CTP in the Ethiopia Drought Response: Using Learning to Shape Action

This workshop, convened by the CALP Network and the Ethiopia Cash Working Group, reflected on the use of cash transfers in the 2017 drought response. Key findings were:

1. Cash helped address immediate needs and contributed to meeting some of the drought response objectives.
2. There were significant challenges. There are many lessons to be learned and issues to be addressed to improve future cash responses.
3. Some important capacity gaps made the scaling-up cash based assistance a challenge. There is need to strengthen cash preparedness going forward.
4. The cash working group (CWG) has been active at the national level. Greater Government involvement may have helped address some of the problems that were encountered with the scaling-up of cash.
5. At a sub-national level, cash coordination was inconsistent and often weak. When not well coordinated, there were issues of gaps and, in some cases, duplication.
6. Different funding streams are driving different implementing models. This may be contributing to coordination difficulties.
7. The capacity of delivery mechanisms was not assessed at the start of the response. Weaknesses with systems made scale-up difficult.
8. Market assessments are undertaken but are not coordinated and information is not routinely shared. More joint assessments could be beneficial.
9. While there have been some localised issues of price rises, there is no evidence of wide-scale negative impacts on markets.
10. At Federal level, the ‘cash first’ principle is positive and conducive for cash transfer programming. However, understanding and application of policies is inconsistent at regional and local level.
11. Service charges for cash transfers are high. There is need to work together to negotiate better rates.
12. The transfer value for the food security response by humanitarian organisations and the PSNP transfer rates are not harmonized.

Priority actions were identified.