Humanitarian aid continues to be a challenge

The world has been hit by floods, landslides and wars in 2024 that have triggered an avalanche of humanitarian aid across the world - Africa, Vietnam, China, Russia, Ukraine and Gaza.

"Floods and landslides triggered by Typhoon Yagi have ravaged Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, affecting nearly six million children and compromising their access to clean water, education, healthcare, food and shelter — pushing already marginalised communities deeper into crisis, " says Unicef.

The 2024 Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) requires $49 billion to assist 187.6 million of the people in need across 73 countries through 43 coordinated response plans.

More than $1.7 billion was reported during the month of September, bringing GHO funding to $16.21 billion, eight percent less than the same time last year, according to the update from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

"While it is early to predict end-year funding and coverage of GHO requirements, analysis of trends and donor intentions indicate it is unlikely that the 2024 funding will reach the amount recorded for 2023 ($25.11 billion) and that coverage will remain below the previous five-year average of 55 per cent."

Seen in this context, the role of logistics players - airlines, forwarders and donors - keep increasing with every passing year.

"Key challenge is funding for aid transportation to overlooked and underfunded emergencies, which often overlaps with more complex environments and fewer commercial carriers," says Stephanie Steege, Director, Humanitarian Programmes, Airlink. "In complex humanitarian emergencies such as those to which Airlink is responding in Sudan, Lebanon and Gaza, closed or constrained commercial airspace becomes a challenge. With limited in-kind airlift resources available, Airlink turns to creative solutions where we can utilise available in-kind support from our airline partner network to leverage their support.

"This might include free of charge cargo movement into Cairo where Airlink secures a commercial rate from Cairo to Port Sudan. While still securing significant cost savings for NGO partners, this is dependent on available funding as well.

"In Sub-Saharan Africa, Airlink’s regional response capabilities are driven by our dedicated airline partner network including Astral Aviation, Royal Air Maroc, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways. We are grateful for their continued commitment to supporting communities in crisis in 2024."

Qatar Airways also renewed its partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN refugee agency, for two years to provide humanitarian relief and assistance to those globally displaced. Qatar Airways will provide another 400 tonnes of free tonnage to UNHCR to help support them in the delivery of crucial aid supplies to those most in need.

"Over the past four years, our partnership with UNHCR has provided us with several crucial insights into delivering aid effectively," says Mark Drusch, Chief Officer Cargo, Qatar Airways. "Offering up to 400 tonnes of free cargo capacity has been vital for swiftly transporting life-saving supplies such as medical equipment, food and shelter materials. Engaging with local communities has been essential in understanding their specific needs, allowing us to tailor our aid efforts to be both relevant and impactful. This collaboration has underscored the importance of rapid, reliable logistics in ensuring aid reaches vulnerable populations promptly, especially during crises.

"This initiative is part of our broader WeQare programme, which focuses on creating a positive impact across four core pillars: environment, society, economy and culture. WeQare goes beyond traditional cargo operations to actively contribute to humanitarian and environmental causes. By expanding WeQare’s reach to include more NGOs and by transporting essential humanitarian aid, Qatar Airways Cargo aims to replicate its success in both the environmental and humanitarian sectors.

"In addition to our work with UNHCR, we have supported Airlink in distributing nearly 500 tonnes of humanitarian supplies to an estimated 5.8 million people worldwide over the past few years. We are proud to assist our trusted partners, UNHCR and Airlink, in transporting humanitarian cargo, thereby positively impacting millions of lives globally. Airfreight plays a critical role in crisis response and supports the efforts of governments and NGOs worldwide. With our extensive network, charter capabilities, modern fleet, and dedicated teams, we can swiftly respond to disaster-stricken areas."

In Sub-Saharan Africa, Airlink’s regional response capabilities are driven by our dedicated airline partner network including Astral Aviation, Royal Air Maroc, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways.
 - Stephanie Steege, Airlink

Together with United Cargo and JDM Operations Management, Quick, a Kuehne+Nagel company and global experts in time-critical logistics, recently completed a critical humanitarian mission that has the potential to save countless lives in Ghana.

"JDM Operations Management had donated colposcopes to support Saving Mothers' mission of improving maternal health in under-resourced regions," says Stacy Rouillon, Executive Vice President, Quick. "Colposcopes are essential tools in obstetrics and gynaecology procedures that enable doctors to closely examine the cervix for signs of disease, including precancerous lesions. Early detection is crucial in the fight against cervical cancer, a leading cause of death among women in many developing countries. In addition to the colposcopes, the shipment included other vital instruments and machines, further enhancing the capabilities of medical professionals working in the field.

 "Quick was responsible for the logistics, ensuring this precious cargo arrived safely and on time. The colposcopes transported to Ghana will allow doctors affiliated with Saving Mothers to perform more thorough examinations and provide timely treatment to patients in need. We are proud to have partnered with JDM Operations Management and United Cargo to ensure these colposcopes reached the doctors and patients in Ghana, potentially saving many lives."

Easy, difficult to arrange/transport aid?
Supply chains have bounced back since the pandemic, but transport is as challenging as ever (with whole regions and route networks impacted by conflict), and more humanitarian contexts are increasingly dangerous, according to Steege of Airlink. "A majority of conflict-related contexts in the world are worsening, and 2023 and 2024 have been the deadliest years on record for humanitarians. At the same time, the global funding gap is at an all-time high. In-kind airlift is also difficult as many airlines are not fully financially recovered from the pandemic and some have gone bankrupt, affecting regional responses.

"In addition to matching responders and shipments with available air capacity, Airlink is increasingly matching NGOs who have supplies to donate with those that need them. The cost of procuring supplies as well as the transport and distribution of those supplies is simply too high for many agencies."

Drusch highlights Hamad International Airport’s strategic hub-and-spoke network that has been pivotal in enabling Qatar Airways Cargo to efficiently transport aid to needy areas. "Centrally positioned between the East and West, with omnidirectional access to Africa, the airport serves as a crucial hub that streamlines operations and facilitates seamless coordination of cargo shipments. This setup ensures faster and more reliable distribution of essential supplies.

"The hub-and-spoke model allows us to connect multiple global destinations with ease, enabling aid to be quickly routed to crisis regions across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The airport’s advanced infrastructure, including state-of-the-art cargo handling facilities, further enhances our ability to manage large volumes of humanitarian aid, ensuring timely delivery to the most vulnerable communities.

"Additionally, the network’s efficiency is bolstered by our extensive fleet and dedicated teams, who work around the clock to ensure that aid reaches its destination swiftly. This logistical advantage not only supports our humanitarian missions but also strengthens our overall operational capabilities, allowing us to respond promptly to emergencies and provide critical support where it is needed most."

Colposcopes transported to Ghana by Quick, United Cargo and JDM Operations Management will allow doctors affiliated with Saving Mothers to perform thorough examinations and provide timely treatment to patients in need.

Transporting aid requires special knowledge on how to ship cargo and how to do door-to-door services, adds Rouillon of Quick. "Our dedicated and passionate relief logistics specialists have expertise in handling both long-term humanitarian projects and unforeseen crises. They arrange reliable transport that best suits the need, including sea, air or road. This is facilitated through our close partnership with carriers. Our strong understanding of local requirements, culture and authorities, including customs processes and trade regulations, help us navigate aid transport.

"With our long experience in emergency logistics, we’ve been helping various international humanitarian agencies and NGOs expand the scope of how and who they can help. Kuehne+Nagel has established Emergency and Relief Logistics control towers acting as centralised hubs that direct goods and information to areas in need and leverage the global Kuehne+Nagel network on behalf of emergency and relief partners. The need for relief logistics operations can emerge at any time and in any region of the world—remote or highly populated. To ensure effective international support reaches people in need, it is important to have centralised communication hubs. The primary global control tower is in Copenhagen, Denmark."

What aid moves more now..and where
Areas with complex and protracted humanitarian crises, especially Sudan, Gaza & Lebanon, says Steege of Airlink. "64 percent of aid materials sent by Airlink this year were health-specific (pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and medical equipment), and 92 percent of aid materials sent by Airlink supported health outcomes/interventions - the aforementioned health aid as well as fortified food to support populations facing famine/severe food insecurity and water/hygiene supplies that help vulnerable populations avert serious disease outbreaks like cholera. Together, clean water, medical supplies and high-nutrition food make up the backbone of a health-centred response."

By expanding WeQare’s reach to include more NGOs and by transporting essential humanitarian aid, Qatar Airways Cargo aims to replicate its success in both the environmental and humanitarian sectors.
-Mark Drusch, Qatar Airways

Qatar Cargo has delivered key items such as medical supplies, shelter materials, educational materials and other humanitarian aid. Drusch says: "These items have played a critical role in supporting various sectors, particularly healthcare, disaster relief and education. Qatar Airways Cargo has transported aid from major hubs like Qatar, the USA, Canada and the UAE to numerous destinations including Jordan, Kenya, Egypt, Nepal, Bangladesh and Rwanda, based on the specific needs of each region. The healthcare sector, especially the delivery of medical supplies and shelter materials, has seen the transport of maximum aid, addressing urgent needs in regions affected by crises."

Quick has handled shipping for the International Breast Milk Project - a non-profit organisation that solicits donations of human milk and provides the milk to infants in need, says Rouillon. "The organisation provides donor milk to malnourished, orphaned or diseased infants in South Africa. The project included consolidating the donated milk and transporting it temperature controlled to Africa.

"We are also working on a new project with Saving Mothers to deliver birth kits and labour essentials to Kenya. Kenya is considered one of the highest-risk countries in the world to be pregnant with some hospitals lacking even the basics to deliver a child. Expectant mothers are often turned away and told to buy the required supplies of rubber gloves/aprons which most are unable to do. The distance to a hospital is far and the cost of travel is prohibitive. In rural areas, up to 83 percent of deliveries take place at home, and, as a result, Kenya's maternal mortality rate of 362 deaths per 100,000 live births remains among the highest in the world.”

From Quick’s perspective, adds Rouillon, there has been demand for medical aid and supplies, including medical devices, surgical kits, vitamins, personal protective equipment (PPE) and mobile clinic setups. "The requests for support we are seeing are all in Africa."

More challenging assignment - disasters/conflicts?
Steege says: "Each presents its own challenges but there’s overlap including displaced populations in both and potential impact on transportation infrastructure. Generally, natural disasters create geophysical challenges while conflicts present geopolitical challenges and risks.

"For natural disasters, damaged transportation infrastructure can constrain available movement options (airport tarmac, roads, bridges) - this not only limits access to impacted communities, but also creates bottlenecks in the supply chain. Natural disasters often receive more “attention” from the general public, etc.

"In complex emergencies driven by conflict - impact of the presence of armed actors on access to in-country transportation limits available routes/access. Other challenges include impact of closed commercial airspace on accessible airlift into the country, and less attention from the general public."

Sustainability and aid
Airlink helps carriers optimise the use of their networks – both seat and cargo capacity, and this also helps the humanitarian sector limit unnecessary emissions from duplicative flights, says Steege.

"Airlink ensures only the right aid is being sent to the right place at the right time. Studies suggest 60 percent of the aid sent in emergencies is not appropriate at the time it arrives in the country, leading to waste or even necessitating its return, which further complicates supply chain issues. That's why supporting locally-led responses is essential. Airlink partners with vetted and qualified humanitarian organisations to ensure that airlift is coordinated only when local sourcing isn't viable and only when it directly addresses identified needs on the ground. This approach minimises waste and maximises the effectiveness of our humanitarian efforts. In short, we prevent first-mile origin of unwanted waste and last-mile delivery of needed aid for more sustainable aid responses as communities in crises welcome such positive intervention.

"So much of sustainability in aid transport needs to be donor- and private-sector led:

* Airlines that can use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on flights carrying aid;

*Trucking companies that are electrifying their fleets;

*Donors that can offset the reverse logistics cost to make sure that aid packaging and pallets are sustainably disposed of; and

*Being supported by a logistics-centred NGO like Airlink helps NGOs preserve limited resources to their areas of expertise, optimising everyone’s resources.

Yes, sustainability is increasingly a consideration in the logistics and transportation of aid, adds Rouillon of Quick. "Humanitarian organisations and logistics companies are recognising the importance of minimising their environmental footprint, even while responding to urgent crises. By optimising routes and ensuring vehicles are loaded efficiently, we can minimise fuel consumption. This may include consolidating loads to reduce the number of trips required."

As part of corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts, Qatar Airways is implementing sustainable practices in operations to enhance global humanitarian contributions. "This ensures that our aid delivery is not only impactful but also environmentally responsible. Our commitment to sustainability includes reducing our carbon footprint, optimising fuel efficiency and utilising eco-friendly packaging materials," says Drusch.

"Furthermore, we are investing in advanced logistics technology to improve the efficiency and reliability of our aid distribution. By leveraging data analytics and real-time tracking systems, we can ensure that humanitarian supplies reach their destinations promptly and securely. Our dedicated teams are continuously trained to handle emergency situations, ensuring that we are always prepared to respond swiftly to crises around the world."