IMPROVING THE PROVISION OF HUMANITARIAN AID: EXPLORING THE CONCEPT OF A CENTRAL LOGISTICS FUND

This thesis is drawn from a personal desire to examine the intricacies of the provision of humanitarian aid and assistance and the part played by the commercial logistics industry in relieving suffering. With the growing number of humanitarian emergencies occurring globally (both natural disasters and complex emergencies), the call for co-ordinated international assistance has places increasingly heavy demands on the organisations involved. At this moment in time there are 70 assistance programs in operation providing essential supplies to millions people world-wide (over 13 million in 1997 -UNHCR statistics). In order to provide the level of assistance required the involvement of commercial logistics companies is essential. With this in mind, this thesis will explore the feasibility of creating a co-ordinated hub-and-spoke system for the provision of information and funding. As the majority of international and national aid agencies and organisations already operate their supply operations on the same basis as commercial companies, the scope for improvement may be limited. Yet there is nearly always room for improvement in any operation. Research into the demand for a central logistics fund (CLF) will take the form of a background review of the current situation and considerations. The conceptualisation of the problem situation identified and subsequent primary survey research of professional opinions on the matter and feedback received. To conclude with the discussion of whether the proposed concept is favoured by the logistics and humanitarian communities and recommendations for any further research into the subject area