Health & Humanitarian Logistics Conference

Strengthening Health & Humanitarian Supply Chains in the Digital Age

In conjunction with the transport logistic Africa & air cargo Africa trade fair and conference from February 19-21, 2025, the Humanitarian Logistics Association (HLA) will host the annual Health and Humanitarian Logistics Conference (HHL) on Friday 21st, plus associated site visits and meetings on Thursday 20th.

Leaders from the humanitarian aid sector, UN and non-governmental organisations, supply chain experts, public sector representatives, academia and other key stakeholders will participate to share knowledge, explore innovative strategies and digital advancements in health and humanitarian logistics. Key topics will include: local procurement and manufacturing, last mile delivery, using AI for logistics, environmental sustainability and waste recycling, resilient supply chains and 'green fleet' management.

The event will focus on how collaboration can strengthen health and humanitarian supply chains in today’s digital landscape, fostering the power of knowledge to enhance our collective impact on global humanitarian efforts. We look forward to seeing you there.

Register now!

CONFERENCE AGENDA - February 21, 2025: Friday

Strengthening Health and Humanitarian Supply Chains in the Digital Age


09:00 hrs - 09:45 hrs	Registration, Tea/Coffee
09:45 hrs - 10:00 hrs	Welcome and Introduction by George Fenton, CEO Humanitarian Logistics Association
10:00 hrs - 10:20 hrs	Keynote Address
10:20 hrs - 10:45 hrs	Health Supply Chain Capacity Development Roneek Vora, Director, Revital Healthcare (EPZ) Ltd Insights on strengthening regional health supply chain systems, specifically drawing from experiences in manufacturing and distributing syringes and other medical devices across Africa and globally. The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant challenges but also underscored the importance of resilient and adaptable supply chains. Revital’s journey as a local manufacturer has been marked by both successes and challenges, from scaling production to meeting increased demand, to navigating logistical hurdles.
10:45 hrs - 11:15 hrs	Health Supply Chain Capacity Development Panel Discussion - Sharing insights on strengthening regional health supply chain systems and building on local supply partnership – Revital, Chemonics, WFP
11:15 hrs - 11:45 hrs	Coffee Break
11:45 hrs - 12:00 hrs	Environmental Sustainability Miori Naito, WFP Logistics – Environmental Sustainability Sustainability of WFP logistics activities focus on tools to account for emissions and waste. Their data platform tracks all supply chain activities to calculate carbon emissions. WFP will share their approach to waste management and other sustainable approaches, including the dashboard used to support the development of a regional strategy for sustainable supply chains that centre around climate mitigation, resilient local markets, optimisation of network processes, solar energy, biodiversity and sustainable packaging.
12:00 hrs - 12:45 hrs	Panel Discussion – Reltex Waste Management Project, Pam Steele Associates, Chemonics, Save the Children, KRCS, ICRC, MSF 1. Waste management and recycling from N. Kenya refugee camps / settlements 2. Managing packaging waste from field hospitals – highlighting research findings from the WORM project based in Tanzania, Finland and Vietnam with experiences shared by ICRC and KRC, Save the Children, MSF. The winners of the 23/24 Research Challenge in Tanzania from Muhimbili University of Health will share the economic and environmental burden of pharmaceutical waste in Tanzania and explore approaches for improving sustainability within the supply chain.
12:45 hrs - 13:45 hrs	Lunch
13:45 hrs - 14:15 hrs	Sarah Spencer, Independent Consult & expert on AI, conflict and public policy. 'How to approach AI adoption safely’ The uptake of AI in humanitarian contexts is increasing rapidly and dozens of humanitarian agencies are accelerating their exploration and experimentation with AI. The session will explore AI trends in the humanitarian sector, the risks and benefits related to AI, and ways in which agencies might approach AI adoption. A panel discussion with technology and humanitarian leaders who will debate key strategies and approaches to safely adopt and integrate AI into existing humanitarian operations.
14:15 hrs - 14:30 hrs	Q&A
14:30 hrs - 14:45 hrs	Localisation Paul Lotay, CEO, CHMP Kenya (TBC)
14:45 hrs - 15:15 hrs	Localisation Panel Discussion - How do local actors take ownership of preparation and response? – Roneek Vora, Revital, Pam Steele Associates, Oxfam, Save the Children, Jef Imans, GHSC, Ethiopia Panel Discussion on tools to support local suppliers and manufacturers to meet quality standards. How to balance support to the public health supply chain during crisis, engaging humanitarian actors detailing case study from Ethiopia
15:15 hrs - 16:00 hrs	Last Mile - Are drones part of the emergency response - If not, Why not? – Drone Transport Services for improved equitable access to healthcare Olivier Defawe, Village Reach and Daniel Costilloe, BCN Drones A panel will discuss the use and integration of drone delivery.....the aid supply chain and the use of drone transport services for improved equitable access to healthcare.
16:00 hrs - 16:20 hrs	Transport/Fleet Challenges & Tech. to Overcome them George Wood, Director Customer Operations Group, DHL Customs challenges and how to overcome them. Presentation on the importance of Data Quality in the Customs Clearance context, and leveraging digitalisation to streamline the clearance process.
16:20 hrs - 17:00 hrs	Panel Discussion: DHL, Jade Da Cost, Aero Africa & Andrew Miller Fleet Africa. Last mile solutions, working with freight forwarders, technology solutions to improve efficiency and transparency for both last mile and connecting with third party transporters.
17:00 hrs	Conference concludes