Airlink hosted the 2024 Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Training at the end of January in Panama. Airlink is a global humanitarian organization that delivers critical aid to communities in crisis by providing free airlift and logistical solutions to nonprofit partners. Since the response to the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, Airlink has participated in disaster response by supporting the delivery of more than 16.5 million pounds of supplies and reaching over 59.7 million people.
A focus on logistics for humanitarian aid supplies
The regional workshop introduced the work of Airlink and its partners in Latin America and the Caribbean and presented the “Air Logistics Preparedness Guidance Note: a ten-step guide for nonprofits sending humanitarian aid supplies in emergencies”. It walks the reader through a flow of activities and requirements that are necessary to ensure that the humanitarian aid reaches the affected population in the most efficient way, including preparedness activities and document templates to help with administrative requirements.
During the event, guest speakers were invited to present their work in the region. The IMPACCT Working Group (Importation And Customs Clearance Together!) represents a network of strategic partners that work together to address the delays in importation and customs clearance processes for humanitarian aid, with a focus on the importation of relief items during disasters.
DHL Group’s Disaster Response Team (DRT), partners with OCHA and UNDP, showcased the activities on logistic preparedness they lead with the support of the UNDP in various airports within the framework of the Get Airports Ready for Disaster (GARD) Workshops, highlighting the international airport of Jorge Chávez in Peru.
“Logistics is a central element of any action in humanitarian response and recovery due to the essential need to mobilize humanitarian aid, staff, and specialized materials during and after an emergency,” said Kareem Elbayar, CBi Programme Coordinator. “That’s why we’re developing a case study on the logistics sector, to shine light on this prime example of where business can really make a difference in disaster management.”
The OCHA/UNDP Connecting Business initiative (CBi) presented how private sector networks operate during humanitarian response and some good practices on logistics from CBi Member Networks in the region.
The second day of the workshop was centered around a tabletop exercise of a simulated hurricane scenario.
Events such as this one are useful opportunities to further develop relationships between sectors, to ensure a better coordination in the case of an emergency. It is only by working together, practicing what to do in different scenarios and sharing insight on available resources and processes, that we can grow as a community and be better prepared for future crises.