In conversation: linking humanitarian cash and social protection in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: successes and challenges in ensuring inclusive responses

 It is recognised in the current response to COVID-19 that both social protection and humanitarian actors must work together in different ways across the ‘nexus’ depending on country context, and that one actor alone cannot and should not do it all.

In order to address the wide range of needs emanating from the pandemic, and particularly those of a socio-economic nature, the use of cash has been the response of choice for governments expanding their systems (for social assistance, public works, unemployment, pension schemes, etc.). The same is true for humanitarian actors (unconditional cash, cash for work, cash+, enhanced minimum expenditure baskets).

This webinar will provide the opportunity to hear from humanitarian and social protection actors as they share their experiences in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will allow for a conversation between those involved in responding to the crisis and the successes and challenges in ensuring inclusion, drawing from their experiences in the occupied Palestinian territories, Somalia, Syria and the Philippines. The discussion is likely to shed light on a number of issues including:

The ways in which humanitarian, development and government actors have coordinated or aligned their responses to ensure that the needs of marginalized and at-risk groups are prioritised

At what stages of design and implementation (policy; planning/design; implementation) has there been success in ensuring inclusive linked humanitarian cash and social protection responses to the pandemic?

What challenges have been faced in ensuring inclusive action in linked responses and how could this be addressed in future?

Moderator

Lois Austin, GB Sub-Group KML Consultant

Discussant

Andrew Patterson, CARE USA Knowledge Management and Learning Specialist

Panellists

Mr. Guhad Aden, Independent Consultant, Somalia

Ms. Najla Shawa, Oxfam, Food Security Manager – occupied Palestinian Territories

Ms. Aimee Santos, UNFPA, Gender-based Violence Programme Officer – Philippines

Ms. Hala Darwish, UNICEF, Social Policy Officer, Syria

This webinar is part of the Linking Social Protection with humanitarian cash webinar series, of the Grand Bargain Cash Sub Group on linking social protection and humanitarian cash transfers co-led by UNICEF, IFRC, and DFID.