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Cash Working Group Leads and Co-Leads Workshop Report - East and Southern Africa Region, March 2024

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The CALP Network convened the annual workshop for CWG Leads and Co-leads in East and Southern Africa with the primary objective of promoting peer-to-peer learning and sharing of best practices among the CWG Leads and Co-Leads to enhance cash coordination, quality and promote common approaches in the region. The workshop provided an opportunity for introspection, learning and networking with other CWG Leads and co-Leads and by providing a platform to:
• Share experiences and good practice in cash coordination.
• Discuss opportunities for more effective CVA and how cash coordination could support these.
• Build relationships and networks with other CWG leads and Co-leads and identify opportunities for collaboration.
• Receive updates on the latest developments in cash coordination including new tools, guidelines, and technologies.

Workshop Highlights:

Session One: Celebrating Milestones and Looking ahead to 2024.- CWG representatives discussed past achievements and future, sharing key insights in a plenary session. This collaborative effort highlighted successes and set strategic goals for 2024, fostering improved cash assistance programs.
Session Two: Increasing the use of CVA within sectors and beyond- This session featured presentations on the State of the World Cash Report 2023 on scaling up cash and prepositioning sectoral cash. This was followed by group discussions on resonance, challenges, opportunities and strategic foresight for scaling CVA.
Session Three: Exploring Methodologies for Determining Transfer Values- An introductory presentation on the standard procedure for determining transfer values was followed by a marketplace featuring CWGs from Zimbabwe and Uganda sharing their methodologies
Session Four: Cash Transfer as a vehicle to financial inclusion- This session highlighted financial inclusion in the nexus framework, discussing challenges, risks, and opportunities. This was followed presentations on regional experiences from the NGO/ INGO perspectives, covering successful interventions, challenges, and opportunities.
Session Five: Linking CVA to Social Protection: Opportunities and Challenges – This session showcased the building blocks followed by a case study that explored potential links and identified bottlenecks. The participants also shared their experiences before committing to follow up actions.
Session Six: Navigating Anticipatory Cash - Participants engaged in an exercise on the key elements of Anticipatory Action.
Session Seven: The Inter-Agency Cash Coordination (IASC) Model and Cash Advisory Group (CAG)- Discussions on the transition status, followed by updates from IASC countries in the region on their progress and challenges. The role of the Cash Advisory Group (CAG) was highlighted including available resources and future plans for CWGs.
Session Eight: Co-Coordination by Local and National Actors- This session explored ways of engaging local national actors in CWG leadership.
Session Nine: Effective cross-border collaboration in regional crises: Sudan Case Study- This session covered the situational overview of the Sudan crisis and its impact on CVA and cross-border humanitarian response. Discussions also explored the benefits, challenges and opportunities of cross border coordination.

In conclusion, the CWG Leads, and Co-leads workshop facilitated invaluable discussions and collaborations, resulting in concrete action plans and agreements.