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
28 March 2022
Tracking Social Protection Responses in Ukraine and Neighbouring Countries
Type:
ReportOrganization:
World BankWorld Bank initial overview of social protection measures in Ukraine and for displaced Ukrainian populations in neighbouring countries.
23 March 2022
Ukraine Refugee Response: Lessons Learnt from the Greece Refugee Response
Type:
LearningBlog reflecting on the lessons learnt from the Greece Refugee Response.
23 March 2022
How can humanitarian responses support social protection in Ukraine?
Type:
ResearchOrganization:
Institute of Development StudiesA briefing on existing social protection systems in Ukraine, and how these systems are affected by and responding to the current crisis.
23 March 2022
Ukraine – Can social protection be sustained and support a humanitarian response?
Type:
ReportOrganization:
CIDTCIDT brief outlining the challenges facing Ukraine’s social protection system.
22 March 2022
Ukraine Cash Working Group
Type:
ReportOrganization:
Ukraine Cash Working GroupUkraine Cash Working Group overview and minutes.
22 March 2022
ALNAP report
Type:
ReportOrganization:
ALNAPLearn, plan and adapt: some key lessons for the response to the conflict in Ukraine.
4 February 2022
Using Cash and Voucher Assistance to Prevent and Respond to Sexual Violence: A Practical Guide
Type:
GuidanceOrganization:
ICRCThe guidance on using cash and voucher assistance (CVA) to prevent and respond to sexual violence provides information on how we can use CVA to respond to the needs of and prevent negative coping strategies for persons at risk and victims/survivors of sexual violence. It explains how to establish an emergency and longer-term response by means of CVA and how we ensure good internal coordination and cooperation addressing the needs of persons at risk and victims/survivors of sexual violence.
17 November 2021
Progress in mainstreaming the use of cash and vouchers in ICRC operations (2017–2021)
Type:
ReportOrganization:
ICRCThis report focuses on the use of cash and voucher assistance (CVA) in ICRC activities to protect and assist people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence, sharing information on the growth in the use of CVA and an overview of different CVA programmes and measures to minimise risks commonly associated with this modality.
1 July 2020
Tip sheet: Conducting Monitoring and Evaluation for COVID-19 Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA)
Type:
Tip sheetOrganization:
Cash Helpdesk, Cash Hub, Cash Hub, Cash HubThe purpose of this guidance is to enable National Societies to conduct appropriate monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of their CVA programming during COVID-19. The contents of this guidance can be…
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