The EU coordinates with the Humanitarian Logistics Network that maps out the transport needs of more than 50 aid organisations. To ensure an inclusive and wide coverage of needs, the EU coordinates many of the operations with the Humanitarian Logistics Network (Réseau Logistique Humanitaire - RLH) that, in turn, identifies and consolidates aid organisations’ needs and supports the preparation and implementation of operations. On the operational side, it is no small feat to coordinates all the logistical arrangements – from identifying the humanitarian cargo and staff waiting to be transported to any destination to chartering aircraft. The EU Humanitarian Air Bridge aims to cater for the needs of all humanitarian actors, big or small, NGOs or civil society organisations, bringing help to people in need. Thanks to the in-built flexibility in the way it operates, the EU Humanitarian Air Bridge is able to react rapidly to needs and to support the delivery of aid to the most critical areas.” Speaking about the initiative, Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič said: “The EU Humanitarian Air Bridge is helping humanitarian organisations continue their life-saving work, at a time when needs are at the risk of becoming more acute. The material carried on board belongs to humanitarian aid and civil society organisations. They are operated in coordination with Member States, in a Team Europe approach, and also in consultation with the receiving country. The air bridge flights are fully funded by the European Union. The target is to make the best use of the logistical resources available. The EU Humanitarian Air Bridge is implemented in coordination with and in a complementary manner to the UN Common Services managed by the World Food Programme (WFP). With a total budget of €10 million, the European Union Humanitarian Air Bridge operations focused on areas where humanitarian emergencies are the most difficult to access – in Africa as a priority, but also in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.įlights supported Afghanistan, the African Union, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Nigeria, Peru, São Tomé and Príncipe, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Venezuela and Yemen. The flights also transported nearly 1,700 medical and humanitarian staff and other passengers. Since the start of its operations, the air bridge conducted more than 65 flights and delivered more than 1,150 tonnes of material, ranging from nutrition support and flood response equipment, to personal protection equipment and a fully-fledged field laboratory for coronavirus testing. The coronavirus prevention and control measures were locking down the transport of much-needed aid, personal protective equipment, and humanitarian workers to critical areas.Īgainst this background, the EU Humanitarian Air Bridge initiative was set up in May this year as a time-bound and targeted support to help the delivery of medical equipment needed for the coronavirus response, sustain the flow of humanitarian supplies and facilitate the movement of humanitarian staff to and from the most vulnerable countries. Action to save lives, alleviate suffering and bring relief to vulnerable people remains imperative, especially when humanitarian needs are increasing on the ground. Whilst the coronavirus pandemic has brought many aspects of life to a standstill, conflicts and other crises have not stopped.
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