The HUMLOG Institute at the forefront in disaster relief

In his video key note, Pekka Haavisto, Finnish MP and active in international affairs, emphasises the importance of supporting local structures in times of crises and that the needs of beneficiaries have changed over time.

-Today social media plays a major role in a crisis situation and are vital for people trying to keep track of their families and mobile phones are essential in succeeding in doing so, said Pekka Haavisto.

Humanitarian veteran Kalle Löövi, director of International Operations at the Finnish Red Cross, also highlighted some improvements in the humanitarian field:

 -The cooperation has increased between relief organisations including also small local actors and commercial actors in the field.  Most importantly the respect for humanitarian workers is still considerable.

The HUMLOG Institute conducts empirically grounded research on logistics and supply chain management in the humanitarian context and has truly become a hub for humanitarian logistics researchers around the world.

 -Our speakers today gave an up to date view not only on what it takes to deliver aid and make a difference in the lives of beneficiaries, but also on how this field is constantly developing, concluded Gyöngyi Kovács, Erkko Professor in Humanitarian Logistics and cofounder of the Institute.

The HUMLOG Institute is a joint research institute between Hanken School of Economics and National Defence University of Finland (NDU) and celebrated its 10th anniversary on 25 April 2018. The Institute is by now the largest research centre in humanitarian logistics worldwide.

More information:

Gyöngyi Kovacs
Erkko Professor in Humanitarian Logistics
gyongyi.kovacs@hanken.fi