Deutsche Post, DHL will conduct its "Get Airports Ready for Disaster" (GARD) training at the Dhaka and Chittagong airports in Bangladesh this month, preparing both airports and personnel for the post-disaster logistics situation. The aim of the training is to improve local logistics capacities so that bottlenecks at disaster-site airports can be avoided when huge volumes of incoming relief goods arrive ad hoc. After conducting trainings in Indonesia and Nepal, DHL now adds a third country to its GARD beneficiaries - Bangladesh. During the four-day program trainees - airport staff as well as local and government officials - learn to assess local requirements and create detailed contingency plans. "GARD is a useful initiative and Deutsche Post DHL applies a unique approach in Bangladesh. GARD is one of the programs through which DHL is helping the communities in Bangladesh and across the globe", said Mr. Nooruddin Chowdhury, Managing Director, DHL Global Forwarding Bangladesh. "For many across the globe, Bangladesh is synonymous with disasters. Yet the country has a strong tradition of resilience in the face of natural hazards, and is now recognised as a leader in disaster management," says Robert Juhkam, Country Director a.i, UNDP Bangladesh. "UNDP has been working hand-in-hand with Government of Bangladesh since the early 1990s on building disaster management capacity and a key player in coordinating emergency response and preparedness efforts. The importance of airports during the immediate aftermath of a disaster event cannot be understated." The GARD program was developed together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to train airport personnel, local security officials and representatives of national disaster agencies in airport logistics management. Launched in 2009, GARD grew out of first-hand experience that showed just how important it is for disaster-prone regions and airports to be disaster-ready, i.e. be able to respond quickly and effectively to the challenges of disaster relief logistics. The GARD concept is the natural next step for Deutsche Post DHL in its commitment to humanitarian relief, which began with its Disaster Response Team (DRT) program. As part of the Group's Corporate Responsibility program GoHelp, the DRTs have been deployed to over 20 airports since 2005. The DRTs, which work free of charge and in close cooperation with the UN, help keep the flow of incoming relief goods moving at disaster-site airports.(mar)