UNJLC
DRC Logistics Bulletin # 12
02 February 2006

1.    AVIATION
2.    LOGISTICS COORDINATION
3.    INFRASTRUCTURE
4.    GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS)


1.    AVIATION

Air Safety Evaluation

• UNJLC has received the final report of the Air Safety Evaluation which was conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in December 2005.
• Copies of the global and individual reports were forwarded to the DSRSG and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr Ross Mountain.
• Each evaluated air company has also received the copy of its respective report.
  

New schedules available on UNJLC Website

New Monuc and UNHAS/ECHO flights schedules are available on UNJLC website. They can be downloaded from   www.unjlc.org/Air Operations/Schedules

2.    LOGISTICS COORDINATION

Logistics sub-working group meeting

A meeting of the agencies involved in the Logistics Working Group took place on Wednesday 25 January 2006.
The purpose of the meeting was to determine which agencies would be involved in the different sub-working groups, set up a time frame of each sub group's activities and agree on the Terms of References (TORs) for each sub- working group.

The membership in the sub working groups that have put in place is as follows:

1.    Procurement: UNHCR (Lead agency), GTZ, MONUC, WFP, UNJLC, UNDP
2.    Customs and Clearing: WFP (Lead agency), GTZ, MONUC, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNJLC
3.    Fuel: UNICEF and UNJLC (Lead agencies), MONUC, UNHCR, UNDP, WFP
4.    Transportation: MONUC and UNJLC (Lead agencies), UNHCR, WFP, WHO
5.    Data collection and Sharing: UNJLC (Lead agency), WFP, WHO, UNHCR

The TORs of each sub- group were discussed and amendment proposals were made by the participants. Finalized TORs will be presented during the next Logistics Working Group meeting.

The next Sub-Working groups meetings have been planned as follows:   

• Transport Sub Working- Group: Monday 6 February at 4 P.M, WFP premises, UN Building(5th floor), Boulevard du 30 Juin
• Customs Sub Working-Group: Tuesday 7 February at 10 A.M, WFP premises, UN Building(5th floor) Boulevard du 30 Juin
• Fuel Sub Working Group Meeting Tuesday 7 February at 3 P.M, the place is to be advised
  

The Logistics Working Group Meeting is due to take place on Wednesday 8 February at 4 P.M, WFP premises, UN Building(5th floor), Boulevard du 30 Juin.

3.    INFRASTRUCTURE

Bridge Rehabilitation in Kalemie

Within the framework of the Cooperation between the Kingdom of Belgium and the DRC, the Nyemba Bridge in Kalemie (Province of Katanga) is to be rehabilitated. The steel structure is in the process of being made in a building site in Liege (Belgium). It will then be shipped to Katanga in April 2006 and the bridge will be re-opened in September 2006.

That bridge will enable to link the Tanganyika Lake to the railway that goes from Lubumbashi (province of Katanga) to Kindu (Province of Maniema). The bridge is located at 90 Km away from the port of Kalemie. It was swept away by the flood waters of the Lukuga River in 1997.The breaking of the bridge brought economic activity in the region to a halt. For the time being, the different locations of the region can only be reached by air.

4.    GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATIONS SYSTEMS

As a result of the three working sessions of the GIS sub- working groups that have been held since the 15 January 2006, the updating work is about to be completed:

• The GIS unit of Monuc which currently works on the harmonization of cities and villages data bases has proposed a data model which has been accepted. The correcting of the common base which has been chosen is in the process to be validated. It should enable to integrate the updated data from the other partners of the GIS Working Group. Furthermore, the GIS Unit of OCHA has availed the results of a survey in order to prop up the updating of the village data base.
• The GIS unit of OSFAC-CARPE and IGC (The DRC Institute of Geography) are pursuing their work on the administrative subdivision. The chosen reference file has been validated and a meeting with Institut National de Statistiques (DRC National Institute of Statistics) took place. The meeting was aimed at validating the administrative subdivisions and to propose a codification of administrative entities in compliance with the codification used by national institutions. 
• The GIS units of UNJLC and Monuc as well as Humanitarian Air Transport Operators Air Serv, Aviation Sans Frontieres (ASF) and Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) are in the process to finalize the harmonization of the available geographical data on airfields. The database on the primary roads network is being updated by UNJLC and Office des Routes (DRC Roads Authority).
  

UNJLC and Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Congolais (SNCC) are also updating and digitizing the geographical information pertaining to the state of the railway network.
In the meantime, UNJLC, Regie des Voies Fluviales (RVF) and OSFAC-CARPE project are digitizing the data on the waterways network and river ports.

The specifications of the common database contents are being drafted. The purpose of that document is to describe the content and the structure of the common database.
That document will highlight each geographic entity data source.

UNJLC organized an introduction to GIS event on 24 January 2006. Ten national institutions involved in the GIS Working Group were present. That lecture was given by GIS trainers from the OSFAC-CARPE project and supported by UNJLC GIS unit. The aim of that exercise was to increase the involvement of the DRC institutions in the GIS project coordinated by UNJLC.