After years of working on successful collaborative projects, HELP Logistics supported the German Jordanian University in establishing the Humanitarian Research Cluster. The cluster aims to enhance interdisciplinary research in the humanitarian sector by identifying regional research gaps and contributing to a growing body of literature on cross-cutting topics in the sector.

As part of its participatory research activities, the cluster brought together academic researchers in logistics and social work from seven local and international non-governmental organisations in Jordan to participate in a focus group discussion on the challenges and enablers of implementing ethical standards in humanitarian logistics at the strategic, tactical, and operational levels.

The focus group was hosted and facilitated by the HELP Logistics Middle East Office with participants from Care International, Tkiyet Um Ali, The Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD), Caritas Jordan, Noor Al Hussein Foundation, The Norwegian Refugee Council, and Action Against Hunger.

Commenting on the meeting, Dr Abdelrahim Alsoussi said: “Our research team is committed to participatory research approaches to ensure that our research questions, engagement, and results are relevant and translatable to applied solutions that improve the operations and performance of organisations in the humanitarian sector.”

The outputs of the focus group discussion will contribute to the cluster’s ongoing research on the challenges and needs that face organisations and other stakeholders in the humanitarian sector. The next steps will be using the information gathered to guide further operational research.

The cluster is one of the multiple collaborations between HELP Logistics and the German Jordanian University, backed up by HELP Logistics’ extensive network of partners and outreach in the region. It forms a unique offering in the humanitarian and development context, particularly in the Middle East.