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
Evidence-Building for Cash and Markets for WASH in Emergencies: Practices in market-based programming in the water subsector
Report
Humanitarian water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practitioners are increasingly using market-based programming (MBP) to deliver safe water in emergency response, with interventions that are designed to work through, or support, local water markets. These market-based approaches have a number of...
Delivering Cash Better: Three opportunities for improved programming
Event
Compte-rendu du Cash Working Group du Niger du 04 décembre 2019
Report
CVA and Risks in West and Central Africa: Putting beneficiary protection and responsible data management at the heart of our work
Event
The Future of Financial Assistance: Why we wrote it, and where next
Blog Post
The world is changing rapidly. The way we deliver assistance is not. The CALP Network and IARAN’s new report on the Future of Financial Assistance makes clear that (i) significant change is urgently needed – new partners, new tools, new modes of collaboration, (ii) change must be drive by what’s...
The Future of Financial Assistance – Executive summary
Report
The growing use of cash to meet humanitarian needs is challenging traditional sector and mandate based models, and bringing with it opportunities to work with new partners and tools. With its links to other reforms in humanitarian assistance, such as the push for localisation, participatory approaches,...
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.
Consent and Ownership in the Shift to Digital Cash and Voucher Assistance
Blog Post
Part of committing to cash and voucher assistance (CVA) is committing to going digital and collecting data. While they are two different things, they are deeply intertwined. And while an organisation can ‘go digital’ without cash programmes, it’s nearly impossible to commit to cash programmes in the...
Harmonising Data Systems for Cash Transfer Programming: Three key steps for Somalia
Blog Post
Cash and voucher assistance (CVA) is gaining traction as a transformative tool for addressing humanitarian needs in Somalia, with people living in crisis reporting that transfers of this kind helped to build resilience and diversify livelihoods. Delivery, however, is plagued by data challenges around the...
Webinar: Data sharing in CVA: ethics, ownership and privacy
Event
Towards Organizational Readiness for Data Responsibility: A simple framework for responsible data champions
Blog Post
This blog is the third in a series on cash and voucher assistance (CVA) and risk. While the first blog busted some myths around misappropriation and fraud in CVA, the second blog looked into a specific risk for recipients of CVA: the risk of misuse of personal data. This third, guest blog from Linda...
It’s Planning Season Again – What CVA actors need to know about changes to the Humanitarian Programme Cycle
Blog Post
This time last year we wrote a planning season call to arms, urging Cash Working Groups (CWGs) and Clusters to work together for better inclusion of cash and voucher assistance (CVA) in the Humanitarian Response Plans (HRP). Well planning season has rolled around again, this time with some significant...
How Will Financial Assistance Look in 2030? Here are your thoughts so far
Blog Post
In 2030, humanitarian crises and the ways in which humanitarian needs are met will look very different from today. The role of financial assistance is growing: it is estimated that $4.8 billion was delivered in cash and voucher assistance (CVA) in 2018, as well as $686 billion in remittances, while 2.5...
Celebrating #WomenHumanitarians from our Membership for World Humanitarian Day 2019
Blog Post
World Humanitarian Day is held every year on 19 August to pay tribute to aid workers who risk their lives in humanitarian service, and to rally support for people affected by crises around the world.
Lessons in Driving Large Scale Change: the CALP Network’s reflections from the Humanitarian Innovation Exchange
Blog Post
The scaling of cash programming, enabled by mobile money, represents one of the most significant recent innovations in the humanitarian sector. In two guest blogs for Elrha (Enhanced Learning and Research for Humanitarian Assistance), our Director Karen Peachey explores the CALP Network’s role in...
Leveraging Cash and Voucher Assistance in Gender-based Violence Prevention and Response
Blog Post
Despite a reported 60% scale-up in cash and voucher delivery from 2016-18, its use for protection outcomes – including to support the prevention of and response to gender-based violence – trails behind that of all other sectors. In our latest guest blog, Tenzin Manell of Women’s Refugee Commission...
Webinar: Help shape the Future of Financial Assistance report
Event
This webinar presented the scenarios and key issues arising from the CALP Network and IARAN's analysis and invited participants' input, ahead of the publication of the Future of Financial Assistance report
A New Blueprint for the Future of Financial Assistance
Blog Post
Ahead of our workshop on the Future of Financial Assistance in Amman on 24 and 25 July, Paula Gil Baizan, independent expert and a member of the steering committee for the CALP Network’s Future of Financial Assistance work, encourages us to re-imagine the blueprint upon which we build the future of...
Compte-rendu du Cash Working Group du Niger du 31 juillet 2019
Report
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...