The Airbus Corporate Foundation and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have signed a cooperation agreement for future humanitarian logistics collaboration. The agreement was signed at the IFRC headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, by BekeleGeleta, IFRC Secretary General and Tom Enders, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Airbus Corporate Foundation and Airbus president and CEO, in the presence of Birgitte Stadler-Olsen, IFRC Head of Logistics and Andrea Debbane, Executive Director of the Airbus Corporate Foundation.

The agreement strengthens the existing cooperation between both partners by building on the following pillars:

• Transportation: Airbus will facilitate transportation of Emergency Response Units, supplies and IFRC associated staff. This includes the provision of Airbus test aircraft, its pilots and crew, as well as logistics and ground handling staff.

• Training: Both partners will establish exchange and training of staff in the fields of logistics management, procurement and optimisation.

• Community Relations: The partnership will extend to national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to generate opportunities for local collaboration such as joint volunteer initiatives.

This partnership marks one of only eleven global private sector partnerships of the IFRC, which has been a partner of the Airbus Corporate Foundation since 2011. Both have collaborated in two flights to Somalia with an Airbus A340 test flight aircraft transporting over 100 tonnes of food destined to the Horn of Africa, a region afflicted by a severe drought and facing one of the worst humanitarian food insecurity crises in years.

“In times of emergency, every second counts. The quicker we respond, the more lives we can help save,” said Bekele Geleta, IFRC Secretary General. “With Airbus’ vital support, we will be able to better serve vulnerable communities in their greatest times of need. We are pleased to formalize this important partnership between the IFRC and Airbus.”

“With this agreement, the Foundation becomes a major contributor to ease the rapid flow of goods, equipment and competence to areas in need, with the establishment of Emergency Response Units within 48 hours of a disaster being critical. We are happy to work side by side with the IFRC on delivering on this ambitious target.”