MYANMAR CASH TRANSFER WORKING GROUP MEETING MINUTES MEETING #3

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1 MYANMAR CASH TRANSFER WORKING GROUP MEETING MINUTES MEETING #3 Time and place of the meeting: Save the Children, November 1 st 2013 Participants: Save the Children, Trocaire, WFP, Malteser, Oxfam, FSWF, CTWG coordinator. Excused: UNICEF Agenda of the meeting Review of last meeting decision s points Validation of TORs Geographical and sectorial updates Cash in Emergencies: contributing to the Food Security Myanmar Humanitarian Strategy 2014 Concept Note of CTWG: feedback and discussion on potential innovation area AOB: CALP Updates SUMMARY OF DISCUSSIONS AND ACTION POINTS 1. Review of last meeting minutes The action points of the last meeting were reviewed and updates provided where relevant as follows: Action points Updates The situational analysis will be updated to Situational Analysis updated and shared reflect the discussions held in the second with all members CTWG meeting, discussions held in Kachin and Rakhine, further consultations and information shared by the partners and an updated version will be circulated before the next meeting Coordinator to incorporate the outcomes of TORs revised and shared the discussions in an updated version of the TORs and share before the next meeting Coordinator to develop a concept note and Concept note developed following share with members before the next discussions with WFP (CPIF) meeting following consultations with prospective donors Members to explore the possibility of Discussed under agenda item # 5 submitting the concept note to WFP or ECHO on behalf of the CTWG Members to share information on the Ongoing CTWG with their local partners Oxfam to communicate with Carla and get Discussed under agenda item #6 an update on the progress of the organization of the training Coordinator to liaise with CALP trainer and Due to change in trainer s travelling 1

2 CTWG members to set a time and place for a briefing by CTWG members Oxfam and Trocaire to convene and facilitate Kachin-specific discussions on CTP in Myitkyina before the end of October SC to convene and facilitate Rakhinespecific discussions on CTP in Sittwe before the end of October Coordinator to include Kachin cash learning event in the concept note All the members should complete the mapping form and share all relevant resources with the coordinator before the next meeting One technical issue will be put at the agenda of each meeting for discussions and action planning Oxfam to share the EMMA report with the CTWG schedule, CTWG members are encouraged to meet him on a bilateral basis this afternoon On day workshop organized as describes in more details under agenda item #2 SC could not convene a meeting due to time constraints but other agencies stepped in as described under agenda item#2 Included No further information received Not possible due to heavy agenda of the current meeting. Reported to next meeting. Oxfam to follow-up 2. Validation of TORs Revised TORs were circulated based on discussions held in the last meeting. The group validates the revised TORs. Action Point: Coordinator to develop brief TORs for the Rakhine and Kachin working groups 3. Kachin Update A full-day cash learning and coordination event was organized at the initiative of Oxfam and Trocaire in Myitkyina on October 25 th. Oxfam, Trocaire, KMSS, KBC, Metta, Shalom and WFP participated in the event and presented their respective cash-based acitivities. Follow-up discussions focused on geographical locations covered and procedures used. The main findings of the event were the following: Procedures differ from one partner to another, with some more robust than others. All partners face a challenge with security. The camp management committees are facing issues with the complexity of some of the procedures. Fraud has been detected in relation to the use of cash by IDPs, which is linked to inadequate registration systems. There is limited market access in some areas, undermining the effectiveness of cash transfers. The amount given differs slightly from one agency to another. 2

3 On average, 35% of the cash is used for food purposes and the rest of the cash is mostly used for education and health, although this varies from one camp to another. Areas of work identified for the Kachin Cash Working Group: To advocate for the strengthening of health and education interventions with relevant sector leads To improve and streamline cash transfer procedures To increase coordination and technical support on CTP To improve M&E tools The Cash Working Group will meet on a monthly basis in Kachin state. WFP will conduct an assessment in Myitkyina and Waingmaw to explore the possibility of transitioning to a cash-based food security response on a pilot basis in some of the camps. This will be done in coordination with the Kachin CWG. Kachin partners to clarify who will lead the monthly cash working group meetings in Myitkyina Kachin partners to clarify what the objectives of the cash transfers are food security? Income security? Coordinator to meet with Kachin partners to understand what technical support is required from Yangon and to assess the need to convene a Kachin cash meeting in YGN 4. Rakhine Update A Cash Working Group has been established in Rakhine State (Sittwe) under the umbrella of the Early Recovery sector. The Rakhine CWG currently counts 4 members: UNDP, MRCS, IFRC and WFP who met last week in Sittwe. The issues raised during the meeting were the following: Mobility and access to markets in IDP camps Wealth ranking systems not possible in camps Availability of supplies and tools in the markets (e.g. sawing machines are not available and have to be provided in-kind for IGA) Lack of motivation of community members for cash-based programs this is very new and requires significant investment in community mobilization Lack of control on the use of cash The discussions were linked to early recovery activities and therefore focused on conditional cash grants. These activities have mostly been implemented in isolated communities. One agency has used cash transfers in camps for protection interventions (EVI) but has faced significant challenges in doing so. The inter-agency joint livelihood assessment will be shared shortly and includes one case study on cash. However, it does not provide sufficient information on CTP and a specific analysis is required. 3

4 The Thatlan project is about to start with large cash for work components in close to 200 villages in Rakhine state. The Thatlan partners have conducted a HEA, feasibility study and a do no harm analysis that could inform the cash for work activities of other partners. NATALA is also about to start large cash for work programmes in Rakhine State. There is a need for increased coordination on cash-based programming as duplication has already been identified by some of the CTWG partners. All CTWG members to encourage their Rakhine teams to attend the CWG meetings in Sittwe, including Thatlan partners. SC to share joint livelihood assessment report with CTWG members. Rakhine CWG to extend the discussions to CTP in camps and assess the possibility of piloting cash-based interventions if and when strong analysis, including do no harm, is available. Rakhine CWG to identify type of support needed from YGN. 5. Social Protection Update The Government, led by DSW and with support from UNICEF, has taken steps to develop a Social Protection Strategy. Good examples and experiences of partners can help inform the process and should be communicated to UNICEF social protection department. The World Bank has announced a plan to provide cash support to schools but no detailed information is available yet on the scale and modality of implementation. WFP s school feeding programme which covers 1600 schools across the country will transition from a safety net to a child-centred approach where vitamin biscuits will be provided in lieu of rice. Cash-based interventions may be explored at a later stage although targeting would be a challenge. Partners to share information on successful social protection activities to inform the National Strategy development process CTWG to continue to monitor progress in the area of social protection and contribute where possible 6. Humanitarian Food Security Strategy for Myanmar 2014 Under the leadership of OCHA, the humanitarian partners are developing the overall humanitarian strategy for Myanmar Two areas have been prioritized: Kachin and Rakhine. As part of the exercise, the food security sector needs to come up with an overall response strategy as well as specific Kachin and Rakhine response strategies, which means that the food and cash responses need to be justified and based on common standards. 4

5 There is a significant difference between the type of FS response provided in Kachin where there is an overall acceptance by partners and donors of the fact that cash transfers complement food distributions; and the type of assistance provided in Rakhine which is limited to food distributions. This difference is difficult to justify from an ethical standpoint. One solution could be to make it clear that cash transfers in Kachin are not a food security intervention but contribute to the dignity and income security of IDPs. Another solution is to expand the cash response to Rakhine state. CTWG partners to ensure that local partners are aware of the discussions and contribute to the development of the strategy CTWG partners to provide feedback and inputs on the FS strategy 7. Concept note A concept note has been developed by the coordinator, which needs to be submitted by one of the CTWG members on behalf of the CTWG to WFP before Nov. 15. Some CTWG members (SC, Malteser, Trocaire) have explored the possibility of being the contracting agency but are unable to commit at this stage. Other agencies will explore the possibility internally and more potential partners will be contacted. CTWG members to provide feedback on the concept note Oxfam to explore the possibility of being the contracting agency Coordinator to reach out to LWF and other potential partners. 8. CALP Updates The CALP2 training will start on Monday at Park Royal Hotel. Outstanding payment issues will be dealt with during the training. The trainer, Michael, is arriving in country at lunchtime and would welcome bilateral meetings with CTWG members to help with the contextualization of the training curriculum. He can be contacted through Oxfam. CALP has a budget for Government training on cash that needs to be spent before the end of the year. The training could emphasize coordination & advocacy or implementation depending on what is seen as most relevant. CALP would need the mediation of one partner to set-up an initial meeting with the targeted Government department and would then take responsibility for following-up with Government officials and organizing and delivering the training. The partners felt that the training could either target RRD and DWS (coordination and advocacy) or DRD (implementation). Partners however felt that the timeframe would be a challenge as Government officials are under considerable pressure at the moment. Action point: WFP will explore the possibility of setting up a meeting and will liaise with CALP. 5