Australia: Humanitarian Logistics in Emergencies

Logistics is at the heart of all emergency operations. It encompasses the movement of goods and equipment, relocation of disaster-affected people, transfer of casualties and the movement of relief workers. Approximately 60-70% of funding in each emergency is spent on logistics, highlighting the need for effective and efficient systems.

This five-day intensive and highly practical course provides an overview of logistics in humanitarian emergency operations. The course equips and refreshes individuals with the background and knowledge to apply logistics skills through a combination of on-site visits, exercises and scenarios.

Aims & Objectives

RedR Australia’s Humanitarian Logistics in Emergencies course focuses on the importance of logistics in the provision of aid to disaster survivors as well as its role in carrying out other disaster management operational activities. The course examines the design of logistics systems and the importance of coordination in carrying out logistics operations efficiently and effectively.

The training is supported by experts in humanitarian (UN/NGO/INGO) and commercial (DHL Australia) logistics. Large-scale commercial logistics operations are incorporated into field exercises, allowing participants to apply skills and knowledge gained on the course to on-site emergency response simulations.

By the end of the course participants should be able to:

• examine the humanitarian logistics system and the activities involved in a logistics operation
• understand logistics processes
• assess the sharing of information, tools and resources of an effective networking / collaboration between agencies

Who should attend?

This course is an introduction to humanitarian logistics and is therefore suited to a wide audience. Experienced logisticians will benefit from the broader application of logistics to conflict and refugee situations, building a knowledge bridge for deployment to humanitarian operations. It is also ideal for anyone involved or interested in the humanitarian field to gain an understanding of this critical area of humanitarian work.

Course Outline

• Principles of logistics
• Logistics systems
• Air operations
• Food aid
• Civil-military interaction
• Humanitarian context
• Cluster coordination
• Logistics standards
• Logistics assessment
• Security
• Control systems
• Staff management
• Storage and warehousing
• Fleet management
• Medical logistics
• Transport

To register your attendance, please complete the online application form found here.