Pacific Logistics Workshop 15 to 18 February, Report · 2017. 2. 6. · Pacific Logistics Workshop...

1stPacificRegionalLogisticsClusterWorkshop

PacificLogisticsWorkshop15to18February,Report

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- 1st Regional Logistics Workshop -

Pacific

Suva–15th/18thFebruary2016

1. Background 2. Objectives 3. Participants and venue 4. Workshop Structure 5. Key Outcomes 6. Evaluation of the workshop 7. Recommendation for next worksop 8. Annex

a. Album b. Agenda / Attendees c. Sessions Plans / Driving questions d. Revised Masterplan



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1. Background

In September 2015 theWorld FoodProgramme (WFP) opened their first office for the Pacific region inSuva,Fiji.Thismarkedthebeginningofaninitialfour-yearprojectthatsucceededinvolvementofWFPinthe region since 2011. WFP had previously engaged in responses (Solomon Islands Floods, 2014 andVanuatu Tropical Cyclone PAM 2015), and preparedness activities such as the preparation of LogisticsCapacity Assessments (LCA’s) and contingency planning (carried out in six Pacific countries), logisticssimulationandtrainingsandsetupofaregionallogisticclustermailinglist.TheWFPproject in the pacificwill focus on threemain areas, logistics, emergency telecommunications(ETC) and to a lesser extent Food Security. The first threemonths, following the opening of the office,consisted of a region wide scoping mission. During this time as many regional and national logisticspartnersaspossiblewere consulted inAustralia,NewZealandandNewCaledoniaaswell as in the fiveprioritycountriesof theproject,namelyFiji,Vanuatu,Solomon Islands,SamoaandTonga.This includedNationalDisasterManagementOffices (NDMO’s), regionalCROPagencies,UNagencies, INGO’s,donors,academics,andtheprivatesector.Thisscopingphasewasrichinfindings.Thesewereanalysedandcapturedinaregionalmasterplan,whichhighlightednineareasoffocus.Theactivitieswithineachthemeseektoaddressthelogisticsissuesintheregion, inorder tostrengthendisaster responsecapacities (seeannex4:masterplan). Themasterplanformsthebasisofthefour-yearprojectandhadpreviouslybeensharedwiththeregionallogisticsclustergroup.However,inordertoensurewehadgotitrightandtogetbuy-inandagreementtomoveforward,weneededtomeetinaregionalforum.During the scoping phase, it became evident that the lack of a single organisation taking the leadwithlogisticsintheregion,hadledtomanyagenciesinitiatinglogisticsprojectsineachofthenineareas.Thiswas often donewith little knowledge of, or coordinationwith, other projects and agencies, leading toduplicationandmissedopportunitiesforcollaboration.Theregionalworkshopwouldprovideaforumtoshareinformationin-ordertofindsynergiesandavoidduplicationaswe,asagroup,moveforward.2. Objectives

Thefollowingweretheobjectivesoftheworkshop:

§ Presenttheanalysisdoneandthesubsequentmasterplan.§ Reviseandadjustthefindingsandprojectsidentifiedthroughgroupwork.§ Defineworkinggroupsfromwithintheregionalclustertoprogressthevariousprojects.§ AddressthefirstactivityoftheJapanesefundingtowardstheWFPpacificLogisticsproject.§ Create and nurture synergies between agencies to uncover common areas of interests and

potentialcollaboration.



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3. Participantsandvenue

ParticipantsTheselectionoftheparticipantswasmadeaccordingtovariouscriteria.Attendeesneededtobeinvolvedinlogisticspreparedness,orresponse,andtocomefromeitherofthefollowing:

§ NationalNDMOorGovernment§ TheRedCrossMovement§ INGOorUNagencies§ CROPagencies§ Academics§ PrivateSector

As this workshopwas the first for the region, it was decided not to restrict it to only the five prioritycountriesidentifiedbytheWFPproject.InsteadwesawanopportunitytogettheviewsandinvolvementofawideraudiencewithwhichWFPhopestoforgefutureworkingrelationships.WFPinitiallylookedatincludingaround30participants.Itquicklybecameevidentthatthescopingphaseoftheprojecthadgenerateda lotof interestandagrowingmomentumaroundthelogisticsquestioninthe region, resulting in many requests to attend. In the spirit of sharing, and considering the will andinterestbymanyimportantactorstoengageintheselogisticsissuesasapositiveindicator,WFPdecidedtowidenthescopeandtheattendancetothisfirstregionallogisticsworkshop.Theparticipationvariedduringthe4daysbutatthemaximumwehad51peopleonthethirddayandanaverageof45peopleacrossthefourdays.Thefollowingcountrieswererepresented(seeannex2:listofattendeesforfurtherdetails)

§ Australia§ CookIslands§ Fiji§ NewCaledonia§ NewZealand§ Samoa§ SolomonIslands§ Tuvalu§ Tonga§ Vanuatu

Thegenderbalancewasalsoconsideredandoftheinitialconfirmedattendancelistof45peopleasplitof21femalesand24maleswererepresented,makingaratioof47%to53%.



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VenueItwasconsideredearlyonthattheneedtobringallthesepeopletogetherwascriticalforthesuccessoftheprojectandtosuccessfullycoordinateaLogisticsClusterinthePacific.TillthenithadexistedthroughanemailaddressandwebsitehostedbyOCHA,featuringlogisticsdocuments.Inordertomovetheprojectforwardtheworkshopneededtohappenearlyon.SelectingavenueoutsideFiji,consideringthatWFPwasonlyonestaffatthetime,wouldhavecomplicatedmattersanddelayedthisworkshopandconsequentlytherestoftheproject.Basedonpreviousexperiences,itwasalsodecidedtohavetheworkshopinanon-centrallocation.Asthiseventwasaworkshopandnottraining,wethoughtitessentialthatpeopleshouldtakeadvantageofbeingina location.Toprovideanopportunitytosit together (includingoutsidetheactualworkshophours) toexchange ideas, build relationships, learn about their respective initiatives and start creating synergieswithin the group itself. Having theworkshop in Suvawould not have created the conditions for this tohappen as most of the participants would have wandered off at the end of each workshop days, andthereforelimitingthescopeofmaximisingthetimetogether.AfirstlocationwasconsideredthroughtheNovotelinLami,justoutsideSuva.ThetwomainreasonswereitslocationasperaboveconsiderationandalsobecauseUNDPhasalongtermstandingAgreementwiththem,allowingWFPtoaccessit.InitialcontactwasmadebutalthoughNovotelshowedflexibility inthebookingoftheconferenceroom,they did not think it essential to set aside the required number of rooms. So by the timeWFP had anumberofconfirmedpeople,theNovotelonlyhad6roomsleft,whichwasnotaworkableoption.Since the other LSA UNDP had with other hotels were not appropriate (adequate justifications wereprovidedtotheProcurementDepartment)andwithonly10daystogobeforethesetdate,alastminuteoptionwasfoundatthePearlResortlocated45minawayfromSuva.Itwasadequateinsize,anddistancefromSuvaandalsoappeared,onquotation,tobecheaperthantheNovotel.AdecisionwasthenmadetoholdtheworkshopatthePearl

4. WorkshopStructureTheworkshop structurewas verymuch “alive”bothbeforeandduring theworkshop. Initially the fourdaysweredividedinsuchawayastoaccommodateasessionforeachoftheninemainareasidentifiedinthemasterplan.However,whenthesession’splanningbegan,manyquestionsappearedwhichimpactedthestructureoftheworkshopandthemasterplan.For instance, it appeared that most of the questions and information that were put together for theCommunityofPracticesessionwereaddressedinonewayoranotherbythesetupoftheworkshopitselfand the Information-Sharing theme.Wecametoquestion theactualneedofkeeping thisasaseparatesession.Thiswasaddressedduringtheworkshopitselfandcommonlyagreed.Similarly, preparing the Cadre of Responders theme, it appeared thatwhile logisticswas one area thatneededtobeconsolidatedintoacadre,itwasonlyasmallcomponentofamuchlargerissuerelatedtoHRandrostersmanagement,forwhichneitherWFPnortheLogisticsClusterhadamandatetoaddress.Itwas



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thereforerunasamuchshortersessionthatsoughttoaddress if itshouldtobe included inthemasterplangoingforward.Thethemeoftrainingsandsimulationswasincludedinthestandardisationsessionasitwasdecidedthatthecoreofthisthemewastheneedtoharmoniseandstandardisetrainingacrosstheregion.Thisquestionwasexploredduringthesession.The workshop was also designed in a way to leave a maximum amount of time for agencies andparticipantstoexchange,shareandconfronttheirideasandviewsthrough:

§ Groupwork§ Longcoffeebreaks§ Dinnersandeveningsinadecentralisedlocation

In regards to the facilitation processes a large emphasiswas put on groupwork, the purpose being tomaximisediscussionandensureacollaborativeendorsementoftheregionallogisticsstrategy.However othermechanismswere used such as panel discussions,where representatives of the PrivateSectorwereinvitedtosharetheirviewsontherelationbetweenprivateandhumanitariansectors.Thethemescoveredwere:

§ Informationsharingandprepositioning§ Standardization§ UnsolicitedBilateralDonations§ PrivateSectorEngagement(includingtransport)§ TrainingsandSimulations§ SharedWarehouses§ NationalLogisticsClusters

Duringeachsessionthemasterplanwasdisplayedinordertobeareferencefordiscussion.Attheendofeachsession/day,theoutcomesoftheworkinggroupswerecapturedthroughaformandthemasterplanwasupdatedtoreflectthem.Evaluationoftheworkshopitselfwasconductedattheendofeachdaytocapturethewayitwasgoingandpotentiallyaddressanyconcernsorquestionsattendeeshad.

5. Keyoutcomes

InformationSharingKeyinformationsharingtoolswerepresentedtothegroupincluding:

• HumanitarianID,anewtoolformanagingcontactsinanemergency(OCHA).• HumanitarianResponse,PacificRegionPage(OCHA).• HumanitarianDataExchange,sharabledatasets(OCHA).• LogisticsCapacityAssessment(LCA),countrylevellogisticassessments(WFP).



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• Logistics Cluster Website, used primarily for information sharing during emergency operations(WFP).

Thefollowingfindingswerediscussed:

§ AregionalpagehostedontheLogisticsClusterwebsitewasidentifiedasbeingkeytopreparednessactivities.

§ Itwas identifiedthattheLCAshouldplayapivotalrole inthepreparednessstrategythroughthecollectionandsharingof logisticscapacity information.TheLCAsshouldbekeptasup-to-dateaspossible, with regional and country level actors feeding in and maintaining the information asinformationchanges.Theassessmentof LogisticsCapacity canbe standardisedacross the regionusingtheLCAtemplatesavailablethroughthesite,andre-submittedtotheGlobalLogisticsClusterforinclusionontheLCA.

§ InclusionofMarketanalysisintheLCAwasproposed.TheLCAtemplateshouldalsobereviewedtoincludemoreinformationonprivatesectorandmilitarycapacities.

§ Aneedforan InformationManagementofficer for theregionordirectlywithNationalClusters/NDMOwasalsoidentifiedtoplayavitalroleinthegatheringandsharingof informationthroughtheavailabletools.

Stockpile mapping for the region was discussed in order to identify strategies and implementation.Findingsincluded:

§ Stockpilemappingisnecessarytoavoidduplicationandidentifypotentialgapsifanemergencywastooccur.

§ Standardisation and categorisationof non-food-item (NFI) typeswas considered key inprovidinginteroperabilityofcollecteddataandrepresentingstockpilemappingaccurately.

§ Standardreportingtoolswouldneedtobedevelopedtoprovideconsistentmethodsforreporting.§ Reportsshouldbefiledquarterlytoprovideatimelysnapshotonstockquantity.

Thegroupsworkedinteamstodesignaregionaloperationwebpage.§ Thepagefeaturesidentifieddon’tfalloutsidethecurrentLogisticsClusteroperationpagefeatures,

butconsiderationsmightbeneededforthelayoutanddesignofthepage.§ Proposedfeature:Interactivemapsforrepresentingotherdataandnavigatingtokeyinformation

i.estockpile-mappingdatafortheregion.§ ProposedFeature:Discussionplatformthroughaforumwebsiteormailinglistdiscussionboard.

CadreofResponderDiscussionstookplacearoundthebestmethodstoprovideassistance inanemergencyandtheneedtomaintainanetworkofskilledpeopleinthePacificwhoaredeployabletoneighbouringnationstosupportemergencypreparednessandresponsework.Thefollowingpointsemergedforfutureconsiderations:

§ Proposal to expand the existing rosters to include in-kind-services that could be available to theNDMO.

§ NationalandRegionalresponseismoresustainableifusinglocalprofessionals.§ Terms-of-reference and reporting structure diagrams will need to be developed to identify key

rolesrequiredduringsurgecapacity.§ Trainingstoimproveteamcoordinationbetweenrespondersarenecessary.



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§ Itwasidentifiedthatlocalgovernments,usingtheexistingInformationManagementtoolsandwithsupport,asrequired,fromtheGlobalLogisticsCluster,couldadequatelyfacemostchallengesinanemergencyresponse,preventinganeedofinternationalcoordinationassistancebeingrequired.

§ Currently there is no regionalbodypositioned to act as EmergencyPreparednessCoordinator atthistime.Forexample,tofunctionliketheAHACentredoesfortheASEANregion.

Theconclusionattheendofthesessionwasthatwhilethiswasanimportanttheme,theregionallogisticsclusterdidnothavethemandatetomakesignificantandtangibleprogress inthisarea.Consequently, itwasdecidedthatthisthemewouldbetakenoutoftheworkplan.

StandardisationThis topic focused on the issues of standardisation in the region, particularly of NFI’s, as well asmechanismstoimprovecoordination,trainingsandinformationsharing.

§ Participants agreed that standardisation and sharing of information is key to preparednessplanning.

§ TechnicalclustersshouldtaketheleadinidentifyingstandardsandintheprioritisationofNFI’s.§ Apilotprogramwasproposedtoidentifyalistofkeyitemstostandardiseandtolinkinformation

together.ThecollectionofdataoncurrentNFI’swillberequired.§ Standardscanbeusedincataloguestoaidtheprocurementprocess.§ Training with accreditation was identified as key in maintaining consistent working processes.

Reinforcingtheimplementationoftoolsandstandardstoimprovecoordinationintheregion.§ Therewerediscussionsaroundthechallengesandopportunitiesinstandardisinglogisticstrainings

and the benefits that standardised trainings would have on the other thematic such as sharedwarehousing.

§ Itwas identifiedthattheGlobalLogisticsClustercouldprovidemorecoordinationandsupport inthehostingoflogisticstrainingsfortheregionaspartofitspreparednessstrategy.

UnsolicitedBilateralDonations(UBDs)ParticipantswereintroducedtotheideaandproblemsfacedinVanuatuconcerningUBDs.IFRCintroducedtheIDRLGuidelinesdraftontacklingtheproblem.

§ Participants agreed that a consistent communication strategy was important to manage theproblem and would involve multiple stakeholders including governments, donors, diasporacommunityorganisations,RedCrossandNGOs.

§ Community level involvement was fundamental to encourage donations throughmoney and tohelp translate unsolicited bilateral donations into donations that are appropriate for affectedcommunities.

§ It is recognised that in the Pacific there will always be people wishing to give donations, thechallenge then become how to change UBDs into Solicited Bilateral Donations. This will involvemore direct connection between diaspora communities and the affected population, to betterunderstandwhatisneededontheground.

§ Plansonhowbesttoengagetheprivatesector,topreventthearrivalofUBD’swereconsidered.§ The idea of aUBDplatformwas introduced to aid themanagement of the problem. Thiswould

allowdonatingindividualsandcommunitiestomatchtherequirementoftheresponseandtoactasacommunicationplatformtoreceivecashdonationsinstead.ItcouldalsobeusedtohelpturnUBD’sintosolicitedbilateraldonationsasdiscussedabove.



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§ Participants were invited to give their inputs on the design and features of a platform to helpmanagetheproblemandtohighlightthekeyconsiderationsforitsimplementation.

§ Discussions identifiedaneed fora “DonationsCoordinator”, a role tohelpmanage the situationbetweendonatingcommunities,governments,humanitarianorganisationsandbeneficiaries.Usingtools toopenupcommunicationbetweendonating individuals, andgroups,with those requiringassistance,tobettermatchdonationstoneed.

TransportPowerpointsfromWFPshippingandtheprivatesectorshippingwerepresentedtoparticipants.Aswasapresentationfromaprivateairlineconsultantwhohighlightedthechallengesandopportunitiesinprivatepublicpartnership.Apaneldiscussionfollowedthepresentationsinvolvingrepresentativesfromtheprivateandhumanitariansector includingOxfamNewZealand,PacificDirectLine,GoCrisis,WFPandMatsonShipping.Keypointshighlightedincluded:

§ Developing better communication between the national actors and private sector is key topreparednessplanning.

§ Agreaterneedforknowledgesharingwashighlighted,toseewheretheprivatesectorcansupportandsolvesomeofthelogisticissuesandgapsidentified.

§ The need to open clearer lines of communication between the national, and regional logisticsclusters with the private sector. Identifying a single focal point to be contacted during anemergencywillhelptofacilitatethisprocess.

§ Usingalreadyestablishedtransportservicesandsmallerboatnetworksforremoteislandsarekeytosolvingregionaltransportissues.

SharedWarehouseParticipantsdiscussedissuesaroundsharedwarehousesbeforeandduringaresponse.

§ It was agreed that shared warehouses should be considered but clear Standard OperatingProcedures (SOP’s) is required. Each countrywouldneed todefine their ownmodel tobest suittheircircumstance.

§ Concernswereraisedaroundsecurity,fundingandfinances,andwhowouldhaveresponsibilityforstockandsitemanagement.

§ ItwassuggestedthattheNDMOand/orNGOscouldmanageasharedwarehouse.§ Commercialoptionsforoutsourcingsharedwarehousescouldbeasustainablesolution.§ Consistenttools,mechanismandprocesseswouldneedtobeinplace.§ Thereneedstobecapacitytoscaleupandtounderstandwhatstockisincountry.§ Sharedcostsforservicesarerequired.§ The question between normal times and emergency response times was also raised when

discussing about sharedwarehouse.While Sharedwarehousemight not be considered in everylocation as required in some places it still could be seen as system to put in place duringemergencies.



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NationalClustersDiscussions took place around the creation of National Logistics Clusters and the support required forexistingones

§ Groupsdiscussedwhattheregionalclustercoulddotosupportnationalclusters.SuchasdraftingSOPs,TORs,guidancethatcouldbeadaptedtothecountrycontext.

§ Co-leads of national clusters, which are already present in some countries need to be betterdefinedwithclearguidanceandSOPsforpreparednessandresponsetimes.

§ Identificationofrolesandresponsibilitiesoflogisticspositionsatnationallevelimportant.§ Trainings and improvements implemented based on lessons learned are necessary for national

clusters.§ AstheLogisticsClusterwouldnotbeactiveintheregionunlessrequiredduringanemergency, it

was identified that the Global Logistics Cluster could play a stronger support role to nationalclustersintheuseofInformationManagementtoolsandtrainings.

FinalDebriefItwas difficult during theworkshop to get individuals to commit to leading or participating inworkinggroupswithoutfurtherdiscussionwithintheirorganisations.Insteadindividualssignedthemselvesuptobepartoftheongoingconversationoftopicsthattheyandtheirorganisationswereinterestedin.Alldiscussionsweredocumentedinaworkplantoprovideanagreementandtimelineofstrategythatcanbeimplemented.ItcanbefoundinAnnex4

6. EvaluationoftheWorkshopSomeconcernswereraised,duringtheweek,bynationalplayers(RedCross/NDMO’s)hi-lightingthattheworkshop was too focused at the regional level and that there was not enough opportunity for theconcernsfromnationalleveltobeheard.Thiscametolightonthesecondtolastdayandtheorganisersadjusted proceedings to accommodate this opinion. Consequently, feedback on this last daywasmuchbetter as the concerns had been considered and addressed. However, it was communicated that thestrategy for theworkshopwas indeedaimed from the regionalperspective in-order toaddressnationalissues.Themajorityofparticipantsagreedthattheworkshophadbeenusefulandwouldattendagain.Theyalsofeltthattheperiodoffourdayswasadequatetocoverthetopics,particularlyasitwasthefirstworkshop.Mostagreedthatthetopicsdiscussedweregood,butwouldhave likedtohaveseenmorefocusontheNDMOperspective.Withpresentationsandupdatesfromthenationallevelcomingfirstinordertolaythefoundationforthewiderregionaldiscussion.Participants felt the formatwasgood,particularly theuseofgroup-work todiscussproblemsand ideas.The participants would have liked to see the inclusion of more national level actors, particularly fromgovernmentaldepartments,includingthePoliceandMilitary.



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Themajorityofpeoplefelttheyhadanopportunitytobeheard.Somefeltattimesthatspeakingwiththemicrophonecouldbeintimidating.Itwashi-lightedthatmoreneededtobeheardfromthenationallevel,withcommentsthatparticipantsfromFijiandfromSPCshouldhavebeeninvited.Itistruetheywerenotthere,butFijiNDMO,FijiRedCrossandSPChadallbeeninvitedandwereunabletoattend.

7. RecommendationsforthenextWorkshopWhile this regional Logistics clusterworkshopwas the firstone,WFP recognises thatdespitea senseofappreciationfromtheLogClusterGroup,thereisroomforimprovement.Thenextworkshopwilltakeintoconsiderationthevaluablefeedbackfromthemanyparticipants.Amongthepointstobeconsideredforthenextworkshop,thefocuswillbeon:

§ Triggertheorganisationoftheworkshopearlierandensuretherearededicatedresourcestohelpprepare and manage it. There was not enough time, due to it’s late planning, resulting in thefacilitationteamrushingthepreparationandnothavingenoughtimetopolishthedetails.

§ Explore,throughtheLogClustergroup,thepossibilitiestoundertakethenextworkshopinoneofthePacificIslandcountries.TheorganisationshouldbejointlymanagedbytheWFPas-wellaswiththelocalactors:NDMO,RedCrossNationalSocieties,UNagenciesandprivatesector.

§ Thetopicstobeaddressedshouldbedecidedthroughamoreconsultativeprocessthroughouttheregionallogisticscluster.

§ Theworkshopshouldbeginwithasessiondesignedandpresentedbythenationallogisticscluster,to update the group on the progressesmade on the various points of thework-plan to providecontext for the following days. This could be complemented by a WFP session to present theprogressmadeontheregionalcomponentsoftheproject.

§ For each technical session the scene should be set through inputs from agencies and nationalclustersworkinginthespace.Thiswill laythefoundationfordiscussionforgroupworkthatmayfollow.



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8. Annexes

1- ALBUM



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2- AGENDA/ATTENDEES

FinalAttendeeslist-Log sReg ionalWorkshop-Feb2016.xlsx

http://www.logcluster.org/sites/default/files/file_links/attendees-s.xlsx

Reg ionalLog isticsC lusterWorkshopFINALAg enda.xlsx

http://www.logcluster.org/sites/default/files/file_links/regional_logistics_cluster_workshop_agenda.xlsx

3- SESSIONPLANS/DRIVINGQUESTIONS

FacilitatorAg endaDay1.docx

http://www.logcluster.org/sites/default/files/file_links/facilitator_agenda_day_1_0.docx


http://www.logcluster.org/sites/default/files/file_links/facilitator_agenda_day_2_.docx


http://www.logcluster.org/sites/default/files/file_links/facilitator_agenda_day_3.docx


http://www.logcluster.org/sites/default/files/file_links/facilitator_agenda_day_4_.docx

4- MASTERPLAN

PacificLog isticsprojectMasterp lan-FINAL.xlsx

http://www.logcluster.org/sites/default/files/file_links/pacific_logistics_project_masterplan-_final.xlsx

Pacific Logistics Workshop 15 to 18 February, Report · 2017. 2. 6. · Pacific Logistics Workshop...

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