Rapid Reflection on Cash Coordination for the Ukraine Response - Poland briefing paper

Since February 2022, Ukraine and the neighbouring countries are facing a humanitarian crisis of unparalleled scale, ranking among the fastest-growing crises observed in the past decade and the largest in Europe since the end of World War II. In the first two months of conflict, more than 30 percent of Ukraine’s population had been coercively displaced and by October 2023, 6,240,400 Ukrainian were refugees.

In light of needs, vulnerabilities and capacities, cash and voucher assistance (CVA) has been prioritized by the humanitarian community in Ukraine as the preferred and default modality wherever feasible to respond to the needs of people affected by the crisis. This led to the fastest and largest cash programming scale-up in history, shedding further light on the importance of quality cash coordination.

Using the draft Global Cash Advisory Group (CAG) key performance indicators for cash coordination as a guide, this paper reflects on the extent to which cash coordination was (1) timely and effective and (2) inclusive, transparent, and accountable. It draws from 11 semi-structured key informants’ interviews, desk review of available literature and a round table organised on November 2nd 2023 with key cash stakeholders.

In 2023, in locations where it is contextually and operationally feasible, cash transfers have been used at scale to respond to the Ukraine crisis. The 2023 Regional Refugee Response Plan appeals for $1.7 billion across 243 partners, among which the largest share ($709,399,440) is dedicated to Poland to support 2 million refugees living there. CVA funding requirements represent 27 percent of the regional requirement ($450,792,321) and 25 percent of the funding requirement in Poland ($176,343,305) with 89 percent of CVA intended to be multi-purpose cash (MPCA) both regionally and in Poland.