A Race Against Time

In the early hours of 6 February 2023, a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Türkiye and parts of Syria, followed by a second major earthquake the same day. In Türkiye, the earthquakes affected 11 provinces, destroying more than 313,000 buildings reducing entire neighbourhoods to rubble, and claiming over 53,500 lives. The scale of destruction was immense, and humanitarian responders were in a race against time to pull survivors from the rubble, and provide shelter, food, water and essential services to people exposed to harsh winter conditions.

The UK government responded immediately to the Turkish government’s requests for humanitarian support. The Humanitarian and Stabilisation Operations Team (HSOT) is an integral part of the UK’s humanitarian response capability, and the team supported its response to the humanitarian emergency right from the outset — providing 360° support to the British government to deliver a humanitarian response at pace. Within 30 minutes of the first quake, HSOT alerted the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the next day its experienced multi-expert humanitarian team arrived on the ground in Gaziantep to get life-saving aid to people affected by the disaster.

Supporting the UK government and on Standby to Respond

“When a humanitarian emergency happens, we are built to move quickly,” says Pankhurst-Lapiña, Director of HSOT. “We have an expert team in the UK who can deploy within hours. That allows the UK government to better assess the situation, ground-truth humanitarian response options, and ensure aid gets where it’s needed.”

HSOT has become an integral part of the UK’s ability to respond to disasters and conflicts worldwide. Since 2017, HSOT has responded to 89 major humanitarian disasters on behalf of the UK government. Heading up HSOT, Rebecca Pankhurst-Lapiña has led the team of experts responding to countless emergencies, from the earthquake in Türkiye to the crises in Ukraine and Gaza. She sat down with us to discuss how HSOT works, the challenges of delivering aid in some of the world’s most difficult environments, and how the team supports colleagues in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Department (FCDD), and works across government departments such as Ministry of Defense, Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and UK embassies around the world.

360° Humanitarian Response Capability

When a humanitarian emergency unfolds, the response must be immediate, coordinated, and based on needs. Pankhurst-Lapiña explains, “We provide an integrated 360° humanitarian response capability. “We provide the logistics capability, the humanitarian operational and technical expertise, and the people who can deploy rapidly.”

“In Türkiye, having our team of highly skilled experts on the ground added tangible operational value. The team was able to establish an office in the affected region and get early insight into humanitarian needs and partner capabilities and liaise with other humanitarian actors to inform the UK’s response strategy. They worked closely with FCDO colleagues based in Whitehall and at the British Embassy in Ankara along with other departments such as the MoD.”

“Deploying to Türkiye meant HSOT staff were also at airports ready to take receipt of incoming aid, arrange in-country distribution with the Turkish government, making use of local production to provide core relief items, and work with internal NGO partners for humanitarian operations inside Syria.”

From the outside, it may seem that aid delivery is a straightforward process; supplies go on a truck or plane, arrive and are distributed to those in need. In reality, the procurement of relief items and the journey is anything but simple. HSOT handles intricate details that make large-scale aid operations possible including navigating complex import or security regulations.

“Humanitarian logistics is a discipline in itself,” says Pankhurst-Lapiña. “It’s not just about putting goods on a plane or a truck. It’s about ensuring the right things get to the right places at the right time, despite constantly changing conditions. In the aftermath of the Türkiye earthquakes, we leveraged our global supplier network to get aid moving within 24 hours. That speed is only possible because of the relationships and systems we’ve built over years.”

Another crucial component of HSOT’s expertise is humanitarian information and analysis. One division of HSOT is dedicated to providing information and analysis that helps the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) understand rapidly evolving situations. For the Gaza humanitarian response, for instance, HSOT’s Humanitarian Analysis Officers have been providing real-time updates and analysis products to UK government teams, informing senior leadership and helping humanitarian advisers to shape response strategies. “What they provide is absolutely fundamental to an evidence-based response, said one FCDO official about HSOT’s humanitarian analysts.”

The Challenges Ahead

The future of humanitarian emergencies will be shaped by increasing geopolitical instability, climate change, and evolving security threats. Pankhurst-Lapiña acknowledges that these challenges require constant adaptation.

“We are always looking at how we can improve, how we can be faster, more efficient, more prepared, says Pankhurst-Lapiña and adds that “HSOT’s model, which combines humanitarian expertise, agility, and working closely with FCDO colleagues to support UK priorities, will continue to evolve to meet the challenges of tomorrow.”