Attachments
Review of the Refugee and Migrant Response Plan 2020 for Venezuelans - Covid-19 Situation
Operational focus
Cash-Based Interventions Regional Working Group
May 8th, 2020
Cash and Voucher Assistance in response to COVID-19
COVID-19 is exacerbating refugees’ and migrants’ entrenched vulnerabilities related to inadequate access to public services (such as healthcare and education), food, accommodation, poverty, limited economic opportunities, and unemployment. While Governments have quickly reacted to the emergency, this population has only gradually and partially been considered in critical public responses delivered through social protection systems. A large part of the refugees and migrants from Venezuela, most of them working in the informal sector, are seeing how COVID -19 has disrupted their livelihoods, driven primarily by movement restrictions and concerns about leaving the home due to risk of contagion and increased xenophobic sentiments. Their ability to send remittances to their families is being hampered, and an increasing number of Venezuelans are left with no alternative but to consider returning to Venezuela in an unregulated and potentially dangerous manner that poses significant protection and health risks.
Response Priorities. The Response will simultaneously respond to the humanitarian needs, heightened by COVID19, while continuing to support stakeholders to seek durable solutions for refugees and migrants and affected host communities. Cash transfers, especially multipurpose cash transfers (MPC) are a rapid, efficient, and flexible tool to respond to the diverse needs and act as a safety net for refugees and migrants during the current health and economic crisis while supporting local markets. The extension of isolation measures in many countries will worsen conditions for refugees and migrants if safeguards are not put in place.
Given the current COVID-19 situation, partners were asked to review their activities under the RMRP. An estimated USD 154 million has been budgeted for 2020. With the support of 45 partners across 17 countries working on CVA in the region, the Platform plans to reach 1 million migrants, refugees, and host communities with multipurpose cash transfers. As an outcome of the Review, a total of 207 out of 320 MPC-based activities are planned to respond to COVID-19, with 58 categorized as “new ones”, 106 “updated”, 2 “canceled” and 41 with “no change required”.
In this scenario, partners are adjusting their implementation modalities to ensure the continuity of delivery, implementing measures to mitigate COVID-19 transmission risks, and expanding the current programming to mitigate some of the negative socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 on refugees, migrants and affected host communities.
The Cash-Based Interventions Regional Working Group (CWG), in consultation with National CWGs and partners, emphasizes the increased efforts that operational agencies are making to adapt their cash programs to the current situation, namely
(i) shifting from in-person to remote registration, assessment, and prioritization processes, wherever feasible.
(ii) monitoring the continuous risks associated with the different modalities of assistance under COVID19 situation.
(iii) investing in collaborative efforts to assess and monitor the level of access and functionality of markets of key essential items, due to the disruption in supply chains and mobility restrictions; and the capacity from Financial Service Providers to respond at scale, with quality, and reaching marginalized refugees and migrants, such as elderly and people with disabilities;
(iv) using digital tools as a preferred option for payments, for instance, scaling up mobile wallets and etransfers or minimizing the use of digital fingerprints or signatures
(v) adjusting targeting mechanisms and processes, to include refugees and migrants and affected host communities that are now at a higher risk, given the impact of the pandemic and to reduce the risk of contagion (e.g. remote targeting or targeting through local authorities or field-based organizations)
(vi) communicating, listening, and receiving feedback from cash recipients by phone, for instance, and contributing to delivering COVID-19 prevention key messages.
The response priorities vary country by country but in summary,
(i) National and Sub-Regional Platforms advocate, support, and collaborate with governments to include refugees and migrants from Venezuela as part of their social protection and livelihood response to COVID-19, in collaboration with the Integration Sector.
(ii) CWGs focus on increasing local organizations´ capacity in cash and market assistance and work with financial service providers to reach remote areas and marginalized groups.
(iii) To address refugees' and migrants’ increased economic barriers when accessing essential goods and services during the COVID-19 crisis, inter-sectoral collaboration with all Sectors and Working Groups will be reinforced to make sure CVA, along with other activities reach intended sectoral outcomes that can contribute to protection.
(iv) It is becoming increasingly clear that many of the measures deemed necessary to control the spread of the disease are not only increasing GBV-related risks and violence against women and girls but also limiting survivors’ ability to distance themselves from their abusers as well as reducing their ability to access external support1. By mainstreaming GBV considerations in CVA throughout the program cycle and by utilizing CVA within GBV case management services, where appropriate, CVA can be optimized as a tool to enhance the protection of refugees and migrants and to mitigate risks of recurrent violence (link).
(v) the Platform´s information management services will be key to have consolidated and harmonized information on CVA across sectors at the district, country, and regional level, to minimize duplication, expand coverage of organizations during this crisis in hard to reach areas, and strengthen linkages with Governments’ social assistance schemes.
(vi) Provide sound technical support to all partners to respond to refugees and migrants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with cash assistance.