HUMANITARIAN LOGISTICS ACTORS request CONVENTION

The Cluster for Logistics supports every aspect of logistics and especially likes to highlight aspects that are not well known or rarely in the focus. For the "Autumn Evening 2014", the Cluster chose the topic of Humanitarian Logistics. Over a hundred guests joined the networking event that took place on Monday, December 8th in the Chamber of Commerce. The feedback was very positive, with many visitors highlighting the novel subject at a logistics conference and the very professional experts panel. Mr Martin Willhaus (Kühne-Stiftung) took the opportunity to propose the implementation of a "Luxembourg Convention", where logistics actors state that they will not take advantage of humanitarian crises. Minister Romain Schneider praised the offer and stated that he would work on such an initiative. Numerous pictures of the event can be found above.
 
Why Humanitarian Logistics?

Humanitarian Logistics is a very special branch which, according to one definition, “specializes in organizing the delivery and warehousing of supplies during natural disasters or complex emergencies to the affected area and people”. The Cluster for Logistics aims to show the different aspects of logistics and this branch is not yet well known. Several companies and many associations in Luxembourg specialise in this kind of support and the importance goes way beyond normal logistics services. Logistics is already a complex business when infrastructure is in top-shape – to organize distribution and relief during chaos is a real challenge.

During the evening, the Cluster Manager Mr Charles Gosselin presented the highlights of the last months, like the state visit to Korea and Japan and the presence at the Logitrans Fair in Turkey, as well as important projects like the LEAN and GREEN Label and the Urban Logistics workgroup in cooperation with the Ministry of Sustainable development or the Single Window for Logistics Initiative with the Ministry of Economy.

A panel of experts

Mr Carlo Thelen, Director General of the Chamber of Commerce and President of the Cluster for Logistics, reminded the audience of the particular nature of this sector. In disaster zones, "losing time means losing life. And it is probably the only activity where NGO’s, military actors and private companies work closely together, like a supply chain of their own". The importance of Luxembourg in this area is growing. For the first time, the Humanitarian ICT Week has been hosted this year in Luxembourg.

Minister Romain Schneider, responsible for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, spoke about the importance of partnerships and how the actions of the Ministry have adapted over time to respond better to disasters.

Mr René Closter is well known for building up Luxembourg Air Rescue. He highlighted the exceptional competence of the organisation, being for example certified to fly Ebola patients out of Africa.

For Mr Martin Willhaus, Managing Director of the Kühne Stiftung, the logistics actors should not seek profit from disaster victims and therefore supports the implementation of the aforementioned convention in order to implement fair practices in this domain.

Mr Thomas Peter is responsible for the Activation and Coordination Support Unit (ACSU) of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). He highlighted the importance of correct intervention as many problems occur with uncoordinated and unadapted actions.

Mr Marc Crochet, Directeur Général adjoint of Croix-Rouge Luxembourg, presented the international actions of an organisation that can rely on 100,000 people around the globe. The Emergency Response Unit Benelux from Croix-Rouge is staffed by volunteers from Red Cross divisions in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. It is one of the 35 ERU teams which constitute the Global ERU team.

For Mr Josef Lederer, President of Public Affairs and Head of Desaster-Response Team at DB Schenker, it is essential to reinforce the competence in affected countries. The victims in a disaster zone must be allowed to keep their dignity and patronising money-spending is not helping.

Many thanks go to the guests and journalists of the conference, who braved the difficult road conditions to be at the Chamber of Commerce at 6 pm. The Cluster wishes to especially thank the speakers, the sponsors of the evening and the Chamber of Commerce which made this conference possible. Please find our flyer with information about the conference and the speakers below.

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