3rd June: The Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock (MoAL) in collaboration and funding support from World Food Programme (WFP) coordinated a 5-day consultation and workshop from 29 May to 2 June, 2023 with an objective of developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the logistic desk for type III disasters in the country. The MoAL assumes the lead for the logistic desk, ensuring its efficient operation and coordination, guided by the National Disaster Coordination Committee.
The workshop, under the technical guidance of the Department of Local Governance & Disaster Management (DLGDM), brought together representatives from various government and non-governmental agencies. The DLGDM facilitated the discussions on diverse requirements that should be incorporated into the SOPs/manuals. These deliberations will not only enhance the development of SOPs for the logistic desk but also inform the creation of SOPs for other disaster desks of the NRDCC.
Bhutan is susceptible to natural disasters due to its geologically fragile location in the eastern Himalayas and the effects of climate change, with earthquakes posing the greatest threat to Bhutan’s current progress. Within the Himalayan region, earthquakes continue to pose a serious concern. The 2015 Nepal earthquake has prompted Governmentโs efforts in gearing towards disaster preparedness. Bhutan is a landlocked nation, so logistics and supply chain have historically proven difficult.
Following the National Logistics Preparedness Inception Workshop held in Thimphu on 3-4 August 2021 that led to the strengthening of the Logistics Desk through the creation of the National Logistics Preparedness Working Group, the second Logistics Preparedness workshop was subsequently held in Haa from 18-22 October 2021 under the leadership of MoAL in coordination with the DLGDM and supported by World Food Programme (WFP) Bhutan and the Global Logistics Cluster (GLC).
This is the fifth consultation workshop that the MoAL and WFP coordinated aimed at developing a comprehensive work plan and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the disaster logistics desk.
