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

10 September 2018

Cash Transfer Programming in Armed Conflict: The ICRC’s Experience

ICRC’s experience and evidence show that cash is an essential tool in humanitarian action in armed conflict and a valuable option in responding to a wide range of the needs…

23 March 2022

Ukraine Refugee Response: Lessons Learnt from the Greece Refugee Response

Type:

Learning

Blog reflecting on the lessons learnt from the Greece Refugee Response.

  • Cash in conflict
  • Emergencies
  • Ukraine and impacted countries

23 March 2022

How can humanitarian responses support social protection in Ukraine?

Type:

Research

Organization:

Institute of Development Studies

A briefing on existing social protection systems in Ukraine, and how these systems are affected by and responding to the current crisis.

  • Cash in conflict
  • Emergencies
  • Ukraine and impacted countries

23 March 2022

Ukraine – Can social protection be sustained and support a humanitarian response?

Type:

Report

Organization:

CIDT

CIDT brief outlining the challenges facing Ukraine’s social protection system.

  • Cash in conflict
  • Emergencies
  • Ukraine and impacted countries

22 March 2022

IFRC GO – Ukraine and impacted countries crisis

Type:

Tool

Organization:

IFRC

IFRC GO – Ukraine and impacted countries crisis

  • Cash in conflict
  • data

22 March 2022

ALNAP Ukraine Response Portal

Type:

Tool

Organization:

ALNAP

ALNAP Ukraine Response Portal

  • Cash in conflict
  • Emergencies

22 March 2022

Ukraine Cash Working Group

Type:

Report

Organization:

Ukraine Cash Working Group

Ukraine Cash Working Group overview and minutes.

  • Cash in conflict

In partnership with:

British Red Cross