Gender and Inclusion
There is an increasing demand from stakeholders that, as CVA continues its rapid growth, it should take greater account of gender and inclusion issues because, ‘Gender-responsive CVA which recognizes existing disparities and addresses the needs of all crisis-affected people equally, has the potential to positively impact women and girls by improving their protection and promoting their empowerment, while also strengthening sector-specific impacts which can lead to more resilient and empowered households and communities in recovery from crises.’ (Guidelines for Grand Bargain Cash and Gender Workstream). The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the urgency for action as it has affected women and excluded groups more severely through increasing care-giving, reducing employment opportunities disproportionately, exposing women to greater financial hardship and increased gender based violence.
The CALP Network continues to build on the 2018, our #GenderCash Symposium in Nairobi and the commitment enshrined in the Agenda for Collective Action that resulted. The SOWC 2020 report found notable progress in work on gender and CVA, identified as a critical evidence gap in the last report: new guidelines have been produced on gender and CVA and gender and GBV and efforts have focused attention on synthesising and identifying more robust evidence. The initial focus on GBV is now shifting towards gender equality and to better programming that can move beyond gender sensitivity towards becoming gender responsive – and even gender transformative. However, while we see progress globally at the technical level, this has not yet translated into consistent changes in planning, implementation and monitoring.
Current priorities
We will continue to work closely with the Grand Bargain Cash sub-workstream leads, CARE and UN Women, to help deliver the sub-workstream workplan. The CALP Network will continue to encourage cash actors to widen their focus to be more inclusive, and champion a fuller understanding of how CVA can go beyond the notion of ‘do no harm’ towards appropriately addressing these socio-economic inequalities through the provision of other services and support.
Featured content
Collected Papers on Gender and Cash Transfer Programmes in Humanitarian Contexts
Report
Existing gender inequalities mean that disasters and conflicts impact women, men, girls and boys differently. Cash based assistance is one of the most significant developments in humanitarian...
Guide for Protection in Cash based Interventions
Guidelines and Tools
This guide identifies minimum necessary information and key resources needed to help humanitarian practitioners ensure that protection risks and benefits are considered and monitored throughout...
The CALP Network & CARE: Video on Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Gender
Blog Post
The CALP Network’s first training video in Spanish developed in collaboration with CARE provides an overview of the relationship between gender and cash and voucher assistance (CVA) structured...
Better Gender Outcomes in Food Assistance through Complementary and Multi-Modal Programing: Promising Practices Tip Sheet
Guidelines and Tools
This Tip Sheet is excerpted from the research report, “Better Gender Outcomes in Food Assistance through Complementary and Multi-Modal programming,” and gives promising practices by the cycles...
Cash & Voucher Assistance and Gender-Based Violence Compendium
Guidelines and Tools
The Compendium is intended as a companion to the 2015 Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines for Integrating Gender-Based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Action and its companion...
Cash and Voucher Assistance that Works for Women: 6 lessons from the field
Report
Building on CARE’s commitment to be ‘cash ready’ to achieve breakthroughs with and for women and girl, CARE commissioned a study –in Malawi, Haiti, Jordan, the Philippines and Niger–on...
Toolkit for Optimizing Cash-based Interventions for Protection from Gender-based Violence
Guidelines and Tools
Efforts to prevent and respond to GBV should be a priority for all actors in all humanitarian response operations from the very start. By mainstreaming GBV considerations in CBIs throughout the...
Thematic lead
Latest
Grand Bargain Gender and Cash Sub-Workstream – Closing document
Guidelines and Tools
The sub-workstream of gender and cash, composed of NGOs, UN agencies, donors and research institutions, met over the span of three years as peers to collaborate on encouraging and equipping the humanitarian sector to embrace and increase capacities in integrating gender equality and women’s empowerment,...
Pathways from CVA to long term financial inclusion: A framework for success
Blog Post
CVA programs can provide a springboard to financial inclusion. But spotting the right opportunity, and good programme design, are key. GSMA and Mercy Corps share a simple tool to understand which contexts offer the best pathways from CVA to financial inclusion.
Slides for the Global CWG meeting – Oct 2021
Presentation
The enclosed slides for the 28 October meeting feature presentations from WFP, the Uganda and CAR CWGs and GSMA , as well as key links to key resources discussed.
Digital identity, biometrics and inclusion in humanitarian responses to refugee crises
Report
Digital identity and biometrics have long been divisive topics in the humanitarian sector. On the one hand, they have the potential to be more inclusive and reach people in need at scale due to perceived efficiency gains. A legal identity for everyone as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)...
Gender-Sensitive Cash and Voucher Assistance: Guidance to ensure the approach in the field
Guidelines and Tools
This guidance builds on CARE’s ambition-via practice, research, evidence on CVA–and aims to support the application of gender sensitive CVA throughout the project cycle and at the response level. It is divided into two sections: – Part A: ‘What has been learned about gender sensitive CVA?,’...
Guidelines on Using Cash and Voucher Assistance for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Programming
Guidelines and Tools
CARE seeks to increase its use of CVA for one of its core areas of programming, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). This is in line with the recommendations of the Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health, which deems CVA a suitable option to ensure ongoing access to affordable and...
Cash and Voucher Assistance and Gender-Based Violence Compendium and Editable Risk Matrix Translations
Guidelines and Tools
This brief serves as a complementary document to the Cash & Voucher Assistance and Gender- Based Violence Compendium: Practical Guidance for Humanitarian Practitioners and is intended to be a reference guide delineating sections, features, and new tools. In addition, it provides the respective links to...
Gender Analysis of Livelihoods Programming and Individual, Household and Community Dynamics in Iraq
Report
Women throughout the world are constrained in their economic activities, and face major challenges trying to pursue better paid and more productive jobs, including in Iraq. Iraq is in a time of change after ISIS and in light of the pandemic. Though economic upheaval brings hardship, it also can open doors...
Disability Inclusive Cash Assistance: Learnings from Practice in Humanitarian Response”
Guidelines and Tools
This case study collection describes lessons learned from seven inclusive humanitarian cash transfer projects implemented from 2015 – 2020 in Niger, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, and Indonesia, and five ongoing projects from the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic responses. This good practice...
We Don’t Do a Lot for Them Specifically
Report
Cash based assistance is a large part of government and NGO responses to social protection needs during the COVID-19 crisis. But is this assistance reaching people with diverse SOGIESC (aka LGBTIQ+ people). There are clear needs, borne of systemic discrimination, including loss of informal sector work,...