Humanitarian logistics research
Delivering aid in disaster relief as well as in development aid builds on the logistical capabilities of the humanitarian supply network. The speed of humanitarian aid depends “on the ability of logisticians to procure, transport and receive supplies at the site of a humanitarian relief effort” (Thomas, 2003, p. 4).
Gaining in importance
Humanitarian logistics is gaining in importance not only due to a rising trend in disasters (i.e. in their frequency and impact) but also due to the attribution of over 80% of costs of delivering aid to logistical activities. At the same time, the humanitarian supply network consists of a myriad of actors, from humanitarian organisations, governments, defence forces, to companies as suppliers and logistics service providers. Co-ordinating supplies in the supply chain, and across actors in the humanitarian supply network, is at the core of humanitarian logistics research.
Read more about our research projects following the links on the left.