Shared Intelligence for Resilient Supply Systems

The report examines the fragility of global supply chains under 'polycrisis' conditions and proposes the Global Supply Resiliency Initiative (GSRI) as a solution to improve system-wide visibility. Through a pilot with UNICEF delivering therapeutic food in West Africa, the report demonstrates that shared intelligence can enable more dynamic decision-making. It identifies three primary barriers to scaling such initiatives: data challenges (legacy systems and silos), trust challenges (fear of losing competitive advantage and legal risks), and value challenges (the need for clear individual and collective benefits). To overcome these, the authors recommend a decentralized, federated data architecture and a governance model led by a neutral body to ensure transparency and accountability.

• Global supply chains are currently facing a 'polycrisis'—a state of interconnected crises including the Ukraine conflict, inflation, banking crises, and the aftermath of COVID-19—which increases vulnerability and can lead to devastating impacts on humanitarian supply chains.
• The Global Supply Resiliency Initiative (GSRI) pilot with UNICEF improved the delivery of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) in West Africa by providing real-time visibility into supply system congestion and risk-based alerts, enabling more dynamic planning between the Regional Office in West Africa and the Central Supply Division in Copenhagen.
• The GSRI pilot provided specific operational benefits in West Africa, such as triggering mitigation plans in Equatorial Guinea following a border closure due to the Marburg Virus, and adjusting routing in Togo due to terrorist activity.
• Three primary obstacles hinder the scaling of data-sharing platforms: the 'data challenge' involving antiquated legacy systems and lack of interoperability; the 'trust challenge' regarding the loss of proprietary knowledge and legal concerns over anti-trust regulations; and the 'value challenge' where participants require a clear balance between individual business profit and the broader public good.
• To facilitate trust and security, the report proposes a decentralized, federated data architecture where private data is stored and processed locally on a partner's own infrastructure rather than in a central repository, using APIs for secure communication.
• The report concludes that a neutral body-led governance model is the most viable approach for scaling system-wide visibility, as it eliminates competitive motivations and encourages industry-wide standardization.

APA

World Economic Forum (2023). Shared Intelligence for Resilient Supply Systems. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Shared_Intelligence_for_Resilient_Supply_Systems_2023.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Shared Intelligence for Resilient Supply Systems. 2023. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Shared_Intelligence_for_Resilient_Supply_Systems_2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Shared Intelligence for Resilient Supply Systems |date=July 2023 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Shared_Intelligence_for_Resilient_Supply_Systems_2023.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2023shared, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Shared Intelligence for Resilient Supply Systems}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2023}, month = jul, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Shared_Intelligence_for_Resilient_Supply_Systems_2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }