Winds of change: Lessons and Recommendations on the Use of Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) for the Caribbean Atlantic Hurricane Season

Webinar: 19 May 2020, 9 am Panama City, Panama/10 am Bridgetown, Barbados

Webinar key messages, resources and Q&A follow-up

This webinar presents the lessons, best practice and recommendations based on a review commissioned by the CALP Network on the use of cash and voucher assistance (CVA) in the region. The use of CVA to respond in the Caribbean region is notably undocumented outside of the Haiti context. In 2017 the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) commissioned a “Rapid Review of the Hurricane Response in the Hurricanes Irma and Maria Events,” where reference to “cash-based assistance” was made throughout the report, highlighting the need to review such cash-based humanitarian assistance programmes across the affected states. In addition, the action points in the report call for stakeholders to: “Re- examine cash, voucher and livelihood revitalization initiatives for sustainability, impact on cultures and economies.

This report begins the process of documenting and reviewing available evidence in order to highlight lessons learned and good practice and offer recommendations to feed into preparedness plans. Speakers will discuss the recommendations and participate in a conversation based on the questions and answer session on the practical implications of implementing CVA in the region, particularly as it relates to preparedness, working with financial service providers, social protection and coordination, as well as in the COVID-19 context.

Speakers:

• Opening remarks: Elizabeth Riley, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, Acting Executive Director
• Alan Grundy,  Catholic Relief Services, Technical Advisor for Latin America and the Caribbean
• Justin Colvard, Mercy Corps Haiti, Country Director/Haiti CWG Co-Lead
• Sarah Bailey, World Food Programme Barbados Office for Caribbean Emergency Preparedness and Response, Head of Programme

Moderators:

• Lynn Yoshikawa, the CALP Network Americas Regional Representative
• Zehra Rizvi, Independent Consultant