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Arup International Development is assisting the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the Government of Panama in the creation of a 12 hectares site for a Regional Humanitarian Logistics Hub.
Panama offers a privileged position with a low exposure to natural disasters while at the same time being in close proximity to other countries that are regularly exposed to hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and flooding. The objective is to improve the capacity of governments and international agencies to respond to natural disasters and other events that may require humanitarian assistance in the region.
The Hub will house emergency relief items and benefit the operations of four major humanitarian aid agencies in Latin America and the Caribbean, namely the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD), World Food Programme (WFP), International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
Our work has included strategic planning – facilitating cooperation between the Panamanian Government and the UN agencies – and an assessment of the feasibility of the Hub on the site identified by the Government of Panama.
We reviewed existing baseline information in order to establish the constraints and opportunities within the site and surrounding context and investigated the tendency for organisations to relocate and group their facilities in one location. This informed our subsequent work in creating a design brief for the site and concept design proposals.
We will continue to advise UNOPS and the Government of Panama during the design process, ensuring the sustainability and deliverability of the Hub.
