HNPW panel discussion: The Role of Local Actors in humanitarian Cash and Voucher Assistance

Although cash and voucher assistance (CVA) implementation has increased significantly in the past years, local and national humanitarian actors have been on the sideline of funding flows for CVA. They are often financed through two or even more intermediary organizations. At the same time, local actors are providing the overwhelming majority of humanitarian assistance today.

By working in partnership with local actors, CVA programs can be adapted to local realities, provide timely responses and amplify the voice of communities in highly vulnerable situations. This, however, requires recognizing the value of all actors and shifting the narrative from ‘capacity building’ to ‘capacity sharing’ between international and local actors.

Current structures of engaging in CVA largely favor international organizations, leaving local actors limited funding and humanitarian space. Addressing this power imbalance requires changing ways of working, developing equitable partnerships and adapting tools and systems to the context.

In this panel session organised by the Grand Bargain Sub-workstream on Cash and Local Partnerships, we will explore how to better engage local and national actors in CVA, and specifically discuss equitable partnerships and local organization funding.

Panelists:

– Smruti Patel, Global Mentoring Initiative

– Mimidoo Achakpa, Women’s Right to Education Programme

– Collaborative Cash Delivery Network (CCD)