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The United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD),  has said  2014 was a significant year for the entire humanitarian community, as they simultaneously responded to five of the highest level of emergencies.

              UNHRD Network Coordinator,  Pierre Honnorat,  said while this stretched resources and capacities all around, it also reinforced the importance of the UNHRD Network whereby partners could rapidly borrow stocks from each other, combine cargo for more economical transport, and draw their stock from a variety of locations. 

                UNHRD is a network of depots around the world that stores, manages and transports emergency items for humanitarian organisations.

                By pre-positioning these items, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and governments, can respond faster and more efficiently to people in need and disasters.

               The depots are strategically located near disaster-prone areas; Accra, Ghana; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Subang, Malaysia; Panama City, Panama; Las Palmas, Spain; and Brindisi, Italy.

                The depots hold emergency relief goods,  such as medical kits, shelter items, ready-to-use food, information technology equipment and operational support assets which are all designed to support emergency preparedness and response.

                  According to the UNHRD 2014 Review Report,  which was made available to the Ghana News Agency, by the end of 2014, the UNHRD held a stockpile worth  52 million dollars on average,  and had dispatched  50 million dollars worth of emergency items to 104 countries.

                 For the Eloba outbreak, the Report observed that 1,600 tons or 14 million dollars worth of humanitarian aid was sent to

Ebola-endemic countries in West Africa from UNHRD depots in Accra, Dubai, Brindisi and Las Palmas, making this one of the largest humanitarian emergency responses in  the history of  the UNHRD.

                   It said more than ever before, the humanitarian community relied on  strong logistics as their ally in the fight against Ebola.

                    The Report noted that international contributions were forthcoming, but the success of this unique emergency response depended on getting critical supplies of protective gears, medical items and equipment, wherever they were needed.

                    It said during the year under review, the UNHRD Network continuously sent much needed cargo to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea for its partners,  including the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, Irish Aid, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Swish Red Cross, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the United Nations International Children’s Fund.

                       The report said UNHRD facilities in Accra and Las Palmas served as regional staging areas, and the Accra Depot also hosted the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER).

                       It said, last year,  17 members of the UNHRD’s Rapid Response Team supported operations in the Philippines, Mali, Iraq, Liberia, Central African Republic (C.A.R), Sierra Leone and Guinea.

                    “During the year, we warmly welcomed six new partners to the Network, and the newest depot in Las Palmas officially opened for operations.

                     “Additionally, UNHRD’s new strategy for 2014-2017 was adopted,  and it focuses on four core pillars: Operational Response, Efficient Processes, Network Outreach for Preparedness and Long-term Sustainability,” Honnorat stated.

                      Other issues highlighted in the Report include floods in Bolivia and the Balkans, conflicts in the C.A.R., Iraq, Gaza, and South Sudan.