UNFPA
23 November 2020
Contributions
Leveraging Cash Assistance in GBV Case Management as a Tool in Moldova’s Ukrainian Refugee Response
Case Study
In 2023, as part of the Ukrainian refugee response in Moldova, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) conducted a pilot to integrate cash assistance into gender-based violence (GBV) case management. Targeting GBV survivors and those at risk, including Ukrainian refugees and vulnerable Moldovans, the program aimed to mitigate GBV risks and enhance GBV response by addressing economic...
7 March 2024
Cash and Voucher Assistance: Breaking down barriers to SRH care in humanitarian settings
Case Study
Global commitments to universal health coverage mean that all people should have access to a full range of quality health services without financial hardship. Despite these commitments, populations affected by emergencies often face heightened barriers to accessing health services due to disruptions to services and loss of livelihoods. For women and girls with sexual and reproductive health...
7 February 2024
Cash Assistance for GBV Survivors Receiving Case Management in Indonesia
Case Study
In partnership with Johns Hopkins University, UNFPA conducted an evaluation study on cash assistance for GBV Survivors receiving Case Management in Indonesia. The evaluation study was conducted to understand the impact of the cash assistance on safety, health, and uptake of services of GBV survivors in the three disaster-prone provinces of Indonesia (Central Sulawesi, West Java, and Aceh),...
December 2023
UNFPA Indicators for GBV Risk Mitigation in Cash Assistance with Supporting Guidance
Guidelines and Tools
This guide offers proxy indicators for assessing GBV risks to women in cash interventions. Cash actors can adapt these proxy indicators, which were developed based on operational research that focused on multipurpose cash assistance programmes, according to their context and the structure of their cash interventions. Each indicator is presented below with example questions and user-friendly...
5 October 2023
Exploring GBV Risk Mitigation in Iraq and Colombia
Case Study
In 2022, UNFPA and the Global Women’s Institute (GWI) at George Washington University undertook operational research in Iraq and Colombia with the goal of developing proxy indicators for mitigating GBV risk to women who receive cash assistance. Proxy indicators for detecting GBV risks to women in cash assistance offer a safe way for non-GBV specialist cash and/or M&E actors to monitor risk...
5 October 2023
Pre-crisis Assessment of Monsoon Flooding in Bangladesh
Report
Shifting the focus from response to anticipation of monsoon floods, the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator (RCO) and Humanitarian Coordination Task Team (HCTT) with support from NORCAP/CashCap implemented a pre-crisis survey to understand at-risk people’s perceptions and preparations for monsoon flooding and help define a unified intersectoral cash+ approach for Anticipatory action and...
28 September 2023
Using Cash and Voucher Assistance to improve Menstrual Health and Hygiene in Bangladesh
Case Study
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and its partners are implementing a Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) project for women and girls in two urban slums of Dhaka using Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA). The project has a dual objective of responding to period poverty in Bangladesh – the struggle many socio-economically vulnerable women and girls face when trying to afford menstrual...
16 June 2023
An Integrated Approach to Menstrual Hygiene Management: Awareness sessions and cash assistance for women and girls affected by crisis in Lebanon
Case Study
In 2022, UNFPA Lebanon worked with local partners to launch an integrated cash and awareness for menstrual hygiene management (MHM) initiative as a way to tackle the growing issue of period poverty amidst the country’s economic crisis. Through the pilot, over 2,600 vulnerable women and girls of reproductive age received cash assistance intended to cover the purchase of monthly menstrual...
28 May 2023
Cash to Increase Facility-Based Deliveries in the Philippines
Case Study
In 2021-2022, the United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) in the Philippines introduced Cash for Maternal Health – Emergency Fund in the conflict-affected Maguindanao province. The Cash for Maternal Health project was designed to facilitate safe pregnancy and delivery. Cash was provided after delivery in a health facility to 850 women as a means of encouraging facility delivery, most often at...
1 May 2023
Gender-based violence (GBV) risk mitigation in cash and voucher assistance (CVA) in Colombia: Learning from a joint CVA & GBV workshop
Case Study
Building on existing global tools and best practices as well as the work already done by cash actors and the CWG of Colombia (including previous engagements between the GBV National Coordination Group and the CWG), a workshop took place in October 2022 in Bogotá. Capitalizing on participants’ expertise and the significant commitment of the various coordination bodies, discussions and group...
26 April 2023
Cash within GBV case management for women and adolescent girls in Colombia
Report
In 2021–2022, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Colombia piloted the integration of cash assistance as a tool within gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response programming in five departments in Colombia (La Guajira, Norte de Santander, Arauca, Chocó and Nariño). Unrestricted cash transfers valued at US$77 were provided for either one or three months to women enrolled...
March 2023
UNFPA’s approach to CVA in the Arab region and Türkiye
Policy paper
UNFPA experience in different humanitarian contexts has shown that cash and voucher assistance (CVA) is a powerful instrument that can save lives, alleviate risks, and help women and girls escape abusive environments. By giving women and girls greater access to vital services and empowering them with the freedom to choose, UNFPA has found that CVA can directly contribute to the realisation of...
March 2023
UNFPA Guidance: How to Design and Set Up Cash Assistance in GBV Case Management
Guidelines and Tools
Provisions on when and how to use cash assistance as a tool in GBV case management need to be carefully considered in order to mitigate any associated risks and avoid negative unintended consequences of cash assistance. As such, this UNFPA Guidance has the purpose of guiding and supporting GBV and cash practitioners in assessing, designing, implementing, and integrating cash assistance in GBV...
28 February 2023
How to mitigate gender-based violence (GBV) risks in cash and voucher assistance (CVA)
Video
Cash and voucher assistance (CVA) is an important tool to help individuals affected by crises get back on their feet. But just like any other form of assistance, it is vital to ensure that it does not fuel tensions in the household or in the community and that it does not create new risks for women and girls. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways that cash actors can work to mitigate risks...
1 February 2023
Cash actors have the power to mitigate GBV – here are six ways to do it
Blog Post
Cash actors play an important role in providing assistance that helps to save lives and increases resilience. But it’s also our responsibility to carefully consider any possible Gender-Based Violence (GBV) risks that cash and voucher assistance (CVA) could create for women* who receive it. While there has been great progress in recent years to improve women’s safety when accessing CVA,...
5 December 2022
Operational research on GBV risk mitigation in relation to CVA in humanitarian settings – UNFPA/GWI collaborative research
Case Study
The Global Women’s Institute at George Washington University and UNFPA have launched a collaboration to examine GBV risk mitigation in relation to CVA in humanitarian settings in order to: (a) further corroborate the presence of GBV risks to women and girls in current CVA programming; and b) develop indicators for the adequate detection, monitoring, and mitigation of GBV risks. Results of...
November 2022
Moldova: Rapid GBV Risk Assessment in CVA
Case Study
Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, more than 606,000 refugee individuals have entered Moldova. Among these refugees, 90,745 Ukrainian refugees currently remain in the country. In an attempt to respond to the basic needs of these individuals, 62,785 have received emergency cash and voucher assistance (CVA) since the early stages of the emergency response. In July...
10 October 2022
From Risk to Choice: Cash within GBV Case Management in Jordan
Case Study
In 2021, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Jordan piloted the integration of cash assistance within gender-based violence (GBV) programming. The pilot targeted GBV survivors and women at risk of GBV – including Jordanians, Syrian refugees and refugees of other nationalities – within the framework of GBV case management. Two modalities were used: one-off Emergency Cash...
27 September 2022
Webinar: Beyond Ticking the Box – Toolkit for GBV Risk Mitigation in Cash and Voucher Assistance
Webinar recording
Drawing from field learning and a close engagement with CVA and GBV actors in various contexts, the GBV AoR and UNFPA have developed a user-friendly GBV-CVA Coordination Toolkit to guide and support CVA and GBV practitioners in identifying and mitigating potential GBV risk in Cash programming. Using a bottom-up approach, each tool has been co-drafted with field colleagues and piloted in...
7 September 2022
Transitioning out of Humanitarian Cash Assistance in Iraq: Critical Actions to Ensure Gender-based Violence Risks are Mitigated and Prevented throughout the Transition
Case Study
In light of ongoing efforts to transition away from humanitarian Cash assistance in Iraq, a two-day workshop took place in Erbil on June 22 which gathered more than 32 gender-based violence (GBV) and cash and voucher assistance (CVA) actors with the goal of identifying priorities for the transition period related to GBV mainstreaming in humanitarian Cash and Social Protection assistance. This...
September 2022
Philippines Case Study: Cash Assistance to Access Sexual and Reproductive Health Services and Reduce Maternal Deaths
Case Study
As part of the humanitarian response to large displacements due to internal conflict in the Lanao del Sur province, in 2019 and 2020, UNFPA Philippines piloted the provision of cash assistance as an incentive for pregnant women to access SRH services. Against the backdrop of exacerbated poverty due to displacement, strong cultural birth practices, and the COVID-19 pandemic, UNFPA encouraged...
June 2022
Philippines Case Study: Cash for Protection for Survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Women at Risk of GBV
Case Study
As part of the humanitarian response to a series of earthquakes in the Philippines, UNFPA Philippines piloted the integration of cash assistance within GBV case management services and as support to women and girls at risk of GBV, including women and girls with mental health and psychosocial support needs. The immediate cash assistance was designed to meet urgent protection needs and support...
June 2022
A roadmap for collective action to enhance the integration of cash and voucher assistance within gender-based violence programming in Northwest Syria
Case Study
This case study highlights the practical importance of coordination between CVA and GBV actors at all levels and shows how working in silos is detrimental to assisting to the fullest extent possible women and girls affected by GBV. It documents the conditions that led to the creation of a joint taskforce (TF) in Northwest Syria (NWS) to tackle this gap and the challenges faced by the TF, as...
June 2022
GBV Considerations for Women and Girls- Cash in Ukraine and the Regional Refugee Response- UNFPA 2022
Guidelines and Tools
Cash assistance is a modality that will be used extensively inside conflict-affected Ukraine and in the regional refugee response, where feasible and appropriate (1). Given that the large majority of Ukrainian refugees are women and children, it is critical to ensure that cash programming does not put this particularly vulnerable population at further risk. This summary is a joint effort by...
21 April 2022
Expanding the Evidence Base on Cash, Protection, GBV and Health in Humanitarian Settings Findings from Northwest Syria: A Comparison of Individual Protection Assistance and Dignity Kits
Case Study
As part of 2021 programming in northwest Syria, UNFPA and its implementing partners provided dignity kits (hygiene and sanitary products) and individual protection assistance (IPA, a one-off unconditional cash transfer) to those in need. The two interventions were intended to provide immediate assistance while simultaneously serving as an entry point for additional services. This evaluation...
30 March 2022
Women and Girls Choose: Cash Assistance in GBV Case Management Saves Lives
Policy paper
As part of a coordinated response to gender-based violence (GBV), UNFPA and its partners provide a structured GBV case management process to survivors that can include referrals to medical, legal and other specialised services. This process provides a follow-up to challenges that a survivor may be facing, but these services may come with a cost that can be a barrier for survivors, such as...
1 March 2022
GBV Risk Mitigation in Cash and Voucher Assistance
Guidelines and Tools
This GBV-CVA Coordination Toolkit is a collection of handy tools to support humanitarian actors to mainstream gender-based violence (GBV) in cash and voucher assistance (CVA). Field oriented and pragmatic, these tools have been developed based on requests from CVA and GBV practitioners and have been recently piloted in various contexts. These tools can be used separately and in any order and...
2022
Lebanon Case Study: Integrating Cash Assistance into GBV Case Management
Report
As part of the humanitarian response in Lebanon, UNFPA Lebanon piloted the integration of cash assistance within GBV case management services. UNFPA implemented three different types of cash assistance: one-off emergency cash assistance, recurrent cash assistance, and cash for transport. These forms of cash assistance were integrated into comprehensive GBV services offered by UNFPA and its...
10 December 2021
Vouchers for Essential Items and GBV Prevention and Response: Palestine
Report
The COVID-19 pandemic increased the risk of gender-based violence (GBV) for women and girls in Palestine. Women reported to UNFPA that diminished economic opportunities and financial stress significantly contributed to this increased risk. In response, UNFPA provided vouchers to respond to the urgent needs of economically vulnerable families and women at risk of GBV in Gaza and East Jerusalem....
24 August 2021
Cash Assistance for Female Sex Workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: Indonesia
Report
The COVID-19 pandemic heavily impacted sex workers in Indonesia: their incomes decreased dramatically, they encountered greater difficulty accessing healthcare, and many of them could not access the government cash assistance that was set up to help Indonesians during the pandemic. This CVA pilot provided cash assistance for transportation directly to female sex workers (FSWs) living with HIV...
24 August 2021
Vouchers for Fresh Food and Uptake of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services for Pregnant Women: Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh
Report
UNFPA found that facility-based deliveries by women in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazaar were low (35%), which is linked to increased maternal mortality. In addition, undernourishment among pregnant women in this community increased their risk of poor pregnancy outcomes such as obstructed labor and premature and low birth weight newborns. From September 2018 to August 2019, UNFPA provided...
24 August 2021
Somalia CVA Case Study: Cash and Voucher Assistance and Gender-Based Violence Risk Mitigation
Report
In order to better understand the potential risks for women and girls that may be created by the provision of humanitarian cash assistance, Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) experts from Somalia worked closely together to evaluate existing CVA interventions in Somalia and draft a common work plan highlight key risks for women and girls and potential mitigation...
1 June 2021
Cash and Voucher Assistance and Gender-Based Violence Risk Mitigation: Somalia
Case Study
Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) experts from Somalia worked closely together between May 2020 and March 2021 to better understand the potential risks for women and girls that may be created by the provision of humanitarian cash assistance. Outcomes of this joint approach showcased the importance of concrete actions to ensure that CVA does not create more harm...
April 2021
Linking the Rapid Response Mechanism to the Provision of Cash Assistance and Women’s Protection: UNFPA Yemen Case Study
Report
The rapid response mechanism (RRM) in Yemen aims to provide a minimum package of critical life-saving assistance for newly displaced persons. This is led by UNFPA in partnership with WFP and UNICEF. The RRM serves as an entry point for the provision of multi-purpose cash assistance and to address incidence of gender-based violence (GBV) particularly among women and girls who are displaced.
15 February 2021
UNFPA Cash Assistance to Support Individual Protection Needs in Northwest Syria
Report
As part of humanitarian programming in northwest Syria, through cross-border operations managed from Turkey, UNFPA provided one-off, unconditional, Individual Protection Assistance (IPA) in the form of cash disbursements to 10,074 vulnerable Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to cover the costs of their most urgent and vital needs. The one-off cash assistance served as an effective entry...
1 February 2021
The Learning Brief: Cash assistance for mitigation of gender-based violence in Somalia
Report
In 2021, Somalia witnessed a catastrophic increase in the number of vulnerable women and girls exposed to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) risks. Natural disasters and armed conflicts resulted in multiple displacements, forced evictions, and the destruction of livelihoods, health facilities, GBV service sites and schools. To mitigate the unprecedented and complicated humanitarian emergency in...
2021
Gender Equality and Gender-Based Violence Risk Mitigation in Cash and Voucher Assistance: Vanuatu Case study
Report
The case study was created with the inputs of Oxfam Vanuatu and UNFPA Vanuatu. It demonstrates the meaningful connection of cash and voucher assistance and gender at a response level. Vanuatu is one of the world’s most remote locations and particularly vulnerable to cyclones and other natural hazards. More than 70% of the population is dependent on subsistence agriculture. The risks of...
16 December 2020
CVA: Your Role as a GBV Coordinator (UNFPA / GBV AoR)
Guidelines and Tools
UNFPA’s Humanitarian Office and the GBV Area of Responsibility have developed this guidance on “CVA – Your Role as a GBV Coordinator,” for GBV coordination group leads and partners in humanitarian settings. Its purpose is to outline the practical ways in which GBV Coordinators should support GBV- and gender-sensitive Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) across all sectors. The guidance...
14 September 2020
CVA and GBV webinar series for gender and cash subworkstream 2020
Webinar recording
Cash and voucher assistance (CVA) is now a common tool in humanitarian action used to meet the diverse needs of those displaced by crisis and conflict, and it is on the rise. Despite a push by several humanitarian actors since 2015, its use for protection outcomes – including to support the prevention of and response to gender-based violence (GBV) – trails behind that of all other sectors....
20 July 2020
CVA and COVID-19 Tip Sheet for GBV and SRH Programming
Guidelines and Tools
Women and girls affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in crisis and displacement contexts may face increased risk of gender-based violence (GBV) as well as increased financial barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care and services. CVA can address certain financial barriers to access SRH and GBV services or purchase necessary items even during movement restrictions if it is...
14 May 2020
Burundi Case Study: How can we reduce GBV risks in cash and voucher assistance?
Guidelines and Tools
Cash and voucher assistance (CVA) has become a valuable and increasingly utilized tool in humanitarian response in Burundi. CVA has been shown to contribute to the resilience of vulnerable populations, but in order to maximize its effectiveness, humanitarian actors should establish Gender Based Violence (GBV) risk prevention and mitigation measures.
25 November 2019
