Advancing the role of logistics and supply chains in humanitarian response: the Universal Logistics Standards join the Sphere Humanitarian Standards Partnership 

In the context of increasing financial constraints and changing models across the humanitarian sector, the role of logistics and supply chains has become more critical than ever. As organisations face growing needs with limited resources, the ability to deliver assistance efficiently, effectively and at scale is essential. Supply chains are no longer seen as a purely operational function, but as a strategic enabler of humanitarian response, directly influencing both cost-efficiency and the quality of assistance delivered to affected populations. 

This shift is reflected in the emergence of global initiatives aimed at strengthening humanitarian supply chains and elevating their strategic role. Among them, the Humanitarian Leadership Group on Supply Chain (HLGSC), supported by DG ECHO, has brought together UN agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, NGOs, private sector actors, academia, and donors around a shared vision: transforming humanitarian logistics requires stronger collaboration, greater alignment, and the adoption of common approaches. At the core of this transformation lies the need for shared standards that can guide practice across organisations and contexts. In this context, IECAH, as part of the INSPIRE+ Consortium, has contributed to fostering dialogue and collaboration towards more efficient and coordinated supply chain models. 

The Universal Logistics Standards (ULS) were developed to respond to this need under the INSPIRE+ Consortium, with the support of IECAH. Initiated in 2019 and shaped through an extensive and inclusive consultation process involving experts and practitioners from across the sector, the ULS provide a globally applicable set of minimum standards for humanitarian logistics and supply chain management. Rather than offering prescriptive technical guidance, the ULS define what must be achieved to ensure quality, accountability, and effectiveness, while allowing organisations the flexibility to adapt implementation to their specific context, capacity, and mandate. 

Structured in alignment with established humanitarian standards, the ULS are organised around minimum standards supported by key actions, indicators, and guidance notes. This approach ensures both clarity and usability, enabling organisations to assess their performance, identify gaps, and strengthen their logistics systems in a systematic way. Importantly, the ULS are designed to be accessible to a wide range of actors, from small local organisations to large international agencies, contributing to a more inclusive and harmonised humanitarian system. 

Beyond their technical contribution, the ULS play a critical role in translating humanitarian principles into operational practice. Effective supply chains are essential to ensuring that assistance reaches people in a timely, appropriate, and equitable manner. By setting minimum expectations across key logistics functions—such as procurement, transport, warehousing, distribution, and asset and fleet management—the ULS help reduce delays, inefficiencies, and risks that can exacerbate human suffering. In doing so, they help ensure that assistance reaches people in ways that reduce suffering and uphold their dignity. 

Since their publication in 2021, the ULS have gained increasing recognition and use across the sector. They have notably served as a reference framework within the PARCEL network, facilitated by Oxfam in partnership with a diverse range of humanitarian organisations, which focuses on strengthening the capacities of local and national humanitarian actors. As part of the PARCEL 2.0 phase, validation workshops and consultations were conducted with a wide range of stakeholders. The results demonstrated strong acceptance and relevance, with a large majority of participants highlighting the usefulness of the standards and expressing interest in applying them within their organisations. This feedback confirms both the practical value of the ULS and their potential to support localisation efforts by providing accessible and adaptable guidance. 

The integration of the ULS into the Humanitarian Standards Partnership (HSP) represents a significant milestone in this journey. The organisation was created to expand the scope of the Sphere minimum standards for humanitarian response. The HSP brings together leading humanitarian standards initiatives to promote quality and accountability in humanitarian action. By aligning sector-specific standards with a shared foundation—including the Humanitarian Charter, the Protection Principles, and the Core Humanitarian Standard—the HSP strengthens coherence across the humanitarian system and supports organisations in delivering principled, effective responses. 

Within this framework, the inclusion of the ULS formally recognises humanitarian logistics and supply chains as a critical component of quality and accountability. It also positions the ULS as a reference for logistics within the broader ecosystem of humanitarian standards, reinforcing complementarity across sectors and ensuring that logistics is treated as an integral part of programme delivery and impact. 

Sphere itself plays a central role in this ecosystem. As one of the most widely recognised initiatives in the humanitarian sector, Sphere sets out the ethical and practical foundations of humanitarian action. Through the Sphere Handbook, it defines minimum standards across key sectors, grounded in the principles of humanity, dignity, and accountability. The incorporation of the ULS into the HSP builds on this approach, extending the Sphere approach to logistics and reinforcing the importance of strong, principled systems across all areas of response. 

Looking ahead, the integration of the ULS into the HSP opens new opportunities for collaboration, dissemination, and impact. Building on this momentum, IECAH will continue to play an active role in promoting the standards across the humanitarian community, supporting their adoption through training and capacity strengthening, and refining them based on operational feedback and evolving needs. In a rapidly changing humanitarian landscape, the ULS offer a common language and framework that can help organisations work more effectively together, while supporting capacity strengthening across organisations with different levels of resources and expertise. 

Ultimately, the incorporation of the Universal Logistics Standards into the Sphere Humanitarian Standards Partnership reflects a broader shift within the sector: recognising that logistics is not only about moving goods, but about enabling dignity, accountability, and better outcomes for people affected by crisis.