DHL Group has announced it is expanding its GoHelp Program to Europe, meaning it now provides relief to all global disaster hotspots.
In partnership with the United Nations, DHL has been providing its disaster response program since 2005, deploying a disaster response team (DRT) to airports in need when called upon by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The Get Airports Ready for Disaster program collaborates with the United Nations Development Program to prepare airport personnel and local disaster management organizations to better manage incoming relief goods.
“Europe has been facing an increasing number of climate-related crises, like the floods in Germany and Belgium in 2021. On top of this we witnessed terrible earthquakes in Turkey and Morocco last year,” said Christoph Selig, vice president sustainability communications and programs at DHL Group.
“Recognizing this, we’re extending GoHelp’s reach and impact to Europe after a successful implementation over the past 15 years in Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa region. This expansion reflects our commitment to contributing our core logistics expertise to support those affected by disasters, ensuring a more efficient and coordinated disaster response.”
DRTs help to optimize logistics procedures and provide timely support at disaster-site airports free of charge within 72 hours. For Europe, the scope of DRT operations may be expanded to beyond airport deployments.
Disaster response training
On April 19-21, 50 employees underwent DRT training at Istanbul International Airport in Turkey. The DRT training consists of theoretical and practical sessions, with multiple exercises included, depending on the region and venue of the training. The focus lies on optimizing movement sequences and mastering techniques for assembling and disassembling pallets, particularly for airline pallets, locks and nets. The training also covers essential skills such as operating forklifts, as well as effective radio communication for seamless coordination.
DHL Group has also hosted a Global GoHelp Conference in Istanbul (April 22-23) to enable focused discussions and collaborative initiatives within the humanitarian sector, featuring representatives from the Group’s GoHelp program, internal DHL divisional and functional experts, partners and colleagues from the United Nations, and other organizations.
Social commitment recognition
DHL was recently recognised by consulting firm Wider Sense for its corporate citizenship engagement efforts, including its four Go Programs: GoHelp, GoTeach, GoTrade, and GoGreen. You can read more on that story here.