As 2021 approached, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to threaten health, education and economic systems worldwide. In its mission to safeguard the wellbeing of children, UNICEF intensified engagement with the international freight and logistics sector to address bottlenecks and close gaps in the global vaccine and humanitarian supply chain. As a result, some of the most prominent leaders in the industry rallied behind UNICEF’s goal to ensure equitable access to supplies for children and their families, despite the supply chain crisis.
In November 2020, in cooperation with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), UNICEF briefed 350 logistics organizations and airline partners on upgrading existing capacity and other actions needed to deliver 2 billion COVID-19 vaccines. UNICEF and IATA launched the Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative, uniting 16 major commercial and cargo airlines in prioritising the delivery of vaccines and other life-saving supplies.
The following month, UNICEF and the World Economic Forum signed a Charter with 20 air and sea carriers, ports authorities, forwarders and logistics providers to support and prioritise the inclusive and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and related supplies.
Signatories of the Charter, members of the Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative and other industry players collaborated with UNICEF across its supply and logistics operations and contributed to historic achievements in 2021:
- Nearly 2.8 billion doses of non-COVID vaccines, in addition to other critical life-saving supplies, were delivered globally.
- The humanitarian supply chain remained operational for children and families in Afghanistan, Yemen and other countries in emergencies.
- 144 low- and middle-income countries received 721.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and auxiliary supplies.
Figures as of 15 December 2021. Source: Supply Division
These results were made possible, in part, thanks to critical support from a number of industry players:
