Briefing Paper - Unsolicited Donations Haiti
The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance for governments, commercial enterprises, NGOs, civil society organisations and other entities considering sending donations to Haiti in support of the emergency response to the earthquake.
Experience of recent emergencies has shown that an international commitment to assist those affected by conflict and sudden-onset disasters, whilst vital for rehabilitation of affected nations, has also resulted in donations of goods accumulating at ports and airports, instead of being delivered to beneficiaries.
In order for humanitarian aid to be of the most benefit to affected populations, donations should be well-planned with national authorities and the humanitarian community coordinating the relief effort and fully compliant with national requirements for the importation of goods. Cargo that lacks documentation and adequate planning for onward delivery may have an adverse effect on the relief effort by taking up scarce resources, such as aircraft landing slots or storage space, and can place an additional logistics burden on organisations working on the ground.
Humanitarian aid delivered during the initial phase of the response must also correspond with priorities for life-saving supplies set by the government of Haiti and the Humanitarian Country Team and be necessary and appropriate for intended beneficiaries.
Within the context of the Haiti earthquake response, this paper outlines practical measures donors can take to avoid the build-up of Unsolicited Bilateral Donations (UBDs) in Haiti and to ensure that the intentions of the international community to assist those in need are fully realised.
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Logistics Cluster