How does UNICEF’s supply chain ensure aid reaches children on time?

“More than 210 million children are in dire need of aid,” said Jean-Cedric Meeus, Chief of the Global Transport Centre, UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), which is a UN agency committed to protecting and promoting children’s rights worldwide with a focus on health, nutrition, education, and overall well-being. Since its establishment in 1946, the organisation has evolved to become one of the world’s largest buyers of goods and services for children. Each year, it procures over $5 billion worth of supplies and services ranging from vaccines and medicines to food, education kits, and water systems. These are translated into massive shipping volumes that reach children in more than 160 countries.

During the interview, Meeus mentioned how UNICEF is delivering more than two billion doses of vaccines for routine immunisation and outbreak management, enough to immunise nearly half of the world’s children under five. For UNICEF, humanitarian logistics is central to its mission.

Can you expand more on UNICEF’s humanitarian logistics operations in Africa, if we look at a country-wise division of where you are most active?
UNICEF delivers between 120,000 to 250,000 metric tonnes of supplies for children and families every year, which is equivalent to around 20,000 TEU and 12,000–18,000 shipments annually. About 80% of this cargo is transported by ocean freight, though air and road remain critical depending on the emergency and location of delivery.

Africa is at the heart of our operations. More than half of UNICEF’s global supply efforts are focused on the continent because that’s where children’s needs are most acute, but also where logistics are the most challenging. It’s relatively easy to ship to major ports like Lagos in Nigeria or Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire, but reaching inland destinations such as Maiduguri (Nigeria), N’Djamena (Chad), or Bangui (Central African Republic) is far more complex. Poor infrastructure, insecurity, and border closures are frequent obstacles.

To manage this, UNICEF has developed a flexible and agile but controlled shipping strategy. We have two global hubs—Dubai and Copenhagen—and smaller hubs in Panama and Brindisi, supported by 400 active warehouses worldwide. Only around 10% of our supplies go through these hubs; most are shipped directly from vendors. This allows us to respond faster and more efficiently to children’s needs on the ground.

Our strategy relies on long-term agreements with freight forwarders combined with industry partnerships. Every five years, we tender long-term agreements with global freight forwarders for end-to-end operations. They operate regional control towers, maintain a presence in every country, and can adapt to circumstances by handling customs clearance, creating staging warehouses when borders are closed, or managing national distribution when needed.

“At the end of the day, every shipment is more than just cargo. It is a lifeline for a child.”

We complement these efforts with agreements with shipping lines, which give UNICEF preferential benefits, such as waived container deposits, 30–60 days of free demurrage, annual flat rates management, fast track booking and reduced port rates. This reduces costs and ensures that our supplies reach destinations even in difficult circumstances.

Could you explain how UNICEF’s procurement budget is distributed across different priorities, and give us a sense of what a typical shipment looks like—what exactly goes inside that can save a child’s life?
UNICEF procured $5.6 billion worth of goods and services in 2024. Of this, about $2.5 billion was allocated to vaccines and biologics, $250 million to nutrition, $170 million each to water & sanitation and medicines, and $150 million to pharmaceuticals. The remaining funds supported areas such as education, culture and essential equipment.

To understand the country-level impact, consider West and Central Africa. Each year, UNICEF delivers over 1.5 million cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to the region. Each carton weighs 14 kilograms and contains sachets that provide sufficient nutrition for one malnourished child for a month. This means that in West and Central Africa alone, around one and half million children benefit annually from this single supply chain.

RUTF is a lifesaving therapeutic food designed for children suffering from severe malnutrition. It is made from peanuts, milk, sugar, and added vitamins, packed into 92-gram sachets. A 14-kilogram carton provides a month of nutritional support for a child whose health is at risk.

At the end of the day, every shipment is more than just cargo. It is a lifeline for a child.

Vaccines are another key component. Globally, UNICEF delivers over two billion doses every year—for both routine immunisation and outbreak management, enough to vaccinate 45% of the world’s children under five. In Africa, these supplies are critical to preventing and containing diseases such as measles, cholera and polio.

“We [UNICEF] ship between 120,000 and 250,000 metric tonnes of supplies for children around the world on a yearly basis.”

Our logistics operations have been tested under some of the toughest global conditions. During Covid-19, when borders closed for both air and land transport, UNICEF still managed to deliver essential supplies to every country in Africa. More recently, various regional conflicts have forced us to adapt routes and strategies, but we have been able to maintain deliveries. Because of this track record, our model has now been adopted by more than 34 UN agencies.

And how has your experience been working with African governments? What kind of challenges do you face?
The real challenge isn’t so much the governments as it is the infrastructure. In Mozambique, for example, there’s only one major road linking the north and south. Add seasonal floods, landslides, and fragile bridges, and transport quickly becomes unreliable. Similar issues exist elsewhere, where geography and climate can cut off access overnight.

On the government side, the biggest hurdle is turnover. Decision-makers in some countries often change every two years, which disrupts continuity and makes it harder to build trust. Every official may have a slightly different approach, so alignment takes time. UNICEF adapts by tailoring solutions to each national context—we support governments, we don’t impose.

Then there are structural obstacles. Customs procedures remain heavily bureaucratic. While UNICEF supplies are duty-free, paperwork is still required, and in some countries, one or two individuals control critical authorisations. Lack of digitalisation compounds delays. Political tensions also affect logistics—if two neighbours close borders, entire corridors are blocked and we’re forced to reroute, often at a higher cost.

African countries, each have their distinct systems, infrastructures, and service providers. What works in South Africa may not work in Chad or Nigeria. That’s why our supply chain resembles a spider web—flexible and adaptive, with multiple routes and partners to ensure delivery. Having been to nearly every African country myself, I’ve seen how local knowledge and strong networks make the difference. Despite the challenges, we always find solutions—because for the children waiting, every day counts.

And if we look only at Africa, which countries require the most? Where do you see the highest needs?
In 2025, the five countries with the biggest funding needs are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Burkina Faso and Nigeria.

In terms of transport, you mentioned 80% is ocean freight. How about road or air freight?
About 80% is shipped by ocean, 15% by air, and the rest by surface. Air freight is critical for last-mile delivery in fragile contexts, where infrastructure, accessibility, or insecurity on the roads make ground transport impossible.

We often rely on small aircraft in more remote places with complex access challenges to reach populations. Road infrastructure is essential but unreliable. Rail can be economical, but trains often need to be fully loaded before departure, which could lead to delays. We prefer solutions we can control, even if they cost more, because time is critical.

Here’s the difference: if an online retailer delivers a toy two days late, nothing happens. But if vaccines arrive late, their quality may be compromised—and children’s lives put at risk. If ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) arrives late, we could face casualties. For us, it’s always a balance between cost, speed and reliability.

Can you share an example of a recent mission you were part of?
My most recent mission was in DRC and Ethiopia, supporting the Africa CDC during the Mpox emergency response. Some of the vaccines required ultra-cold storage—down to -70°C. Normally, UNICEF works with 2–8°C cold chains, and over the years we’ve delivered thousands of solar-powered fridges across Africa. For example, in DRC alone we’ve supplied more than 3,000 units.

But Mpox was different. We had to assess whether existing infrastructure could handle these colder requirements. Where it wasn’t possible, we relied on temporary solutions—like large cold boxes—to preserve vaccines long enough to reach the field. My role was to advise the Ministries of Health, Africa CDC and partners on supply chain matters, from planning, reception readiness and distribution, tailoring solutions country by country on the continent. That work is ongoing, and the project has since expanded to include cholera vaccines, as outbreaks have spread across several African countries.

When it comes to greener logistics, we are eager to deploy electric trucks. In South Africa and Ghana, there are promising pilots. But elsewhere, poor infrastructure makes it difficult—charging points are scarce, and putting an expensive truck on a dirt road full of potholes isn’t realistic. The ambition is there, but solutions must fit the local context.

Just recently, UNICEF has successfully delivered the first pilot shipment of vaccines by ocean. It is a milestone that could offer major sustainability benefits in the future. But at the same time, sea transport requires much more planning and coordination than air shipment to ensure proper temperature management from the origin to the destination. It also requires coordination with stakeholders from the shipping industry, port and customs authorities to account for longer delivery times.

We’re also testing drones as part of the network. They can’t yet carry heavy loads, but they are proving useful for vaccines, small medical supplies, and sample collection. Projects in Rwanda, Ghana, and DRC are showing how drones can complement traditional transport, especially in areas with insecurity or weak road access.

These challenges highlight the diversity of Africa itself, where each country has different infrastructures, processes and service providers. Moving supplies across these countries means constantly adapting strategies—what works in Nigeria or Ghana may not work in Chad or Mozambique.

That’s why our supply chain is never one-size-fits-all. It has to be flexible, innovative, and ready to switch from Plan A to Plan D—or even Plan F—because in humanitarian logistics, delays can cost lives.