Public Private Partnerships: Humanitarian organizations and companies recognize the importance of supply chain partnerships

A recent survey on the state of public private partnerships for managing humanitarian logistics, supported by the Logistics Hall of Fame, Prof. Dr. Sander de Leeuw (Wageningen University & Research), Mitsuko Mizushima (Fritz Institute) and Prof.Dr. Stephan Wagner (ETH Zürich), shows that both humanitarian organisations and the private sector increasingly recognize the importance and benefits of supply chain partnerships in managing humanitarian logistics. The survey was conducted in November 2024 and engaged humanitarian organizations, corporate representatives, and international donors. Prof. Dr. Sander de Leeuw presented the results of the survey during ConnectChains - The Humanitarian Supply Chain Conference of the Logistics Hall of Fame in Berlin on December 5. The results indicate that both private sector companies and humanitarian organizations are largely satisfied with the partnerships they have engaged in.

For the private sector, the main reasons to engage in supply chain partnerships with the humanitarian sector are getting to know the humanitarian sector better, being involved in ‘doing right’ which in turn boosts employee morale. For humanitarian organisations, partnering with the private sector in supply chain is aimed at getting access to services, people and/or products, getting access to knowledge and saving costs.

Public private partnerships, however, come along with several challenges. For the private sector, the shortage of skilled resources, lack of data and limited access to state-of-the-art technology in the humanitarian sector are most critical. For the humanitarian sector, partnering with the private sector on supply chain topics is challenging because of difficulties in aligning objectives with the private sector, because of the lack of knowledge in the private sector about the specifics of the humanitarian sector, and the perceived interest of the private sector in media attention.

The results also indicate that partnerships have moved away from an event-driven focus to long-term integrative partnerships, encompassing cash, products, and services for greater impact. Organizations have witnessed a larger share of non-financial support in their supply chain, visible in arrangements for pro bono support via providing warehouse space, transport capacity, and personnel.

However, challenges remain and must be addressed to unlock the full potential of these collaborations. These challenges include the need to align objectives between the private and humanitarian sector in managing humanitarian logistics, and in particular the need to provide support for the backroom function of humanitarian aid rather than the private sector supporting the frontline of aid, as well as regularly communicate about progress.

Also see:

https://www.logisticshalloffame.net/en/blog/public-private-partnerships-humanitarian-organizations-and-companies-recognize-the-importance