Attachments
This document aims to outline key decisions and updated processes for the delivery of Emergency Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (EMPCA) to households affected by incidents in the West Bank. This document is not meant to be an SOP, but an overview of existing agreements and standards. As such, it does not aim to offer a step-by-step guidance to all possible scenarios, but to guide CVA actors through the agreements and arrangements made within the WB CWG.
The document builds on the agreement within the WBEJ CWG members to pursue expansion of eligibility criteria beyond cases of displacement, adopting the concept of “being affected” by an incident as primary criteria to assess potential eligibility for EMPCA. The agreement follows the review of the two SOPs defining process for EMPCA response to Settler Violence and Military Operations respectively, as well as the interest in relaxing eligibility criteria to cover a larger number of households.
To defining EMPCA eligibility, an incident is defined as any type of violent event – timebound and geographically-defined – performed or caused by Israeli forces or settlers resulting in disruption of the lives, displacement, loss livelihoods, damage to households’ shelters and assets, and/or increased protection vulnerability. Incidents can include settler attacks, military operations, forced eviction, forced transfer, closure of areas, and protracted limitations of movements. Noting that the eligibility/incident definition is endorsed by the WB ICCG within the different SoPs (Settler Violence and Military Operations).
Emergency Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (EMPCA) aims to support households to meet their most urgent basic needs, managing unexpected increases in household expenses and possible income losses, in the immediate aftermath of an incident, while waiting for more tailored and long-term support. Considering such purpose, EMPCA is not targeted on the basis of socio-economic vulnerability. Assistance provided through EMPCA does not seek to cover specific sectoral needs, which require cluster-specific interventions such as shelter rehabilitation, specific NFI delivery, rent subsidies, and WASH infrastructures.
On the basis of the above, it is understood that EMPCA is not to be considered sufficient assistance for affected households, depending their vulnerabilities. Instead, reporting and referral to the Clusters system in the West Bank, through the WB ICCG, is paramount to ensure all needs of prioritized households and communities are met.