The relief items of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) are at present stored in the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD), located at the military airport of Brindisi, Southern Italy.

This warehouse, managed by the World Food Programme (WFP), was inaugurated in March 2001, as of result of the United Nations Secretary General's reform proposals. It replaced the warehouse that OCHA operated between 1985 and 2000 in Pisa, Italy. The UNHRD serves as a logistics and storage facility that allows the UN to respond rapidly to crises. The operational costs of the Depot are covered by the Italian Government.

In addition to OCHA stocks, the UNHRD houses stocks of other United Nations humanitarian agencies (the WFP and the World Health Organization - WHO), the Italian Government and selected non-governmental organizations.

These stocks include emergency food aid, various types of relief goods, mobile cooking facilities, rapid response equipment, as well as medicines and medical kits.

The Memorandum of Understanding between OCHA and WFP covers the stockpiling of OCHA's goods, the handling upon reception and dispatch (including inspection and repackaging, as necessary) and the organization, by WFP (on OCHA's behalf) of most transport arrangements from Brindisi to the final destination.

OCHA remains responsible for the management of its stocks, the liaison with its donors (including fund-raising and reporting), the drawing up of items specifications, the replenishment of its stocks and giving orders for dispatch.

More information on the UNHRD and the OCHA stocks is available below:

OCHA stock in Brindisi (ppt presentation)
List and general specifications of OCHA items in stock
UNHRD website: www.unhrd.org
 

For more information, please contact UN OCHA ESB / Logistics Support Unit
Fax: + 41 22 917 00 23 - Email: lsu@un.org