Effective Management in Humanitarian Logistics

Providing aid and solidarity to those in need who suffer from disasters in the world and in our country contributes to healing the wounds to some extent. In order to meet basic humanitarian needs such as shelter, clothing and nutrition for disaster victims, logistics activities consisting of transportation, storage and transportation processes play a key role in relief efforts. In terms of logistics, non-commercial logistics activities specific to disaster relief are referred to as ‘humanitarian logistics’. In order for the logistics support processes provided to save and protect the lives of disaster victims and to provide the materials they need to achieve their goals, the processes must be managed effectively.

Humanitarian logistics involves a series of processes such as collection, transportation, storage and distribution of relief supplies. Since the functioning of this process can become complex in emergencies, humanitarian logistics can be said to have a complex structure. In addition to irreparable humanitarian losses, disasters also create various organic needs that need to be supported. Therefore, it is beneficial to focus on the necessary work with partnerships consisting of different fields of expertise in order to reduce the negative situations experienced as a result of disasters. Therefore, coordination of cooperation between different fields of expertise gains importance.

In this sense, communication, health and first aid support, temporary and/or permanent shelter, nutrition, needs such as electricity, water, heating, security, search and rescue assistance that need to be provided for a sustainable social order lead to complex and multifaceted logistics processes that require coordination. Humanitarian logistics activities involve the transportation of humanitarian aid or supplies along a supply chain with case-specific characteristics in extraordinary crisis situations such as natural disasters, wars and civil wars. Humanitarian logistics requires a rapid, effective and coordinated response capability to help meet basic needs during a crisis or disaster. Therefore, effective transportation must be planned, with specific procedures and systems in place to ensure that activities such as procurement and distribution of supplies are carried out quickly and efficiently. Research shows that procurement of goods and services, a critical and demanding process, accounts for around 65% of relief operation costs.

Disasters are not only about short-term needs in the first sense of the word. The adverse conditions that arise as a result of disasters and the need to ensure the sustainability of life require both short and long term support to the disaster area, taking into account various migrations. The resulting forced migration also affects neighboring regions, which themselves face serious development challenges. A logistics model designed and managed to meet people’s needs must therefore include cooperation and coordination between humanitarian organizations, governments and other stakeholders. Humanitarian logistics is therefore influenced by the corporate communication approach of the organization providing it. This is where the complexity emerges and the power of coordination becomes important. Through B2B cooperation, rapid collection, transportation and distribution of relief supplies can be ensured in emergency situations. Thus, relief supplies reach those in need and can be used to save or protect people’s lives. In this sense, an effective and people-oriented approach should be adopted.

The most critical issue in crisis management is undoubtedly rapid response. The faster and smoother the logistics operations, the greater the impact of assistance. Therefore, effectiveness in planning, strategic approach, coordination, cooperation solutions, operational skills, time and risk management are the most valuable issues.

The better the information received during a crisis, the better the planning and implementation phases work. For this reason, prior preparations for risk management and crisis communication, identification of authorities, and realistic determination of how information flow can be ensured through crisis scenarios is an important basis that makes humanitarian aid logistics effective. The damage caused by disasters and extraordinary events should be identified and reported to the coordination team immediately. In order to mitigate these damages, if there is no disaster management organization assigned in advance, it should be rapidly established during the crisis. In this sense, the importance of systematization and institutionalization in terms of continuity emerges. Communication must be managed systematically at all levels and strategically at the institutional level in order to coordinate and overlap the flow of aid at the international level when necessary and the flow of aid at the national level when necessary. In this sense, governments, NGOs, associations, foundations, donors and/or volunteers, local governments, private sector actors, etc. each have different roles and responsibilities. Managing these is also important for all processes.

In humanitarian logistics, information and supply chain processes operate in a state of flux; the logistics operation process involves the collection, transportation, storage and distribution of humanitarian aid supplies at the right time, in the right place and in the right way, and this requires continuous operational management. In other words, humanitarian logistics can only be effective with a dynamic management based on accurate identification of needs, rapid provision of aid at the right points, transportation to the right points and timely delivery of the required material in the appropriate quantity.

In humanitarian aid logistics, strategic elements such as coordination, planning and decision-making based on accurate information can also be shaped by scenarios with pre-determined templates. In this way, effective process management can be achieved when the planning drafts created in advance according to scenarios are planned through different scenarios according to the type of crisis, its urgency and the tools used for the solution.

Logistics operations require the effective use of field personnel, logistics personnel, transportation vehicles, warehouses, equipment and new technologies. It is important that stakeholders work in harmony and cooperation in multifaceted and multidimensional operations that require the cooperation and coordination of many stakeholders. The effective and coordinated use of equipment, field personnel, logistics personnel, transportation vehicles, warehouses or technological equipment by national and international organizations can be life-saving in rapid response. For example, the provision of an artificial intelligence-controlled storage or transportation vehicle may be vital in the transportation of a product or medicine that requires a cold supply chain. Or in the extraction of living beings from a cave-in, time can be saved with the facilitating effect of drone and thermal motion sensor technologies.

Quality management in humanitarian aid operations is also important for the functioning of the supply chain. It should be ensured that the aid procured is sorted in accordance with the purpose and other dynamics, separated through quality control, checked for suitability, delivered in a way that does not deteriorate the quality of the purpose, and the operational process required for distribution should be managed.

In summary, humanitarian logistics requires the management of various risks (such as security, weather conditions, problems with logistics vehicles and other environmental factors) or financial management, including the collection, distribution and coordination of resources between humanitarian organizations, national and international aid providers and other stakeholders. Transparency in these operations and successful management of the communication of accurate information can only be achieved through crisis communication preparedness. The elements required in any logistics operation can transform into different dynamics when it comes to humanitarian logistics. Listing the materials and resources needed, defining the region in need, establishing a logistics network and identifying leaders who can manage the processes well in advance to ensure uninterrupted and long-term follow-up emphasizes the importance of strategic planning. In this sense, disasters or issues requiring humanitarian aid logistics can be studied in advance by diversifying scenarios; or they should be realized by making updates on the drafts at the time of the disaster. Necessary investments should be made in elements that lead to success such as collaboration, creating and managing logistics networks, efficient and regularly updated full-time information of resources, data analysis and tracking, automation of storage and distribution within the scope of the use of technological solutions.

Different disciplines and experts should be utilized for the implementation of a case-specific logistics strategy and tactics based on this strategy. The cooperation and coordination of many different stakeholders in disaster management, such as different organizations, governments and local communities, can be beneficial in terms of rapid distribution of aid, providing the right amount of needed materials, using appropriate logistics networks and waste management. Since disaster management depends on situation-specific variables, it can be strategized on a case-by-case basis and can be updated and refreshed to shed light for future disasters. Continuous Improvement helps to make humanitarian logistics effective and successful through fluent communication, including monitoring the process, collecting feedback and making the necessary changes to make the process better and more effective. On the other hand, in addition to successes, tragic consequences that may arise from unpreparedness, unexpected situations, negativity due to complacency, and mistakes should also be objectively evaluated. In humanitarian logistics, for future disasters, sometimes the negative consequences of poor management can be the light of a bitter experience on what should not be done or implemented differently; how disasters should not be managed and by whom.