UN supply chain plan to deal with pandemics

The United Nations World Food Programme is to collaborate with NEC Corporation  for the development of the first information platform to provide end-to-end visibility of supply chains for pandemic interventions, on behalf of the Global Pandemic Supply Chain Network.

The government of Japan has provided $1 million for the network, which will be used as seed funding for the new information platform.

The Global Pandemic Supply Chain Network was formed in response to lessons learned from the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak and discussions that followed at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2015, where the need for a collaborative, multi-stakeholder response became clear.

“To achieve any one of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, we must all do our part, lending our unique expertise and experiences to innovating solutions to global problems,” said Ertharin Cousin, executive director of WFP.

“The creation of this new platform is a prime example of the amazing endeavours that are possible when the public and private sectors work together.”

NEC will focus on designing a logistics visualisation system that will enable end-to-end tracking of pandemic response items, such as protective clothing and medical equipment within a country facing an outbreak, helping to ensure quick and appropriate delivery of supplies to people in need.

Other key functions of the system include reporting, data integration with existing logistics systems and in-country warehouse management.