UPS and TNT, have joined forces for a humanitarian cause, by offering free warehousing facilities to the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depots (UNHRD), run by the UN World Food Programme in Ghana and Panama. This follows discussions between major players in the logistics and transport industry (UPS, TNT and Agility), on common industry-wide support to humanitarian operations.
"This generous TNT-UPS contribution to the UNHRD network means that WFP and our partners are able to respond faster to urgent needs in all regions. The faster the response from these hubs, the more lives we're able to save,"said Amer Daoudi, associate director of WFP's transport and procurement division.
The depots stock supplies such as high-energy biscuits, drugs and other rapid response equipment essential for emergency operations. At the request of the Italian government, the HRD depot in Brindisi recently sent tents, blankets, kitchen sets, medicines, water supply systems and generators on two humanitarian flights to Bangladesh following the cyclone.
Since October 2006, WFP has been using TNT's warehouse facilities at Accra's Kotoko International airport in Ghana. UPS then followed in February 2007 by providing similar warehousing facilities at Panama's Tocumen International airport.
"When WFP opened the Humanitarian Response Depots in Ghana and Panama, our corporate partner, TNT, offered its hospitality for the initial facility in Accra ¨C then brought UPS on board for the second, in Panama,"said Daoudi. |
