It’s time the UN considered letting others do the delivering

The United Nations is once again considering the possibility of involving the private sector more heavily in humanitarian delivery. This proposal comes at a time when international humanitarian organizations are expanding to meet new crises, which often leads to the creation of permanent structures and layers of support that may become unnecessary as needs and resources change.

The current UN reform process aims to reduce positions, consolidate functions, and relocate activities to lower-cost locations, but the question remains whether these measures will be sufficient. In the past, when resources have declined, organizations have abolished positions, consolidated structures, and reduced expenditures. However, when funding improves, organizations tend to expand again as new priorities and demands emerge.

A more fundamental question may be whether international organizations need to perform all functions themselves, or if the private sector could take on a greater role in delivering humanitarian assistance. Businesses already provide a range of goods and services to humanitarian organizations, but these inputs are typically assembled into delivery systems by the organizations themselves.

What if, in certain situations, private operators were contracted to handle more of the chain, from procurement to logistics to final distribution, while humanitarian organizations defined the required outcomes, established standards, and independently verified performance? This idea is not meant to suggest that private companies are inherently more efficient or that this model would work in every situation.

Instead, it is a proposition worth exploring – whether competition, commercial incentives, and businesses' adaptability can deliver certain humanitarian outcomes more efficiently and at a lower cost than maintaining permanent institutional capacity to deliver them directly. The author reflects on a particularly challenging humanitarian operation involving a large population of people who had become extremely difficult to reach due to being stranded in a harsh and isolated desert environment.

The cost of direct distribution was significantly higher than the cost of the items and their transport, primarily due to the extensive administrative and security protocols required by the UN. In contrast, when a private operator assumed responsibility for the operation, from procurement and transport to distribution, it was carried out at a significantly lower cost.

Moreover, commercial activity began to emerge in the affected area, with reports of goods being traded and money-transfer businesses operating. This suggests that commercial networks can be remarkably resilient and adaptable, finding ways to connect supply with demand even in difficult operating environments. The author questions whether the objective of humanitarian access should be to secure access for the humanitarian organization itself, or to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches the people who need it.

This question is particularly relevant given recent reports from Gaza, where commercial activity has continued despite extraordinary destruction, insecurity, restrictions, and humanitarian need. In a single week, 884 commercial lorryloads entered Gaza, with 290 carrying non-essential goods. This demonstrates that commercial networks can continue to identify demand and move goods in challenging environments, indicating that markets and private operators can play a significant role in humanitarian response.