UNJLC Concept

1. INTRODUCTION

In case of major disaster with substantial humanitarian multi-sectorial involvement during the immediate relief phase , the UN Agencies involved may consider that the establishment of a Joint Logistics Centre would contribute to the rapid response, better coordination, and improved efficiency of the humanitarian operation at hand. Many examples can be drawn from past experiences of extensive interagency coordination and collaboration in large-scale emergencies. The success of these experiences has, in part, been due to the ability of the involved agencies to maintain a certain degree of flexibility in establishing joint operations. Nevertheless, it was noted that the ad hoc establishment of such joint logistics centres suffered from lack of an agreed concept, terms of reference, procedures, trained staff and, in some cases, adequate communications and office equipment.

2. AIM

The aim of this Concept is to establish the requirements and the basic framework for activating a United Nations Joint Logistics Centre (UNJLC) in case of large-scale humanitarian emergency with multi-sectorial participation. The concept will:

Define the Role and the Scope of the UNJLC;

Discuss the context in which this role should be fulfilled and propose possible organisational structures.

Establish the necessary staffing and equipment requirements, including guidelines for activating and deploying the UNJLC in humanitarian crisis situations.

3. GENERAL APPROACH

A stand-by capacity will be developed for facilitating, if required, the timely activation and deployment in the field of a United Nations Joint Logistics Centre-UNJLC . The UNJLC will support the United Nations Agencies and possibly other humanitarian organisations that operate in the same crisis area. The capacity includes the option to establish satellite Joint Logistics Centres (JLC) dispersed at critical locations in the theatre of operations and offering logistics support on a reduced scale. A Field Operations Manual (FOM) with Terms of Reference (TOR), Procedures and Checklists for operating the UNJLC complements this Concept. Flyaway packages for supporting one UNJLC and at least two JLC’s should be made available (Annex C). These flyaway packages should allow the UNJLC to be self-supporting as a logistics planning and operations centre in an austere environment.

The UNJLC will be activated in accordance with the guidelines at Annex D . Upon activation, Agencies will establish a Deployment Requirements Assessment (DRA) Team to carry out a quick evaluation of the logistics situation and determine the requirements to deploy the UNJLC in the crisis area. This DRA Team will work in close coordination with the humanitarian authorities and, if deployed, with the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Team. It will take all necessary measures for installing the UNJLC and draft Ad Hoc Terms of Reference (TOR) for endorsement by the relevant humanitarian authorities. In case of Peacekeeping Operations or in a complex environment, the UNJLC activation will be coordinated with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) or the relevant Military Entities.

4. UNJLC ROLE AND SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES

The role of the UNJLC will be to optimise and complement the logistics capabilities of cooperating agencies within a well-defined crisis area for the benefit of the ongoing humanitarian operation.

For the purpose of this Concept, multi-agency logistics are defined as “the different means to logistically support humanitarian operations other than purely Agency related”. The UNJLC will provide logistics support at operational planning, coordination and monitoring level. Unless specified otherwise, the UN Agencies and other humanitarian bodies, which are established in the area, will continue to exercise their normal responsibilities . As a result, the UNJLC will not be involved in policy and establishment of humanitarian needs and priorities.

Responsibilities will be defined as per the requirements on a case by case basis but will, in principle, be limited to logistic activities between the points of entry and distribution in the crisis area. Detailed responsibilities are outlined in the UNJLC Field Operations Manual (FOM) but the main functions would be:

Collecting, analysing and disseminating logistics information relevant to the ongoing humanitarian operation,

Scheduling the movement of humanitarian cargo and relief workers within the crisis area, using commonly available transport assets,

Managing the import, receipt, dispatch and tracking of non-assigned food and non-food relief commodities;

Upon specific request, make detailed assessments of roads, bridges, airports, ports and other logistics infrastructure and recommend actions for repair and reconstruction.

The scope of the UNJLC activities may vary with the type of emergency, the scale of involvement of the cooperating partners and the humanitarian needs. In general terms, t he UNJLC would:

Serve as an information platform for supporting humanitarian logistics operations;

Upon specific request, coordinate the use of available warehouse capacity;

Coordinate the influx of strategic humanitarian airlift into the crisis area;
Serve as an information platform for recommending the most efficient modes of transportation;

Identify logistical bottlenecks and propose satisfactory solutions or alternatives;

Serve as the focal point for co-ordinating facilitation measures with local authorities for importing, transporting and distributing relief commodities into the country;

Provide reliable information regarding the logistics capacity in meeting the prioritisation of targets;

Be the focal point to coordinate humanitarian logistics operations with the Local Emergency Management Authorities (LEMA) or, in a Peacekeeping or Complex Environment, with the Department of Peace Keeping Operations (DPKO) or the relevant military entities;

5. PRIORITISATION

In coordination with the Local Emergency Management Authorities (LEMA) and/or the UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator, the activating Agencies will prioritise the overall humanitarian needs of the beneficiaries. Such prioritisation decisions should be supported by the UNJLC in terms of providing information on the common transport assets which are available for movement into needed locations. If required, the UNJLC could then be responsible for scheduling and monitoring the movement of the required relief commodities either by aircraft, train, truck, boat, etc.

6. UNJLC LOCATION, STRUCTURE AND STAFFING

The UNJLC location, structure and staffing will be determined by each specific emergency and reflected in the Ad Hoc Terms of Reference (TOR). The UNJLC should be established within the operational support structure of the Emergency Humanitarian Coordinator or the relevant Local Emergency Management Authority (LEMA), as the case may be. A typical reporting diagram is at Annex A.

Logistics experts from UN Agencies and involved operationally in the emergency and, if required, other humanitarian organisations and donor nations, will provide the staffing. Seconded staff will be fully integrated into the organisational structure of the UNJLC but, in line with the established priorities, may monitor the processing of those items related to the activities of their sponsoring organisation. In the case of non-UN military involvement , OCHA/MCDU may be requested to second Civil and Military Coordination (CMCoord) staff. A typi cal UNJLC organisational structure is at Annex B . Guidance for qualification requirements of the UNJLC staff members is included in the Field Operations Manual.

7. EXIT STRATEGY

The objectives of the UNJLC are to optimise and complement the logistics capabilities of cooperating agencies during the initial phase of a large-scale emergency. After the initial relief phase, humanitarian activities will focus on rehabilitation and/or resettlement and UN Agencies’ logistics will revert gradually to their normal concept and procedures. This transition should be anticipated and a proper exit strategy should be established and reflected in the Ad Hoc TOR.

8. TRAINING

UN Agencies, IOs, NGOs and Donors are encouraged to earmark logistic experts for staffing the UNJLC. Common training sessions should be organised to familiarise the experts with this Concept and the procedures described in the UNJLC Field Operations Manual.