Concept of Operations, April 2023 Logistics Sector – Türkiye/Syria Earthquake Response – Türkiye

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.

Background

A 7.8 Richter magnitude earthquake hit Türkiye and Syria on 6 February 2023. Aftershocks followed and a second major earthquake of 7.5 Richter magnitude hit the region on the same day, leading to severe damage to physical infrastructure. A Logistics Response Team was deployed as part of the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team, in order to enable logistics coordination and information sharing support to actors within the humanitarian community which were active in Türkiye and north-west Syria. The Logistics Cluster is currently activated for the Whole of Syria since 2013 and remains operational for national and cross-border logistics support from Türkiye into Syria. The Logistics Sector was set up in Türkiye after the publication of the Türkiye Flash Appeal on 16 February 2023.

The large-scale destruction caused by the earthquake led to a high demand for relief supplies both in Türkiye and in north-west Syria. The regular pipeline of humanitarian relief items typically used inside of Syria has been disrupted, while the unprecedented needs for Türkiye have put additional strain on routine sources of supplies. An increase in humanitarian partners importing and transporting relief materials is expected for several months after the earthquake. Whilst private sector logistics capacities have proved relatively resilient, the possibility of a shifting regulatory environment remains.

Logistics Gaps and Bottlenecks

The Logistics Sector has identified the following gaps and bottlenecks: o Gap in logistics coordination and information-sharing resources to enable operational efficiency. o Staffing needs for overseeing the cross-border points of Bab al-Hawa, Bab al-Salam and Al Ra’ee for humanitarian cargo in the frame of the earthquake response. o Given the expected influx of humanitarian cargo in Türkiye, there is an expected gap in temporary common storage facilities inside Türkiye.

Objectives

Based on the current and foreseen logistics gaps of capacity on the local market, the Logistics Sector aims to facilitate access for the humanitarian community to necessary and reliable logistics services and information related to logistics capacities, in order to enable a timely and uninterrupted supply of life-saving relief items to affected populations in Syria and Türkiye.