Global Mapping of Emergency Stockpiles
The site was developed as a collaborative effort between governmental organizations, clusters, NGOs and UN agencies. The "Global Mapping of Emergency Stockpiles" is a major part of the humanitarian community's efforts to improve the emergency response in affected areas. It provides a single-entry interface to map the capacities and resources of humanitarian actors to respond to the needs of affected populations in case of emergency. It is a central platform which places increased emphasis on " who has what were " by region, sector, organization and/or organization type.
Moreover, the "Global Mapping of Emergency Stockpiles" can play an important role in:
- maintaining and expanding global mapping of relief stocks;
- gathering information of sufficient quality to lead to an improved response that directly benefits affected populations;
- providing a useful source of information to national emergency services, enabling them to request international assistance on a bilateral basis;
- offering a reference source for relief organizations and countries considering to establish their own emergency stockpile and looking for international best practices in this area;
- creating and maintaining mutual awareness of each other’s capacities, practices and benchmarks.
United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot
OCHA relief items are currently stored in the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD), located at Italy's Brindisi military airport.
The warehouse, managed by WFP, was inaugurated in March 2001, as of result of the Secretary General's reform proposals. It replaced the warehouse that OCHA operated between 1985 and 2000 in Pisa, Italy. The UNHRD serves as a logistics and storage facility that allows the United Nations to respond rapidly to crises. The Italian Government covers the depot's operational costs.
The UNHRD also houses stocks belonging to WFP, the World Health Organization, the Italian Government and selected non-governmental organizations. These stocks include emergency food aid, various types of relief goods, mobile cooking facilities, rapid response equipment, medicines and medical kits.
The Memorandum of Understanding between OCHA and WFP covers stockpiling of OCHA's goods, handling upon reception and dispatch (including inspection and repackaging) and WFP organizing most transport arrangements from Brindisi to the final destination.
OCHA remains responsible for stock management, donor liaison (including fund-raising and reporting), stock replenishment and dispatch orders.