RESOURCES
Cash in Conflict
Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) has several significant benefits that are well known, including increasing people’s dignity, power, autonomy and choice in how they manage their survival and recovery. CVA can also offer greater operational flexibility and achieve wider social and economic multiplier effects beyond its specific purpose.
Cash is used by people to pay for goods and services all around the world. This fact does not change in situations of armed conflict, when having cash in their hands can be mean the difference between life and death.
The ICRC – who have 16,800 staff in over 80 countries, helping people affected by armed conflict and violence – is enthusiastic about the benefits of CVA and realistic about when it is best to use it. Our experience and evidence shows that cash is an essential tool in humanitarian action in armed conflict, and our own operational analysis confirms many of the positive findings from other policy and academic studies.
© Revol Didier / ICRC
This section of the Cash Hub aims to share the experience of the ICRC and of those Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies working in countries affected by conflict and other situations of violence.
Read the latest report below to find out more about the ICRC’s experience of using CVA in armed conflict
Key Resources
22 January 2025
Transforming Lives: the impact of cash assistance on people’s wellbeing – A Case Study from Syria
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Case studyOrganization:
Syrian Arab Red CrescentIn response to the 2023 earthquake, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, supported by various humanitarian partners, implemented a multipurpose cash assistance programme to provide relief to affected families. Over 49,000…
22 January 2025
One Movement Approach for Cash Coordination – Syria Case Study from Syria 2023 Earthquake emergency response
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Case studyOrganization:
Syrian Arab Red CrescentThe Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) provided cash assistance to more than 205.000 people in response to the devastating earthquake that struck in February 2023. In addition, they assisted 122,525…
23 October 2024
Dignity in Action 2024: Key data and learning on cash assistance in the RCRC Movement
Type:
ReportDrawing on learning and experience from across the world in 2022-23, this landmark report explores the transformative impact of cash assistance in humanitarian crises across the International Red Cross and…
4 July 2024
Remote Management of Affected People Desk Review: Lessons Learned and Implementation Guidelines
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GuidanceThe document focuses on situating technological and data solutions where remote interactions are needed in a broader process, with a view to ensuring that they are used properly and scaled…
14 June 2024
Movement Cash and Vouchers Assistance Preparedness (CVAP) partnership model review in ICRC context – Yemen
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ReportOrganization:
British Red Cross, Cash Hub, ICRC, Yemen Red CrescentYemen Red Crescent Society (YRCS) has the ambition to enhance their capacity to design and independently implement cash-based assistance on a large scale since 2021. With the support of British…
30 January 2024
Voices from Yemen: Yahya’s story
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Case studyOrganization:
British Red Cross, ICRC, Yemen Red CrescentIn Yemen, the situation has worsened because of rising food and basic commodity prices and loss of money and livelihoods – resulting from the conflict that erupted in the country.…
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