Logistics is a key professional element in successful disaster management. It is a support service to both disaster relief operations and ongoing programmes of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The basic task of the logistics function is to deliver the appropriate supplies and services, in good condition, in the quantities required, and at the places and time they are needed.

Humanitarian logistics refers to the management of emergency relief supplies from source to the beneficiaries, both efficiently and effectively. The importance of coordinated supply chain management for an efficient response, as well as the optimized use of scarce resources acquires a crucial significance in a humanitarian context: it means saving lives and diminishing the impact of communicable diseases due to inhuman living conditions.

The International Federation’s global logistics set-up includes a Headquarter-based Logistics and Resource Mobilization Department (LRMD), 3 Regional Logistics Units (RLU), a Global Fleet Base and a pool of logisticians deployed in the countries of operation throughout the world. There is a split of responsibilities according to Headquarter (LRMD), regional (RLU) and country (in-country logistics) levels, aimed at providing the service that ensures the International Federation can source and deliver relief items and services to assist the most vulnerable. These resources are augmented with logistics Emergency Response Units (ERU) that can be deployed and will set up logistics operations within hours of a disaster occurring.

The International Federation is one of the world leaders in supply chain management, winning the European Supply Chain Excellence Award (ESCA) in 2006. ESCA is an annual competition launched in 1997 by Supply Chain Standard (Europe’s leading supply chain management magazine and the official partner publication of the European Logistics Association) as an initiative to recognize and reward organizations in Europe that demonstrate excellence in their supply chain activities. Ensuring first class benchmarking is a key aim of these annual Awards.

In ESCA 2006 the International Federation competed in the “Public and not for Profit Sector” by making an entry that outlined how the Federation’s supply chain operates in a disaster response cycle, presented its logistics tools and resources, and detailed its global supply chain services. The result was outstanding - the International Federation not only won the award within the competed category, but also received the prestigious title of the Overall Winner of the competition.

This award recognizes the International Federation’s supply chain alongside previous winners: Dell, Rexam Beverage, Magyar Telekom, Diageo, Johnson & Johnson, British Airways, Coca Cola, etc.