Cash and Voucher Assistance and Risk: Perception vs Reality Grand Bargain Cash Workstream Annual Virtual Meeting

Is cash assistance riskier than in-kind? All the evidence says no, but we still act as if it is.

During the Covid-19 pandemic CVA has been the modality of choice in humanitarian responses. However CVA practitioners often point to a higher compliance burden and audit requirements compared to in-kind aid. In the past year there has been some progress with initiatives by the CALP Network and others to bring together implementers, donors and policy makers for an open conversation about the impossible dilemmas in risk mitigation for CVA. Continuing this dialogue, this webinar addresses risk in CVA provision and modality-specific vs modality-agnostic risks. The panel brought a diverse range of perspectives on the issues at play, and knowledge of relevant research and operations in high-risk environments such as Somalia, DRC and Niger.

The speakers were:

• Nana Amoah, Senior Development Advisor – Independent Consultant, West Africa lens
• Nisar Majid (PHD), Research Director for Somalia Conflict Research Programme, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
• Oliver May, Author and Independent Consultant specializing in risk management of fraud, bribery, corruption, conflicts of interest, nepotism, theft, terrorist diversion and sanctions breaches

Moderators:

Anna Kondakhchyan, the CALP Network and Suzanne Van Ballekom, WFP