How DHL is helping close the humanitarian logistics gap

A shipment of emergency supplies has landed. Inside the boxes: tarpaulins, medical kits, water purification tablets, blankets. On paper, help has arrived. But the runway is crowded, warehouse space is limited, customs documents need to be cleared, trucks need fuel and drivers, and the road to the affected communities may no longer be passable.

This is the part of humanitarian response most people never see. Before aid can reach someone’s hands, it has to move through a complex chain of decisions, permissions, routes, storage points and handovers. When that chain works, help moves faster. When it doesn’t, critical supplies can sit just a few kilometers away from the people who need them most.

That is why logistics is central to humanitarian response. It determines not only what can be delivered, but how quickly, how safely and how much. One figure captures the scale of the challenge: up to 70% of humanitarian response costs are linked to logistics. And today, that system is under increasing pressure.

Consider the growing mismatch in the world of humanitarian assistance. Need is rising fast, while funding is moving in the opposite direction. In 2025, an estimated 305 million people worldwide required aid according to UN figures, but data shows only 43% of global appeals were fully funded in 2024. (unocha.org)

At the same time, the humanitarian relief system itself is changing. Response is increasingly moving out of the hands of international aid groups, towards locally led action managed by groups that often lack access to structured logistics training.

This widening gap between demand and delivery was our inspiration for action. After decades of commitment to disaster relief through our GoHelp program, with its Disaster Response Teams (DRT) that deliver aid in-country and the Get Airports Ready for Disaster (GARD) initiative, it seemed obvious that our company was ideally suited to bridge the knowledge gap and bring expertise there where it is needed most.

A concept was developed, and the DHL Academy for Humanitarian Logistics (DAHL), was piloted in late 2024 through 2025, in Ukraine, South Sudan and the Caribbean. During that time, more than 650 humanitarian logisticians took part in DAHL training modules.

Once honed, the program was officially rolled out at an event in Johannesburg in June, 2026.

DAHL emphasizes capacity building over giving direct aid. It aims to support more effective, locally driven operations, via pro-bono sessions that take place both online and in-person.

Operational experts from humanitarian organizations learn how to move goods, reduce delays, and manage supply chains under pressure. Core logistics disciplines like customs, dangerous goods handling, packaging and safety are covered.

DAHL trainers come from the ranks of our own employees – people with years of logistics expertise, and many with on-the-ground experience in disaster response and preparedness. Recent DRT actions have included earthquake relief efforts in Myanmar and logistics support after flooding in Pakistan, among many others. Our GARD teams have trainings in countries around the world, from Panama to the Pacific Islands and beyond.

"DAHL targets the full ecosystem, from local NGOs handling last-mile delivery to UN agencies coordinating global operations," says Mayyada Ansari, Global Head of GoHelp at DHL Group. “Our goal is to help those organizations strengthen operational readiness, reduce delays, and improve efficiency. We want to make sure as many humanitarian groups as possible have this knowledge before disaster strikes."