International University Of East Africa IUEA Short Courses 2023

In recent years, Cash Transfer Programming (CTP) has emerged as one of
the most significant innovations in international humanitarian assistance.
The use of cash transfer as a form of aid in humanitarian assistance has
grown exponentially.
By 2017, it is estimated that over $3bn was spent in humanitarian
assistance through disbursement of cash and vouchers. The move to CTP
has strong roots and the global trend is rapidly increasing. CTP is widely
recognized as one of the most significant areas of innovation in humanitarian
assistance, with huge potential to meet more needs, more efficiently and
more effectively.
In recognition of CTP’s potential, many humanitarian actors have made
public commitments to increase its use and therefore the change process is
already under way. The donors, coordinating bodies and implementing
agencies are actively integrating CTP into humanitarian programming. They
are updating their systems, skill sets and processes to make the best use of
CTP. With the volume of CTP already measured in billions of dollars and still
growing, the stakes are high but the technical people with the right skills
training are inadequate.
The benefits of cash-based assistance have been shown to cut across
multiple sectors. There are many opportunities that have been identified to
align CTP with major reforms at every level, from achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to
strengthening social protection systems and realizing the UN’s New Way of
Working.
CTP has been actively linked to a host of other reforms such as: financial
inclusion, the digital revolution, evolving coordination mechanisms,
strengthening local leadership, enhancing dignity and accountability to
affected populations, and improving monitoring and reporting of results.
At the same time, it is should be noted that CTP is not a magic silver bullet
capable of solving all the problems associated with aid. Rather, it is one
factor, among many, driving a wider set of reforms across the sector. CTP is
seen as a tool to realize wider reforms, an integral component of a related
set of reforms or a straightforward merit in its own terms, it is clear that the
increasing scale of CTP is inextricably linked to the future of the
humanitarian aid sector.