Lebanon

Conflict Sensitive Cash Assistance in Lebanon aims to support partners to ensure that cash-based assistance does not inadvertently do harm and is conflict sensitive. The toolbox for conflict sensitive cash-based assistance is meant to provide a roadmap for taking conflict sensitive considerations while designing, implementing, and monitoring cash-based interventions in Lebanon. It includes specific questions, available resources, and practical tips that partners can consider throughout the process.

As part of the humanitarian response in Lebanon, UNFPA Lebanon piloted the integration of cash assistance within GBV case management services. UNFPA implemented three different types of cash assistance: one-off emergency cash assistance, recurrent cash assistance, and cash for transport. These forms of cash assistance were integrated into comprehensive GBV services offered by UNFPA and its partners, with a goal of improving protection outcomes for GBV survivors and mitigating individuals’ risk of GBV.

UNFPA's experience in different humanitarian contexts has shown that cash and voucher assistance (CVA) is a powerful instrument that can save lives, alleviate risks, and help women and girls escape abusive environments. 

UNFPA experience in different humanitarian contexts has shown that cash and voucher assistance (CVA) is a powerful instrument that can save lives, alleviate risks, and help women and girls escape abusive environments.

This piece of research looked at six case studies in the MENA region where CVA is being delivered at scale. It looked at the characteristics of the operational models of delivering multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA), and how that enables (or not) links with existing national social protection systems. The research found that there’s no one model that enables links between humanitarian MPCA programmes and social protection programmes delivering cash.

While the Grand Bargain 2016 indicated an international commitment to locally-led response in humanitarian aid, few advancements, in both policy and action, have been made towards localization. With attention to locally-led response in cash and voucher assistance (CVA), this research aims to understand the barriers, progress and opportunities to locally-led CVA in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

While the Grand Bargain 2016 indicated an international commitment to locally-led response in humanitarian aid, few advancements, in both policy and action, have been made towards localization. With attention to locally-led response in cash and voucher assistance (CVA), this research aims to understand the barriers, progress and opportunities to locally-led CVA in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

On June 27th 2023, Mercy Corps co-organized with Acted, Concern and Oxfam a learning event on the implementation of Multipurpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) interventions for Lebanese. While the MPCA modality has been initiated and designed around the assistance to refugees, the provision of unconditional cash assistance for Lebanese is a recent development in the country. This requires an adaptation of implementation modalities and warrants the need to share learning across agencies and to identify possible strategies moving forward.

The Evaluation of Emergency School Feeding (ESF) Activities in Lebanon from 2016 until 2019 is part of a four-country Evaluation Series on ESF commissioned by WFP School-based Programmes Unit (SBP) and made possible by a multi-year Canadian contribution to WFP. The evaluation provides accountability to Canada and other donors contributing to WFP ESF in the four countries, as well as to the wider humanitarian community. It also promotes learning at the strategic and operational levels, both globally and in-country.