Life-saving logistics in Ukraine

didukhanna

Apr 4

What is life-saving logistic?

Humanitarian logistics is the term used to describe the various processes and systems used to deploy individuals, resources, skills, and knowledge to assist vulnerable populations who have been impacted by natural disasters, war, and complex emergencies.

Situation in Ukraine

Before the war, the whole procurement and delivery process in Ukraine was quite easy. Cargo was transported to the airports, cleared at warehouses and transported to its destination. However, with the onset of the war, there was an urgent need to determine how to deliver medicines to the country and patients.

The Ukrainian Public Health Centre requested urgent assistance with the supply of antiretroviral therapy, and the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) agreed to provide support under the auspices of USAID and CDC. To secure the necessary supplies, PEPFAR's purchasing agency, Chemonics, conducted a global search for spare stock and successfully obtained the crucial resources. With the assistance of the European Union, special transit procedures for humanitarian aid were promptly established to facilitate the delivery of aid to Ukraine. As a result, deliveries have commenced through neighbouring nations, particularly Poland and Romania.

Logistical process, challenges

Thanks to the support of the Railway Service, volunteers were able to arrange for the collection of the cargo from a separate station, which was away from the primary delivery point of most humanitarian aid entering Ukraine. This decision was made to facilitate immediate distribution to regions, as it can be challenging to obtain goods from the State Agency for Strategic Reserves of Poland due to the significant influx of humanitarian supplies from different countries. A logistics company was engaged to transport the goods to Ukraine under the humanitarian transit procedure, and they were delivered to a warehouse in Lviv from where immediate distribution could take place.

The delivery process throughout Ukraine, including the front-line zones, was the most challenging and crucial aspect of the operation. Volunteers noted that many logistics companies ceased operations during the war, while the few remaining ones increased their service fees by two or three times. Commercial organizations were unwilling to provide services to cities such as Kharkiv, Kherson, or Mykolaiv, but volunteer drivers, coordinated with local authorities, stepped in to transport people, medicines, and other items.

In areas where fighting was ongoing, the volunteer drivers would unload goods at regional administration headquarters, and communication would be established with the medical institutions that were the ultimate recipients. The medical institutions would then be informed about where to pick up the goods.

"The situation for people living with HIV in Ukraine is desperate. We are trying to deliver medicines, food, and other emergency assistance to people in need, but the work is dangerous and volunteer drivers are putting their lives at risk. If we don't get more help, I am not sure how much longer we can continue, especially reaching people in the front-line zones," said Dmytro Sherembey, the Head of the 100% LIFE Coordination Council.

Uber supported Ukraine relief effort

Uber created a specialized logistics platform for United Nations relief agencies in response to a crisis. The company delivered over 220 truckloads of emergency supplies free of charge. The platform enables relief agencies to dispatch vehicles to their central warehouses in Ukraine and coordinate deliveries with recipients. Real-time tracking and inventory updates are also available.

The most recent deliveries have concentrated on providing winter emergency shelter supplies, including blankets, stoves, and tarps to seal shattered windows, to the suburbs of Kyiv and the eastern frontline areas, which have been severely impacted by the crisis.