in Sudan's Blue Nile and South Kordofan States, WFP airdropped a total
of 3,144 mt into refugee settlements at Yida and Maban in South Sudan.
WFP's aviation experts continued to manage worldwide passenger
air services through UNHAS, as well as a range of crucial services around the
world providing vital access to affected populations. The aviation team also
offers a variety of air services available to humanitarian partners, such as
third-party services, air freight and executive passenger services. To make all
of this work possible, WFP relies on a well-established operating structure:
- An independent and dedicated Aviation Safety Unit (ASU)
performs continuous safety assurance, regulatory interactions,
investigations,
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safety promotion, and registration of air operators. In 2012,
172 evaluations of air operators were performed.
- WFP Aviation's Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) has continued to
review field operations using the Quality Management System (QMS). In 2012,
four reviews were conducted, which resulted in 19 recommendations and has
achieved a better level of services. By the end of the year most of the
recommendations had been implemented.
- Building capacity among key stakeholders is a major element
of WFP Aviation's footprint at the local level. Last year, ASU trainings were
attended by a total of 274 staff from WFP and other UN agencies, NGOs, national
governments, civil aviation authorities and others directly involved in WFP
Aviation air services. The trainings ensure a high level of overall quality in
the operations. Looking forward, they also form part of the WFP exit strategy:
participants are empowered with new skills, fostering career opportunities and
helping to develop local aviation industries.
In recent large-scale emergencies, such as the Haiti
earthquake of 2010 and the Pakistan floods of 2010, WFP helicopter assets were
crucial in the delivery of relief items to affected populations who could not
be reached by road. However, helicopters are not always available where and
when they are needed. Deploying helicopter assets around the globe is always
costly -- even more so in times of emergency. Valuable days are lost
dismantling, freighting, reassembling and testing helicopters before they can
be put into use. Furthermore, market competition tends to increase during
emergencies, drastically increasing the price of air assets.
Thanks to a strategic fleet of two stand-by helicopters based
in Entebbe, Uganda, WFP is able to respond quickly and efficiently. These
helicopters can be deployed at 24 hours' notice, and, from this geographically
central location,
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are poised to reach all of continental Africa, and as far as
Pakistan and Madagascar. They can carry essential food assistance and cargo,
are well-equipped to transfer humanitarian workers to the most hard-to-reach
places, and can perform medical evacuations. The stand-by fleet is mainly
funded by ECHO. When not on emergency deployment the helicopters are made
available to the humanitarian community on a cost-recovery basis.
During 2012, the stand-by fleet proved to be a strong asset on
the frontlines of humanitarian response in Africa. It provided support to
emergency interventions in Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic
of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan through the transportation of humanitarian
personnel, food and relief cargo. It also performed medical and security
evacuations for UN and NGO staff, most notably in DRC following rebel advances
and growing insecurity in the east. Last year, the stand-by fleet transported
over 3,000 passengers and 186 mt of cargo, and conducted 281 evacuations.
3- Surface transport
The last leg of WFP's supply chain usually consists of surface
transport. Surface transport is not confined to trucking food to its final
destination by road -- often it also involves river barges, trains and even
animals to accomplish this sometimes Herculean task. WFP relies on the
expertise and local knowledge of more than 2,500 logisticians, managing the
last leg of delivery in over 70 countries. The ability to go that final mile
has earned WFP its reputation as the world's leading humanitarian logistics
organization. As 96 per cent of this `final mile' is by road, WFP requires an
extensive land transport network. We operate approximately 5,000 trucks on any
given day. Where possible, local transports are contracted, but in situations
where security or lack of sufficient trucking capacity prevents this, WFP uses
its own fleet. In 2012, WFP's fleet of around 700 trucks were assigned to more
than 20 country operations worldwide. In
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many of these countries road infrastructure is poor. In such
places, it takes a certain kind of all-terrain vehicle to navigate the cratered
tracks and dense jungle roads.
Heavy-duty trucks allow WFP to bring food along humanitarian
corridors all over the world, making roads the lifelines for millions of
beneficiaries. In emergency situations, already poor roads often deteriorate;
sometimes WFP's own trucks are the only ones that can reach isolated
populations. In the past, finding suitable trucks for difficult conditions has
been a challenge, especially when they are not available from local
transporters. On stand-by and ready for deployment, a total of 65, fully
operational trucks can be sent to any of the countries in the West and East
African regions within five days of receiving a request.
Ocean: 22% (US$214 million)
Air: 1% (US$11 million)
Land: 77% (US$762 million)
Figure 7: How WFP moves food and the
cost in 2012. Source: WFP
In 2012, WFP operated a logistics budget of US$ 986 million to
transport food to over 70 countries, which includes not only land, air and sea
transport, but also warehouse rentals, storage and handling. All of this
accounts for around 20% of WFP's entire budget. Nearly 80% of WFP's transport
expenditures are for movement by road, followed by ocean transport and a
fraction by air.
International humanitarian food aid in the North-South
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WFP Logistic: ships, trucks and planes Pictures:
WFP
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In 2012, the average rate to transport one metric ton of food
assistance -- or 20 bags weighing 50kg each -- overland was US$180. Transport
costs include the journey that a bag of food must make from the moment it
arrives at the nearest port or point of procurement, all the way to its final
destination. In some countries, food has to travel particularly long distances,
and this drives up transport costs. For example, food destined for South Sudan
normally arrives as ocean freight at the port in Mombasa, Kenya. From there, it
must cross Kenya, and sometimes Uganda, before it reaches South Sudan. Once
there, the lack of infrastructure often requires special all-terrain trucks to
be available to bring the food further in-country.
The impact of international humanitarian food
aid
CHAPTER 3
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International Humanitarian Food aid, initiated in 1954, is the
most known and publicised instrument put forward to fight hunger, especially in
the southern countries, where millions of tons of food are shipped each year.
This food aid is used both for humanitarian concerns and economic and political
interests.
I- Positive impacts of food aid
Food aid covers a wide range of activities, ranging from the
distribution of large quantities various systems to popular cooking food,
through programs recharge under medical supervision. His first goal is of
course to save life. But it also a preventive role in mitigating the economic
impact of the crisis: to enable people to remain home, not having to sell or
abandon their livestock and means of production, provide seed stock. It allows
people to get over it, or limit prevents bursting process families and
capitalization of farms31.
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