Health and Humanitarian Logistics - Panel 2: Managing Complex Supply Chains in Refugee Crisis Response

Abstract

The challenges in timely response to the needs of international refugees and internally displaced people include complex political and security contexts, physical movement of the beneficiaries, variable demand patterns from emergencies with high peaks to ongoing protracted situations. In addition, the wide scope of response from feeding and sheltering beneficiaries on the move or in camps to resettling them in new locations multiplies these challenges. However, some factors are addressed by innovative operations and policy design and coordinated response of the stakeholders. The panel will discuss challenges and opportunities in the context of both the highly publicized current Middle East emergency response and the global ongoing operations.