Rapid Reflection on Cash Coordination for the Ukraine Response - Romania 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 transfers have been prioritized by the humanitarian community in Romania 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 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 (KII), desk review of available literature and a round table organised on November 2nd 2023 with key cash stakeholders.

Over 3.7 million border crossings from Ukraine into Romania have been registered since the 24th February 2022, from which 83,7652 refugees currently remain in country. In an attempt to respond to the basic needs of these individuals, 43,129 refugees were supported with multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) in 2022. 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 third largest share is ($153,603,900) is dedicated to Romania to support 350,000 Ukrainian refugees living there.