The Panamanian Government continues to support the UN Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) Network and is generously helping humanitarian organisations preposition emergency equipment and relief items in Panama.
The UNHRD facility in Panama City plays a frontline role in Latin American and Caribbean emergency response efforts; from the 2010 Haiti earthquake to the Bolivian floods earlier this year. In February 2014, when torrential rains caused severe flooding and landslides across Bolivia, UNHRD dispatched 135 MT (worth USD$900,000) of equipment and relief items for AECID, Accion Contra El Hambre, UNICEF, Shelter Box, KOICA and WFP.
In July 2014, WFP’s Regional Bureau in Panama and UNHRD organised practical training sessions for regional civil protection agencies to better prepare for future emergencies, ranging from cargo management to setting-up storage tents.
Panamanian staff are also members of UNHRD’s Rapid Response Team; a group of technical experts from UNHRD’s global depots who are sent to emergencies at the beginning of a humanitarian response. Currently, one Panamanian staff member is in Liberia supporting airport operations for the Ebola response.
The 4,000m2 depot in Panama is made up of covered storage space, temperature-controlled space and an office, and currently stores emergency supplies for Accion Contra El Hambre, Agencia Espanola de Cooperacion Internacional Para El Desarrollo, Comisión Cascos Blancos, Intermon Oxfam, Irish Aid, Korea International Cooperation Agency, Mercy Corps, Shelterbox, Swiss Red Cross, UNICEF Supply Division, UNICEF TACRO, WFP, Panamerican Health Organization (PAHO), and World Vision International.