Humanitarian logistics: a framework for structuring and research

Growing challenges and crises in various areas around the world threaten a significant part of the population. Therefore, the importance and interest of the community in humanitarian logistics is growing, as an instrument for mitigating the negative consequences of these challenges on people, their property, etc. However, just as there is misunderstanding, misinterpretation, reduction or trivialization of the concept and meaning of logistics, there is not a sufficiently clear and comprehensive foundation, overview and systematization of that part of it that relates to the planning, organization and implementation of humanitarian processes and activities. The lack of analysis of the structure of flows and parameters of participants in humanitarian logistics is particularly pronounced. This paper tries to look at humanitarian logistics as a complex set of different and interconnected participants, processes and flows, through its structuring. In this way, the paper offers a framework for researching organizations that perform humanitarian logistics activities, which can be a valid basis and tool for analyzing their needs, identifying the problems they face and the directions for improvement.