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Self Report 2017

The self-report on WHS Commitments below is organized according to the 24 transformations of the Agenda for Humanity. It is based on commitments pledged at the time of report submission. Click on the 'Expand' symbol to expand each section and read the reporting inputs by transformation.

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3A
Reduce and address displacement

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility
  • UPS commits to continue helping displaced families and communities recover through its Humanitarian Relief and Resilience Program (HRRP). The UPS Foundation provides supply chain and logistics services, transportation, human capital expertise and financial contributions.
  • Financial
  • Leave No One Behind

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    The UPS Foundation leverages UPS's vast global networks and the ingenuity of our people to help communities remain resilient in the wake of humanitarian crises. UPS has been committed to building stronger, safer, more resilient communities around the globe long before this commitment. In 2016, we responded to 20 major world disasters, transported 468 humanitarian shipments across 53 countries, and provided loaned managers to UNHCR, WFP, Global Fund, and Gavi. In the past five years, UPS has provided over USD 5 million to support those impacted by the Global Refugee Crisis.

  • Achievements at a glance

    In 2016, UPS provided USD 1.25 million in support to UNHCR. Since 2012, we have provided flights and ocean shipments to support displaced families in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. A UPS Automotive Fleet Manager began his 6-month assignment with UNHCR and is using his experience and expertise in automotive and fleet management to enhance UNHCR’s regional truck fleet across eastern Africa. Also, a Solutions Development Manager on loan to WFP is mapping business unit processes to enhance service performance and streamline efficiency to improve response to global crises.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    We are receiving positive feedback from organizations that have UPS loaned managers. To date, fourteen countries have sent 46 Ministry of Health representatives to attend the Gavi training and are receiving mentoring from UPS. All organizations have extended their loaned managers or asked for additional loaned managers and continued projects.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    We will provide an additional USD 1 million in refugee support this year and continue to embed our logisticians in these relief organizations where they are making progress.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Reduce and address displacement', what would it be

    UPS recognizes and takes seriously its role as a leading global citizen. We are committed to driving change globally and to playing an integral role in sharing best practices and lessons learned during humanitarian relief operations to help all stakeholders be better prepare to respond before, during, and after disasters.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Private sector ☑ Refugees

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑4B - Anticipate, do not wait, for crises

4A
Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility
  • UPS commits to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible.
  • Capacity
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    We believe that no community is too remote to help. We know that natural disasters are occurring on an unprecedented scale, The UPS Humanitarian Relief and Resilience program leverages UPS's global network and the skills and expertise of our people to support humanitarian efforts in even the hardest to reach communities. For decades, we've provided assistance and financial grants to help communities prepare, respond and recover from disasters and humanitarian crisis. UPS committed USD 14.1 million toward community safety for 2017.

  • Achievements at a glance

    - Relief Link was expanded to UNHCR operations in Greece to support refugees/ migrants in Europe.
    - UPSers provided technical expertise, training, and mentoring in 14 countries across Africa.
    - 5,820 disaster volunteers provided with tools and equipment by Toolbank Disaster Services mobile trailer.
    - UPS provided 468 shipments across 53 countries toward in-kind shipping, USD 5.8 million provided for in-kind services.
    - UPS transported a shipment of vital technology equipment (including solar panels, batteries, and small wind turbines) to Greece to assist Disaster Tech Lab. Disaster Tech Lab is a key IT and Communications NGO that has been on the forefront of responding to the technology needs generated by this crisis. Their technology provided Internet access to two refugee camps in Greece with between 5,000 and 7,000 refugees.
    - UPS hosted the second session of the International Humanitarian City (IHC) Private Sector Frontiers CEO Roundtable. The event involved 26 participants, including leaders from the private sector and government, and discussed how best to engage the private sector to prepare for a pandemic response.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Working with our partners and using their tracking methods.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Innovation ☑ Private sector ☑ Refugees

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑4B - Anticipate, do not wait, for crises ☑ 4C - Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides

4B
Anticipate, do not wait, for crises

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • The UPS Foundation also commits to mobilizing public-private partnerships in disaster risk reduction and emergency preparedness to ensure communities are more resilient with the ability to recover more quickly and sustainably from shock. The Supply Chain Pandemic Preparedness Initiative, the Saglam Kobi disaster preparedness platform in Turkey, and Resilient America are examples of successful partnerships that bring local businesses and governments together to advance the preparedness initiatives. Due to the success of Saglam Kobi, UPS has committed to work with UNDP and the US Chamber Foundation to replicate this business preparedness initiative in a second location under the UN-OCHA Connecting Business Platform.


  • Partnership
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • The UPS Foundation commits to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people.
  • Operational
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    Since The UPS Foundation realigned our focus areas in 2007 to mirror our strengths, we have concentrated on preparedness as a pillar within our Humanitarian Relief and Resilience program. We know that communities need to be resilient to rebuild faster and return to normal.

  • Achievements at a glance

    The UPS Foundation provides funding, personnel, training and other resources to equip global communities. In Turkey, we collaborated with multiple partners to facilitate "Sağlam Kobi," a unique Business Disaster Resiliency Program. Sağlam Kobi engages businesses, emergency management agencies and nonprofits to plan for catastrophic risks and improve the businesses' readiness capabilities to withstand a disruption in operations during and after a crisis.

    A UPSer, who was trained by WFP, worked with the Logistics Cluster to complete a Logistics Capacity Assessment of Guatemala over six months. UPS is continuing to train employees with WFP.

    We work with Resilient America and The Supply Chain Pandemic Preparedness Initiative partnerships to hold simulations and discussions on improving resilience globally.

    UPS and WFP co-hosted a session on pandemic preparedness, which included reflections from the Ebola outbreak and served as an opportunity to discuss global supply chain strategy and emphasized the importance of strategic public-private partnerships.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Over 300,000 business in Turkey are using the online program. In 2016, 49 disaster readiness training took place in 17 different cities in Turkey, through the Sağlam Kobi program.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Every community is different. What works well in one community will not work in a similar community on the other side of the globe. Customizing is key.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    UPS will provide funding and technical support to help launch the Connecting Business Initiative (CBi). We will provide support for CBi in Mexico, leveraging best practices in Turkey. We will continue to train our top logisticians alongside WFP, so they can continue to help with Logistics Capacity assessments.

    UPS deployed a loaned manager to Haiti as part of a new preparedness initiative led by the Global Logistics Cluster. We will work with them to make a plan and replicate it in other at-risk countries.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Disaster Risk Reduction ☑ People-centred approach ☑ Private sector

  • Specific initiatives

    ☑The Connecting Business Initiative

4C
Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • The UPS Foundation also commits to support innovative approaches to humanitarian response, particularly at the local and national levels, by solving complex humanitarian challenges in controlled environments and then transferring the lessons learnt to the field. As an example, UPS has created a global partnership that will evolve the first drone delivery network this year in Rwanda in partnership with GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, and Zipline, a robotics company, to deliver life-saving blood and vaccines to remote, often inaccessible locations. The Rwanda drone network will explore using drones to transform the way life-saving medicines are delivered and serve as a model for advancing humanitarian response in other countries.


  • Operational
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • The UPS Foundation commits to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, building toward reduced risk and vulnerability in the longer term through the achievement of collective outcomes.
  • Operational
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • The UPS Foundation commits to supporting systemic global partnerships through the mobilization of its networks. UPS is partnering to advance multi-sectoral engagement on a global level through response and recovery projects.
  • Partnership
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • The UPS Foundation will preserve and retain emergency capacity to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles.
  • Capacity
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • UPS commits that its employees will provide 20 million hours of community service by the end of 2020.
  • Capacity
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • UPS continues to support global preparedness and emergency response efforts as a founding member of the UN World Food Programme's Logistics Emergency Team, which offers the skills and assets of the logistics industry, providing global emergency response capacity in the aftermath of natural disasters and other crises.
  • Capacity
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    We are a company of people and we know we have the population/manpower to make a real difference. UPS Leadership, starting with our CEO, is behind every commitment The UPS Foundation makes.

  • Achievements at a glance

    The drone program is saving lives in Rwanda every day.

    - As a founding member of the Connecting Business initiative, UPS supports public-private partnerships that strengthen disaster risk reduction networks worldwide.
    - UPS joined the Tent Alliance, a coalition of leading companies that have committed to supporting NGOs, the public sector, and taking action to make a difference in the refugee crisis. This pledge will catalyze cross-sector innovation and strengthen humanitarian response systems by harnessing the private sector’s ingenuity, resources, and enterprising spirit.
    - UPS attained 2.7 million volunteer hours in 2016. We are 68% to our goal, with 4 years left. (20 million by 2020, started in 2014).
    - UPS is working with the Global Humanitarian Lab in Dubai to help innovators develop new solutions for the world's toughest problems - both through funding and in-kind shipping.
    - Four UPSers provided logistics support to WFP in the aftermath of rapid onset crises during 2016. We responded to 20 world disasters.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    We make connecting businesses to the humanitarian community a priority. Although many of these are difficult to track with hard data, through conversations, we know that the connections are making a difference. We are tracking our volunteer hours with an online portal.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    We are doing more with the IHC. We are continuing to bring on more partners that add value to the programs we are involved in.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Disaster Risk Reduction ☑ Private sector ☑ Refugees

  • Specific initiatives

    ☑The Connecting Business Initiative

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑4B - Anticipate, do not wait, for crises

Attachments

  • WHS Commitments Attachments
    Transformation - 3A, 3B, 4B | Disaster Risk Reduction, Private sector | The Connecting Business Initiative