Social Protection
Context
The State of the World’s Cash 2020 report found:
- Working with, through and alongside social protection systems is now considered key to strengthening the humanitarian-development nexus and humanitarians are increasingly active in this space
- Practitioners find that the three biggest challenges to effective linkages are: (i) lack of coordination between the actors involved, (ii) social protection systems are not designed to respond to crises, (iii) humanitarian practitioners lack expertise in social protection
- Critically, there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to linking CVA and social protection. Trade-offs between efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, and sustainability must be considered to ensure the best outcomes for people living in crisis and depends on context, existing systems, and timeframe. Linking will not always be appropriate and social protection systems may not meet all needs. In many contexts, in the short to medium term at least, humanitarian programming will be required to fill gaps.
Current Priorities
The CALP Network has invested intensely in this thematic area over the last few years. We will continue to work closely with the SPIAC-B Working group on linking humanitarian (cash) assistance and social protection (formerly the Grand Bargain Sub-Workstream on Social Protection) and with the SocialProtection.org platform and the Online Community Social Protection in Crisis Contexts to develop evidence, produce capacity building materials and provide technical support to coordination actors.
Community of Practice
SocialProtection.org hosts a dynamic and collaborative online community of practice (CoP) bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds interested in expanding social protection in crisis-prone areas. The CoP offers a space to exchange documents, insights, and news in order to progress and learn together. Its inclusive and member-led approach offers organisations and individual members a forum to increase learning and outreach, facilitating the exchange of experiences and expanding knowledge. A discussion group hosted by dgroups.org complements these activities by connecting users rapidly via email.
SPACE
There are a wealth of relevant resources from ‘Social Protection Approaches To Covid-19: Expert Advice’ (SPACE) published in the CALP library.
Featured content
Linking Social Protection and Humanitarian Cash and Voucher Assistance
Report
There is a growing momentum and body of work around the idea of developing stronger links between humanitarian cash and voucher assistance (CVA) and social protection (SP). This Briefing Paper for the CALP Network, based on a literature review, a survey, and interviews, is intended to inform the CALP Network’s overall approach in this area, and subsequently its capacity building and...
Linking Social Protection and Humanitarian Cash
Blog Post
The case for social protection to help people cope with shocks has always been clear and never more obvious than during the current Covid-19 crisis. These issues are currently playing out in real time as governments, donors and aid agencies scramble to find ways to get more help to more people to cope with the economic consequences of illness and lockdown. As the virus starts to take hold in...
Linking Social Protection and humanitarian cash and voucher assistance (CVA) – what do we really know and where to start? Findings from the CALP Network commissioned high level briefing paper at the time of COVID-19
Webinar
State of the World’s Cash 2020 Chapter 8 summary: Linking CVA and social protection
Report
Longstanding efforts to strengthen links between humanitarian CVA and social protection have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with significant progress since the last report. CVA should aim to complement robust social protection systems where they exist and contribute to their strengthening where they are weak or early-stage. This chapter asks: ‘What opportunities and challenges...
Supporting the Linkages Between Humanitarian Cash and Voucher Assistance and National Social Protection Systems
Report
This tipsheet aims to support country-level coordination efforts to strengthen the engagement between humanitarian coordination groups that implement cash and voucher assistance (CVA) and existing social
protection or disaster risk reduction coordination actors and groups. In particular, it seeks to offers inter-cluster and cash working group coordinators simple practical tips for engaging...
Case Studies
Linking CVA and Social Protection in the MENA Region – Crib sheet
Report
Building linkages between humanitarian cash and voucher assistance (CVA) and social protection (SP) has become an increasingly prominent topic over the past five years and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been at the centre of this evolution. The objective of this resource set (the crib sheet and 3, soon to be 6, regional case studies) is to ensure that the CALP Network...
Linking CVA and Social Protection in the MENA Region – Iraq Case Study
Report
Building linkages between humanitarian cash and voucher assistance (CVA) and social protection (SP) has become an increasingly prominent topic over the past five years and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been at the centre of this evolution. The objective of this resource set (the crib sheet and 3, soon to be 6, regional case studies) is to ensure that the CALP Network...
Linking CVA and Social Protection in the MENA Region – Lebanon Case Study
Report
Building linkages between humanitarian cash and voucher assistance (CVA) and social protection (SP) has become an increasingly prominent topic over the past five years and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been at the centre of this evolution. The objective of this resource set (the crib sheet and 3, soon to be 6, regional case studies) is to ensure that the CALP Network...
Linking CVA and Social Protection in the MENA Region – Yemen Case Study
Report
Building linkages between humanitarian cash and voucher assistance (CVA) and social protection (SP) has become an increasingly prominent topic over the past five years and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been at the centre of this evolution. The objective of this resource set (the crib sheet and 3, soon to be 6, regional case studies) is to ensure that the CALP Network...
Linking Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Social Protection – Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT): Country Summary
Report
This country summary is part of a larger resource set, providing practitioners with examples of different approaches to linking CVA
and social protection.
Linking Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Social Protection – Turkey: Country Summary
Report
This country summary is part of a larger resource set, providing practitioners with examples of different approaches to linking CVA
and social protection.
Linking Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Social Protection – Lebanon: Country Summary
Report
This country summary is part of a larger resource set, providing practitioners with examples of different approaches to linking CVA
and social protection.
Thematic lead
Latest
MENA Community of Practice on CVA Linkages to Social Protection
Event
This is the upcoming session of the Community of Practice for Linking CVA and Social Protection in MENA. In this session, we will have the opportunity to learn from the policy paper developed by CAMEALON and the Arab Reform Initiative: Lebanon's Social Protection System Suffers Amidst the Current War:...
Reflections from the Forum on Social Protection in Fragility and Conflict
News
Key takeaways from this October's Global Social Protection Forum in Rome, which explored how social protection can be a vital tool for addressing acute crises and protracted conflicts.
Social Protection System Building: Lessons from Nigeria and Somaliland
Members event
This webinar will highlight Save the Children and Action Against Hunger’s work in helping put in place essential building blocks for social protection systems in Nigeria and Somaliland. It will also explore key lessons learned, challenges faced, and the vital role of technical and advocacy efforts in...
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...
Direct Cash Transfers to Address Loss and Damage: Principles for effective response
Guidelines and Tools
Cash transfers are a highly impactful investment in addressing loss and damage: a tool that is effective, flexible, localised and scalable enough to respond to the widespread and individualized impacts of loss and damage – economic and non-economic – in ways which put affected individuals and...
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,...
We Looked Back: Now Let’s Move Forward Humanitarian CVA in the Americas 2018–2023
Report
Between 2018 and 2023, the landscape of humanitarian aid transformed in the Americas, particularly with the increased implementation of CVA in the region.
Discussion Paper: Strengthening Resilience through Integrating Humanitarian CVA and Social Protection Systems in the MENA Region
Guidelines and Tools
The Discussion Paper on Linking Humanitarian CVA with Social Protection in the MENA Region is the result of a collaborative effort of the dedicated Task Force created back in April 2024 among volunteer members of the CALP MENA Community of Practice (CoP) on Linking Humanitarian CVA with Social Protection....
Simulation Exercises: Shock Responsive Social Protection – Key insights from the first iteration
Report
This document is about a Shock Responsive Social Protection (SRSP) simulation exercise conducted in Anguilla in June 2024. It details key insights and lessons learned from this first iteration of the simulation, which was designed to improve disaster preparedness and response capabilities in the...
Alignment and Complementarity Between Humanitarian Cash Transfers and the Social Protection System in Ukraine
Report
There are significant similarities between humanitarian cash transfer programmes and the social protection system in Ukraine, but key obstacles impede leveraging the social protection system to deliver humanitarian cash transfers. This report examines the alignment and complementarity between humanitarian...
CVA, Climate and Environment CoP – Webinar #3: Social Protection, CVA and Climate Change
Webinar recording
Do you want to explore the relationships between climate change, CVA, social protection, and humanitarian response? Watch the webinar recordings on ‘Social Protection, CVA and Climate Change’ brought to you by the CVA, Climate and Environment Community of Practice (CoP).
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...
Webinar series: Linking CVA & Social Protection through feedback Mechanism, Nigeria Case Study
Webinar recording
This webinar was the second in a series of regional webinars designed to explore the linkages between humanitarian Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) and social protection in West and Central Africa. Following our initial regional webinar, “Exploring Linkages between Cash and Voucher Assistance and...
East and Southern Africa Cash Working Group Leads and Co-Leads Workshop 2024 Report
Report
This report provides a detailed summary of the strategic discussions at the East and Southern Africa Leads and Co-Leads Workshop 2024. It highlights efforts to enhance cash coordination, improve quality, and promote unified approaches in the region. The document analyzes collaborative planning aimed at...
Improving Food Security and Nutrition through Cash+ in Armenia: Combining cash transfers, productive assets and inputs distribution with agricultural and nutrition trainings for vulnerable rural households in Lori and Shirak region
Report
Armenia is an upper-middle-income country in the South Caucasus with a population of three million people. It is landlocked and a net importer of food. The country is vulnerable to natural hazards, including floods and drought, and external shocks, namely global food price fluctuations, which often have...
Evidence Review: Social protection in the Pacific and Timor-Leste
Report
This review provides an overview of the available evidence on social protection in the Pacific and Timor-Leste. It is the first study of its kind, highlighting the latest evidence, key voices, information gaps, and future research opportunities. The research provides decision makers and development...
Targeting in Protracted Crises: Nigeria case study
Report
This country case study focuses on Nigeria and the specific challenge of conflict, violence, and insecurity. Using four waves of General Household Survey data covering the period 2010 to 2019, we analyse trends in poverty, food insecurity, shocks, and coping strategies among different population groups,...
Improving Food Security and Nutrition with Cash Assistance, Cash for Work and Inputs Distribution in Myanmar – Strengthening household resilience to socioeconomic and climate shocks in Rakhine State
Report
Rakhine State in Myanmar has been experiencing armed conflict, localized violence, political instability and extremely high levels of forced displacement for years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the local population faced further and compounding disruptions to livelihoods, and local government...
Advocating for Cash and Voucher Assistance with Governments
Webinar recording
Discover how advocacy and collaboration with governments are vital for leveraging Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) in humanitarian responses.
Enhancing Resilience and Restoring Agricultural Productive Capacity and Food Security through Social Protection in Indonesia – Emergency assistance for post-earthquake and tsunami recovery through cash assistance in Central Sulawesi
Report
In 2018, a series of earthquakes struck Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi Province, which is a major agricultural production centre in the country. The earthquakes triggered a tsunami and caused landslides with considerable damage and loss of life. Damages to the agricultural sector accounted alone for 40...