(DRC) Concept of Operations 25 September 2014

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (DRC) Concept of Operations 25 September 2014

Background

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a high-risk country for Ebola with an outbreak identified on 26 August 2014. 68 cases have been confirmed, out of which 41 were fatal. All cases have been localized in Boende territory, Equateur province. The government-imposed quarantine area affects 30,000-40,000 people.

The cities affected are located in a remote area of Equateur Province, about 1,200 km northeast of Kinshasa and 300km east of Mbandaka, the regional capital. The logistical constraints and bottlenecks are a major challenge to ensure the outbreak can be contained and the affected population treated.

The National Coordination Commission for Ebola has asked WFP, the lead agency of the Logistics Cluster, to coordinate logistics services, preventing the duplication of efforts and maximize the use of resources and assets.

Logistics Gaps and Bottlenecks

Following consultations with the major health actors at the field level, the following constraints are considered the most critical, affecting the current efforts to respond to the outbreak:

 Lack of appropriate and safe storage and warehouse management in Boende.

 Lack of storage space, prepositioning sites, fuel storage and warehouse management in Lokolia.

 Insufficient commercial capacity for air transport to Boende by air or by river and insufficient capacity for transportation from Boende to Lokolia as the route can only be used by light vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles or via the river.

Objectives

In order to respond to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC the Logistics Cluster has deployed staff and required assets to Kinshasa and the affected area to provide the necessary logistics services in support of the national and international health and humanitarian actors as well as to mitigate the risk of a larger outbreak and humanitarian crisis. With the activities proposed in this Concept of Operations the Logistics Cluster aims to address key logistics bottlenecks hampering the delivery and consolidation of health supplies.

This Concept of Operations is a live document and the activities will be adapted and revised as the situation unfolds and further assessment results become available, including the possible provision of additional logistics common services as required by the humanitarian community.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (DRC) Concept of Operations 25 September 2014

Planned Activities

The following range of activities and services are not intended to replace the logistics capacities of individual agencies or organisations, but rather to fill identified gaps in the humanitarian supply chain and supplement the response of the humanitarian community through the provision of common services, based on need.

The following services will be made available to the humanitarian community for three months until 25 December 2014.

1. Coordination: The following coordination services will be provided to minimise duplication:  In Kinshasa a coordination cell is set up, allowing close collaboration with the health and humanitarian organisations as well as the government of the DRC that is coordinating the Ebola response;  At local level coordination takes places with staff deployed to Mbandaka and Boende;  Regular coordination meetings will be held in Kinshasa and in Mbandaka and Boende, as required.

2. Information Management and Geographic Information Services: The Logistics Cluster will provide information management services and geographic information services with the aim of supporting operational decision making to improve the efficiency of the logistics response. These services are the following:  Consolidation of information from the humanitarian community and local authorities on the overall logistics situation, identifying gaps and bottlenecks;  Provision of updated operational information, such as road conditions, and operational closure of ports, airports and seaports;  Situation Updates, briefings and Geographic Information System products;  Dissemination of Information Management products and operational data via a purpose-built mailing list and a dedicated webpage at both global and country level http://www.logcluster.org/ops/drc.

3. Logistics Services: The services made available by the Logistics Cluster are not intended to replace the logistics capacities of the agencies or organisations, but rather to supplement them through the provision of common services. Access permitting, the following services may be provided at no cost to the user, or on a partial/full cost- recovery basis, depending on the availability of funds.

Transport and storage services  In order to respond to the need for storage, the Logistics cluster will provide inter-agency storage at the airstrip in Boende, with 3 Mobile Storage Units (MSUs, each 10 x 24 meters),;

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (DRC) Concept of Operations 25 September 2014

 Further storage will be provided in Lokolia with 2 MSUs to allow partners to preposition humanitarian and medical items, as well as fuel; withdrawals of items are authorized by the members of the International Coordination Committee (CICTS, Comite international de coordination technique);  In collaboration with WFP, other storage space in various locations can be made available on Boende.  Based on the need, additional MSUs can be made provided and constructed in strategic locations.  One MSU will be provided to the United Nations camp to be built by MONUSCO in Lokolia. This camp will accommodate about 60 staff from WHO, UNICEF and the government, responding to the Ebola outbreak.

Air transport  Through WFP and under full-cost recovery the Logistics Cluster can facilitate transport of cargo or passengers via the United Nations Humanitarian Air Services, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) or through commercial suppliers. The flight schedule for the Ebola response has been published on the website: http://www.logcluster.org/document/temporary-ebola-response-flight- schedule.

Road and river transport  In a second phase the Logistics Cluster, via WFP, will facilitate transport by road and river from Mbandaka to Boende on an ad-hoc basis, based on cost recovery and WFP Services Provision.  Commercial river transport from Mbandaka to Boende and from Kinshasa to Mbandaka is available. Transport can be made available under WFP Service Provision. Cargo takes 3 to 7 days for delivery, depending on the water level.  Secondary road transport from Boende to Lokolia will be provided. Two DAF trucks from the WFP Goma fleet will be positioned in Boende.  Access to passenger spaces in two speed boats based in Mbandaka can be made available. The service is provided through UNDP and ACTED.  From Boende cargo will be delivered by canoes, motorcycles and bicycles as the low capacity of bridges and narrow pathways prevents using trucks.

As “Provider of Last Resort” (PoLR) WFP, through the Logistics Cluster, is responsible only to provide logistics services that fill identified gaps in logistics capacity, where access and funding permit and where these gaps limit the ability of the humanitarian community to meet the needs of the affected population.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (DRC) Concept of Operations 25 September 2014

Annex I CONOPS Map