The Ukrainian Red Cross and the UN World Food Programme Strengthen Cooperation to Develop Humanitarian Logistics in Ukraine
The Ukrainian Red Cross and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) have signed a cooperation agreement to provide joint logistics services within the framework of the Logistics Cluster. This partnership between the country’s largest humanitarian organisation, the Ukrainian Red Cross, and WFP aims to improve the efficiency and safety of humanitarian logistics, particularly in delivering aid to the most remote communities and frontline towns and villages.
“Today, we are opening a new chapter of cooperation. We have always been reliable partners who coordinate our work effectively, but this operational collaboration will allow us to integrate our capacities even more closely. This means faster and more efficient delivery of humanitarian assistance to people in need. At a time when humanitarian resources worldwide are shrinking, and challenges are growing, it is precisely partnership and joint action that allow us to do more to support people and help them get through difficult times with dignity,” said Maksym Dotsenko, Director General of the Ukrainian Red Cross.
“WFP and the Ukrainian Red Cross are working together to deliver critically needed humanitarian assistance to the most hard-to-reach areas of Ukraine near the front line. By sharing experience, resources and tools, we will strengthen our logistics operations and provide services that benefit the entire humanitarian response system, including smaller local organisations with limited logistical capacity,” said Richard Reagan, WFP Country Director in Ukraine.
The Logistics Cluster is a mechanism for coordinating logistics operations during emergencies and crises, including the transport and delivery of humanitarian aid to hard-to-reach areas. WFP serves as the lead agency, responsible for coordinating operations, managing information and providing shared logistics services to humanitarian organisations.
In Ukraine, the Logistics Cluster has been operating since early March 2022, supporting humanitarian response efforts and providing services to local and international organisations. During this time, it has coordinated more than 200 convoys to frontline areas, helping to deliver food, medicine and other essential assistance to those most in need.
The new cooperation agreement includes, in particular:
- support for the transport and storage of humanitarian cargo in hard-to-reach areas;
- the use of shared cargo tracking systems to ensure transparency and efficiency in logistics operations;
- adherence to international safety standards, cargo-handling protocols and humanitarian principles.
Under this partnership, WFP will provide the necessary tools for tracking humanitarian shipments and support the organisation of logistics processes. The joint efforts of the Ukrainian Red Cross and WFP aim to strengthen humanitarian logistics in Ukraine, improve the efficiency of aid delivery and support organisations working to meet the humanitarian needs of the population.
