Page 17 - LUA September-October 2025 for Magzter

Photo: © UNICEFUNI839745Andrianantenaina Photo: © UNICEFUNI760464Franco

We complement these efforts with About 80% is shipped by ocean, 15% by
agreements with shipping lines, which At the end of air, and the rest by surface. Air freight is
give UNICEF preferential benefits, such critical for last-mile delivery in fragile
as waived container deposits, 30–60 the day, every contexts, where infrastructure, accessibility,
days of free demurrage, annual flat rates shipment is more or insecurity on the roads make ground
management, fast track booking and transport impossible.
reduced port rates. This reduces costs and than just cargo. It is a We often rely on small aircraft in
ensures that our supplies reach destinations lifeline for a child. more remote places with complex access
even in difficult circumstances. challenges to reach populations. Road
infrastructure is essential but unreliable.
? Could you explain how UNICEF’s support for a child whose health is at risk. Rail can be economical, but trains often
procurement budget is distributed
need to be fully loaded before departure,
across different priorities, and give us a At the end of the day, every shipment is which could lead to delays. We prefer
sense of what a typical shipment looks more than just cargo. It is a lifeline for a child. solutions we can control, even if they cost
like—what exactly goes inside that can Vaccines are another key component. more, because time is critical.
save a child’s life? Globally, UNICEF delivers over two Here’s the difference: if an online
UNICEF procured $5.6 billion worth of billion doses every year—for both routine retailer delivers a toy two days late, nothing
goods and services in 2024. Of this, about immunisation and outbreak management, happens. But if vaccines arrive late, their
$2.5 billion was allocated to vaccines enough to vaccinate 45% of the world’s quality may be compromised—and
and biologics, $250 million to nutrition, children under five. In Africa, these supplies children’s lives put at risk. If ready-to-use
$170 million each to water & sanitation are critical to preventing and containing therapeutic food (RUTF) arrives late, we
and medicines, and $150 million to diseases such as measles, cholera and polio. could face casualties. For us, it’s always a
pharmaceuticals. The remaining funds Our logistics operations have been balance between cost, speed and reliability.
supported areas such as education, culture tested under some of the toughest global We’re also testing drones as part of
and essential equipment. conditions. During Covid-19, when the network. They can’t yet carry heavy
To understand the country-level impact, borders closed for both air and land loads, but they are proving useful for
consider West and Central Africa. Each year, transport, UNICEF still managed to vaccines, small medical supplies, and
UNICEF delivers over 1.5 million cartons of deliver essential supplies to every country sample collection. Projects in Rwanda,
Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to in Africa. More recently, various regional Ghana, and DRC are showing how drones
the region. Each carton weighs 14 kilograms conflicts have forced us to adapt routes can complement traditional transport,
and contains sachets that provide sufficient and strategies, but we have been able to especially in areas with insecurity or weak
nutrition for one malnourished child for a maintain deliveries. Because of this track road access.
month. This means that in West and Central record, our model has now been adopted These challenges highlight the diversity
Africa alone, around one and half million by more than 34 UN agencies. of Africa itself, where each country
children benefit annually from this single has different infrastructures, processes
supply chain. ? And if we look only at Africa, which and service providers. Moving supplies
RUTF is a lifesaving therapeutic food countries require the most? Where across these countries means constantly
designed for children suffering do you see the highest needs? adapting strategies—what works in
from severe malnutrition. In 2025, the five countries with the biggest Nigeria or Ghana may not work in Chad
It is made from peanuts, funding needs are the Democratic Republic or Mozambique.
milk, sugar, and added of the Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan, That’s why our supply chain is never
vitamins, packed into Burkina Faso and Nigeria. one-size-fits-all. It has to be flexible,
92-gram sachets. A innovative, and ready to switch from
14-kilogram carton ? In terms of transport, you Plan A to Plan D—or even Plan F—
provides a month mentioned 80% is ocean freight. How because in humanitarian logistics, delays
of nutritional about road or air freight? can cost lives.

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