Great tragedies, natural disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010, epidemics and man-made disasters (including terrorist attacks in Mumbai, Bali or Madrid), or a combination of various types of disasters, such as the Indian Ocean tsunami, forest fires in Australia and floods in Europe, have led to increased calls for improving the effectiveness of the existing capabilities of the European Union and the UN to respond to such disasters.
Humanitarian aid is a moral obligation and the most important expression of solidarity of the world’s citizens with those affected. In a world where natural disasters are becoming more frequent and severe, and armed conflicts continue to cause suffering for many, affecting especially the poorest, all global actors must work together to effectively provide aid to victims of humanitarian crises, as well as to reduce vulnerability to future threats. Behind humanitarian actions lies a centuries-old tradition of human solidarity in helping victims of crises. Their goal is to save lives and provide immediate assistance to those who have found themselves in a crisis situation as a result of a specific threat.
Especially in the recent period, based on poor experiences related to, among other things, the earthquake in Haiti, the time has finally come to strengthen global humanitarian efforts in response to the current situation by developing a clear consensus of the EU and other global structures on common values and principles underlying human rights. Hence, even greater importance should be attached to the organization of international aid, its quality and professional operation within the framework of humanitarian logistics. However, many specific problems are associated with these activities today. Humanitarian crises are happening more frequently, and their effects are increasingly severe. This is related, among other things, to climate change, the diverse nature of conflicts, growing competition for access to energy and natural resources, extreme poverty, or weak governance systems. It is usually the civilian population that suffers, mainly in developing countries. A global consensus on humanitarian aid should promote a more coherent, consistent and comprehensive approach to humanitarian aid issues.
A clear commitment to using proven solutions in providing aid and defining the roles of all participants is necessary to maintain humanitarian space, and consequently, the ability to provide help to people in need. Humanitarian aid should be implemented in a transparent manner based on actual needs. Currently, there are no common rules or agreed approach to the issue of needs assessment. Furthermore, logistical problems are among the most serious obstacles to delivering aid to those most in need. Hence the necessity of creating humanitarian logistics, whose fundamental goal is precisely the delivery of aid to people, regardless of economic, religious, national, or racial factors, and regardless of gender and age. It should also be politically neutral with regard to the areas to which this aid is delivered. Logistics and an integrated supply chain are therefore most accurately verified as supply chains for life, best integrated and synergistic. The most interesting thing is that until May 2009, web browsers did not find the term “humanitarian logistics” in the Polish language version on the web, unlike studies in this field in English or German literature.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” No. 2/2010.