Cash Learning Partnership

Cash Learning Partnership
Name	Cash Learning Partnership
Abbrev	CaLP
Formation	2009
Type	Non-profit network
Headquarters	London
Region served	Global

Cash Learning Partnership

The Cash Learning Partnership is a global network focused on promoting cash and voucher assistance in humanitarian response, operating as a consortium of humanitarian, development, and academic institutions. It provides guidance, capacity building, research, and advocacy to improve humanitarian aid delivery through conditional and unconditional cash transfers, influencing policy in contexts such as Syria, South Sudan, Yemen, Venezuela, and Afghanistan. The Partnership engages with donors, practitioners, and policy-makers including agencies like United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, European Commission, Department for International Development, and World Bank.

History

The Partnership emerged from discussions at forums involving Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam International, and Save the Children aiming to coordinate cash-based responses after major crises such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2011 East Africa drought. Early pilots and operational learning drew on fieldwork in Lebanon, Jordan, Philippines, Nepal, and Somalia and from technical collaborations with UNICEF, World Food Programme, International Committee of the Red Cross, and Mercy Corps. Formalization occurred through collective governance involving donors like Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, and research partners including London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Institute of Development Studies, and Columbia University.

Mission and Objectives

The Partnership’s mission emphasizes improving the quality, scale, and accountability of cash and voucher assistance through objectives that reflect commitments aligned with Grand Bargain agreements, humanitarian standards such as the Sphere Project, and commitments promoted by Good Humanitarian Donorship. Objectives include advancing policy uptake among multilateral institutions like United Nations Development Programme and International Monetary Fund, strengthening operational capacities of NGOs and agencies like CARE International and ActionAid, and generating evidence with academic partners including Harvard University and University of Oxford.

Programs and Activities

Programs encompass technical guidance, research, training, and operational support for cash and voucher programming in settings including Zaatari refugee camp, Rohingya crisis, and Lake Chad Basin. Activities include producing technical notes used by World Bank cash transfer programs, delivering face-to-face and online training alongside Red Cross Red Crescent Movement actors, and convening learning events with actors such as International Rescue Committee and Doctors Without Borders. The Partnership develops tools interoperable with systems used by Mastercard, Visa, M-Pesa, and WorldRemit to facilitate digital payments, while addressing risks like fraud, market distortion, and protection concerns in collaboration with Transparency International and InterAction.

Partnerships and Membership

Membership integrates a broad range of organizations: international NGOs like Plan International, Humanity & Inclusion, Christian Aid; UN agencies including United Nations Population Fund and UNHCR; donor agencies such as USAID and German Federal Foreign Office; private sector partners including Microsoft and Accenture; and research institutions such as University College London and Australian National University. The network fosters cross-sectoral dialogue among actors in crises such as the Syrian refugee crisis, the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, and the Ukraine conflict, and collaborates with initiatives like CashCap and NEAR Network.

Governance and Funding

Governance is structured through a steering committee drawing representatives from INGOs, UN agencies, and donors including Switzerland (country), Netherlands, and Canada. Secretariat functions are based in London with regional hubs cooperating with country-level coordination mechanisms like Cluster system meetings convened by OCHA. Funding sources include institutional grants from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, multilateral contributions from European Commission Humanitarian Aid, and membership fees from organizations including Catholic Relief Services and Danish Refugee Council.

Impact and Evaluation

The Partnership has influenced scale-up of cash-based responses reflected in increased cash modality shares in appeals by UNOCHA and adoption of cash policies by agencies such as WFP and UNICEF. Evaluations conducted with partners including ODI and Save the Children UK assess outcomes on beneficiary choice, market functionality, and cost-efficiency across contexts like Hurricane Matthew response and Chad operations. Independent reviews reference improvements in targeting, timeliness, and dignity for recipients while identifying challenges linked to coordination with banking systems, regulatory barriers posed by Financial Action Task Force, and data protection considerations highlighted in collaborations with International Committee of the Red Cross and Privacy International.

Category:Humanitarian aid organizations