Coordination
Background
Effective coordination can prevent gaps and overlaps in humanitarian responses, ensure the impact of CVA is optimised for the benefit of crisis affected populations, whilst also making the most of limited humanitarian funding. But the CALP Network’s State of the World’s Cash report found that cash coordination is seen as weak and ad hoc, and that this is having serious operational impact.
Ninety-five donors, international and national NGOs, private sector actors and one UN agency have called for clarity on two key issues surrounding cash coordination:
- Who should be accountable for ensuring effective cash coordination, and
- What the scope of Cash Working Groups should be, including in relation to multipurpose cash.
We urgently need to build on what works and provide clarity at the global level on the questions above, whilst adapting to different contexts. Clear decisions based on the impact on affected populations rather than agency politics are long overdue.
Current priorities
We aim to contribute to progress on this issue on three levels: supporting Cash Working Groups at the regional level; contributing to practical solutions for cash coordination at the global level; and convening evidence-based discussion on the key issues, highlighting critical decision points and opportunities for progress.
Featured content
Cash Coordination – LIVE timeline
Page
The latest updates on cash coordination as they unfold.
95 Organisations Sign Letter Calling for Strengthened Cash Coordination
News
Today a letter signed by 95 organisations was handed into the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) urging the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) to take a decision on the leadership and scope of cash coordination in the coming year.
Is cash transforming the humanitarian system or is the system limiting how cash is used?
Blog Post
At the State of World’s Cash 2020 launch event, Sorcha O’Callaghan, Director of Humanitarian Policy Group at ODI warned that, “Cash offers a huge transformative potential, but as far as the system is privileging the interest of the agencies over people in crisis, we won’t be able to see it”. If you missed the State of the World's Cash 2020 launch we're sharing highlights. Quote 4...
State of the World’s Cash 2020 Chapter 5 summary: Coordination
Report
There has been very limited progress on cash coordination since 2017. Cash continues to challenge the established coordination and funding architecture, and efforts to resolve outstanding questions around cash coordination have failed. Despite the lack of global agreement, Cash Working Groups are pushing forward and contributing to improved programming, and generating new approaches. This...
Cash Coordination Tip Sheet
Guidelines and Tools
This tip sheet sets out established best practice, key guidance and resources for all aspects of cash coordination, intended as a clear, accessible and action-oriented guide for those engaged in coordination of cash and voucher assistance (CVA) at the field level.
Introducing the Cash Coordination Tip Sheet
Webinar
The CALP Network has developed a tipsheet setting out established best practice and key guidance and resources for all aspects of cash coordination, intended as a clear, accessible and action-oriented guide for those engaged in coordination of cash and voucher assistance at the field level.
Cash Coordination: A proposal from members in MENA
Blog Post
Earlier this year the CALP Network undertook regional consultations to explore options for cash coordination. This blog lays out recommendations from participants from the Middle East and North Africa who sketched out what cash coordination, and coordination more broadly, could look like in future to support a more effective, efficient and accountable response.
Thematic lead
Latest
Safety Net and Humanitarian Cash in the Emergency Response in Lebanon – What can we learn?
Report
Lebanon is facing a severe humanitarian crisis exacerbated by economic turndown, widespread poverty, and displacement resulting from the escalation of the hostilities into war between Hezbollah and Israel on September 23, 2024. 1 A ceasefire was reached in the early hours of November 27, 2024, for a...
CVA – The Fundamentals
Course
This one-day course targets any staff who are new to CVA, and is designed as an introduction to key concepts, definitions and myths relating to cash and voucher assistance in humanitarian settings. This course is ideal for people who wish to understand the basics of CVA, or who need to be able to...
Core CVA Skills for Programme Staff
Course
The Core CVA Skills for Programme Staff course is a 5-day training for programme staff responsible for designing, implementing and monitoring cash transfer programmes. This course is structured around the project cycle and covers all of the key skills required to design, implement and monitor cash...
Core CVA Skills for Managers
Course
This two-day course is designed for managers with the aim to equip participants to integrate CTP into strategic programme management and coordination. The course aims to inform participants about the latest trends and debates and look closely at how to be operationally ready to run quality CTP. The...
Cash and Voucher Assistance Briefings: Modules for Donor Agency Staff
Course
This course aims to support and strengthen CVA related considerations within donors’ ways of working. The course will aim to inform participants about the latest trends and debates and look closely at specific topics (e.g. risk management & compliance) that are of particular relevance for the audience.
My first 100 days as CALP’s new Director
Blog Post
In this blog, CALP Network Director Cate Turton shares her initial reflections on the challenges that lie ahead for the Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) agenda.
Common Donor Messages on the Cash Response to the Escalation of Hostilities in Lebanon
Report
he severe escalation of conflict in Lebanon since September 2024, resulted in a dreadful death toll, widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, and the mass displacement of people. Many sought refuge in collective shelters, primarily repurposed public schools while others fled across the border...
Social protection in emergencies: Strengthening the normative framework for cash transfer delivery
Report
This document reflects the process and results of the collaborative analysis carried out between humanitarian and government actors on the normative framework for the use of Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) to respond to emergencies and disasters through the social protection (SP) system in...
Cash in Armed Conflict: Why cash remains the optimal solution as conflict escalates – A feasibility assessment of cash assistance in Lebanon
Report
Since September 2024, the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah has caused the displacement of over 1 million people and large humanitarian suffering in Lebanon. The humanitarian response has prioritized distributing in-kind assistance to displaced populations in collective shelters,...
Unconditional Cash Transfers (UCT) in the DRC: A pilot study assessing the socio-economic effects in an artisanal mining zone of Maniema Province
Report
‘Housing’ is one of the indicators that is used to measure the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) of people: a household is considered deprived regarding housing if at least one of the three materials for roof, walls or floor are inadequate. The endline study confirms a significant increase in...
Cross-Country Collaboration in Cash Assistance: Worthwhile or wasted effort?
Blog Post
This blog explores the regional dynamics of the Sudan crisis and cash and voucher assistance in the different countries affected by the crisis. It examines the potential advantages of collaboration between Cash Working Groups across borders and how this might be achieved.
Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) Minimum Standards
Guidelines and Tools
Cash and voucher assistance (CVA) is a modality of aid response, rather than a sector in of itself. CVA can therefore be used for sectoral purposes (for example, cash for protection or cash for education), as well as for multi-sectoral purposes and/or basic needs (for example, multi-purpose cash). These...
Cash for Protection in Specialised/Stand alone Protection Programming
Report
This note aims to support protection and cash practitioners working in emergencies and humanitarian responses to better understand and consider the use of Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) as an assistance modality to contribute to a protection outcome within specialized protection programming. The note...
Cash Consortium of Sudan: Commercial Markets Analysis
Report
In May and June 2024, the Cash Consortium of Sudan (CCS) commissioned a study funded by the European Union to better understand the capacity of commercial markets in select famine risk “hot spot” locations to scale up the supply of staple foods to meet an increase in provision of multi-purpose cash...
Mapping of Cash and Voucher Assistances (CVAs) in Türkiye in 2023
Report
TÜRKİYE CASH-BASED INTERVENTIONS TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP | 2024
Cash-Based Interventions Technical Working Group (CBI TWG) published this document to
share a summary of the findings of Mapping of CVAs in Türkiye in 2023, along with the
background information and purpose (Annex A). Further findings...
Cash Assistance IS working in Gaza, despite the skepticism: Here’s why
Blog Post
Manal Shehade, who has over 10 years of experience in development and humanitarian across the occupied Palestinian territories and internationally, explains why cash has surprised the experts.
Assessing the Impact and Lessons from Cash Plus Interventions in Humanitarian Contexts in Mozambique
Report
In 2023, Save the Children became the first NGO in Mozambique to launch multiple Cash Plus pilot projects. Cash Plus initiatives combine household cash transfers with complementary interventions to address the various drivers of childhood deprivation and maximise outcomes for children. Save the Children...
Lost in translation: Unlocking the potential of private sector partnerships in cash assistance
Blog Post
Humanitarians and payment companies working together can design products and services that meet the needs of crisis-affected people. However, could a lack of understanding between humanitarian organisations and payment companies be hindering innovation?
CashCap /NORCAP Support to Red Cross/Red Crescent National Societies Pilot Review. Ukraine and Syria. Final report.
Report
Over the past two years NORCAP’s CashCap programme in collaboration with British Red Cross, invested efforts in an initiative to test whether NORCAP/CashCap’s expertise in coordination, facilitating multistakeholder collaboration processes, capacity-strengthening, policy influence and advocacy for...
Community Participation in the Design of Multi-purpose Cash Programs – Perspectives from the field
Report
The design of cash and voucher assistance (CVA) programs, especially when implemented at scale, is often driven by technical considerations. The conversations often focus on the survival minimum expenditure basket, financial service provider’s fees and targeting algorithm. Important decisions regarding...