In recent years, Cash Transfer Programming (CTP) has emerged as one of the most significant innovations in international humanitarian assistance. By 2015, two billion dollars was spent on cash and vouchers and the global trend is increasing. The benefits of CTP have been shown to cut across multiple sectors to address women’s empowerment, food security, emissions reduction, education and healthcare. While CTP is widely recognised to be an essential tool to enhance humanitarian response, it is not a silver bullet or panacea.

Join us as we launch the Cash Learning Partnership’s new State of the World’s Cash report. The paper takes stock of the progress made by the humanitarian sector in using CTP, analyses the successes and obstacles and identifies the essential next steps required to accelerate progress in the coming years.

Building on ODI's work with the High Level Panel of Humanitarian Cash Transfers and subsequent ODI research which used case studies in Iraq, Ukraine, Nepal, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo, this event asks: What is the current state of cash-transfer programming in emergencies?  What further changes are necessary to increase the scale and improve the quality of cash transfer programming to maximise the benefits for affected people? What are the implications of these changes for the role and functions of donors, implementing agencies, coordinating bodies, host governments and the private sector?

Biographies

David Peppiatt is the Director of Humanitarian Cash Assistance at the British Red Cross, where he is leading a global initiative to scale up the use of cash assistance in RC Movement humanitarian operations. Prior to this, David was Executive Director of International at British RC since 2009. David led the International Directorate responsible for international disaster response and coordination with the International Red Cross & Red Crescent Movement, support to resilience programmes and organisational development of partner National Societies. David is a member of the CaLP Board.

Alex Jacobs is the Director of CaLP. Prior to that, he was with Plan International, one of the world’s largest NGO federations, where he led the redesign of their approach to programme management as Director of Programme Quality. Alex has worked in the humanitarian sector for 20 years, after qualifying as an accountant. He initially worked with Oxfam in Rwanda and the DRC. Subsequently, he founded Mango, an award-winning NGO, which he led for 10 years. During this time, he was closely involved with reforms to improve how agencies engage with local people. 

Fiona Samuels is a Senior Research Fellow at ODI. An anthropologist and social development and health specialist, Fiona has experience managing multi-country research projects with partners in Africa and Asia, on themes including gender-based violence, mental health and psychosocial wellbeing, health and HIV vulnerabilities, migration and coping also in fragile/emergency contexts. Fiona has extensive field experience in communities in Asia and Africa, and has worked for a wide range of donors including the World Bank, DFID and UNICEF. 

Dr Danielle Mutone-Smith is the head of the Policy, Partnerships & Communications Division in USAID's Office of Food for Peace, where she currently leads the Office's global engagement around emergency food assistance, UN reform, and humanitarian policy. Danielle previously worked in USAID's Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs as the Congressional Liaison for the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance where she led legislative efforts around Farm Bill renegotiations and Food Aid Reform. Prior to joining USAID, Danielle served as Director of Global Trade and Agriculture Policy at Women Thrive Worldwide, Senior Policy Analyst at Bread for the World and chaired the InterAction Agriculture and Food Security Working Group.

Matthew Wyatt leads the Department for International Development’s (DFID) Conflict Humanitarian Security and Justice Department. He has more than 30 years of experience working on development issues, at DFID, the European Commission and the UN. Recent jobs include Head of Middle East and North Africa Department, Head of DFID’s Climate and Environment Department UK, Assistant President for External Affairs at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), UK Ambassador to the UN agencies in Rome, and Head of DFID in East Africa (based in Nairobi).