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Rising Fuel Prices: Why Humanitarian Organisations Must Rethink Transport and Mobility Now 

  • 4 days ago
  • 2 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

‘The regional conflict in the Middle East is creating one of the largest supply disruptions in the history of the global oil market’, according to the International Energy Agency. This is already putting and will put additional pressure on the already stretched funds of the humanitarian aid across the globe.


That should urge humanitarian organisations to accelerate the adoption of transport and passengers’ mobility optimisation solutions and guarantee they remain simultaneously accountable both to the donors’ funds and the beneficiaries of humanitarian aid. For several years, Fleet Forum has been driving a strategic shift towards more sustainable transport and mobility practices, such as ride sharing and vehicle sharing. As part of this, it has developed practical tools and built a strong evidence base, all publicly available to support organisations in transition to such practices.


These solutions are no longer theoretical- they are proven, scalable, and ready to be adopted.


In the face of growing funding constraints, humanitarian organisations must act now. Systematising sharing practices is essential to ensure that limited resources are directed where they matter most: to affected populations’ assistance and are not absorbed by the support costs of inefficient and unsustainable practices.


“At Danish Refugee Council (DRC), we recognise that sustainable mobility is not a luxury, it is an operational necessity. Rising fuel costs are putting direct pressure on our ability to deliver for the people we serve across 34 countries. This is why we are committed to advancing vehicle and ride‑sharing practices as part of our broader decarbonisation efforts. Shared mobility reduces costs, strengthens fleet oversight, and frees up resources for what matters most: the people we are here to help.” 

Karsten Pilegaard Johansson, Head of Global Supply Chain, Danish Refugee Council 


Solutions like ride-sharing reduce the number of vehicles on the road while simultaneously strengthening vehicle management and security tracking in all contexts of intervention, including high-risk ones.


The ongoing ride sharing experience in Lebanon demonstrates that emergency response and sustainability are not competing priorities: the ride-sharing initiative launched in 2022, fully self-managed by participating organisations under the leadership of Première Urgence Internationale, remained operational throughout the 2024 war, and continues to operate under the increasingly difficult conditions since March 2026. 


This is a clear example of how optimised logistics practices not only improve efficiency but also strengthen humanitarian organisations’ operational resilience and security management, two critical factors in sustaining humanitarian action in complex emergencies.


Fleet Forum stands determined and ready to support any group of organisations looking to adopt these practices and accelerate this shift in the current context.




Resources:



*International Energy Agency Oil Market Report - March 2026: Oil Market Report - March 2026 – Analysis - IEA

 
 
 

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