Terms of Reference Borana Zone Cash/Food Transfer Working Group

Transcription

1 Terms of Reference Borana Zone Cash/Food Transfer Working Group 1. Table of Contents Contents Page Background and litrature review 2 Rationale 3 Objectives 4 Members of the Cash/Food Transfer Working Group in Borana Zone 4 Leadership committee members of the Cash/Food Transfer Working Group 4 Key priorities and Action points of the Cash/Food Transfer Working Group 5 Key priority One - Harmonising Rate and Grant Sizes 5 Key priority Two - Cash Acceptability 5 Key priority Three - Payment Methods and Delivery Agents 6 Key priority Four - Accountability and Transparency 6 Key priority Five - 3W who does What Where? 7 Key priority Six - Assessments 8 Key priority Seven - Monitoring 8 Ways of Working 9 Annexes Acronyms Acronyms BOFED CaLP CFW CTWG HCT HINGO IASC MANTF SNNPR Defination Bearau of Finance and Economic Developement Cash Learning Partnership Cash For Work Cash Transfer Working Group Humanitarian Country Team Humanitarian International Non Governmental Organizations Inter-Agendy Standing Committee Multi Agency Nutrition Task Force Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region 1

2 3. Background and litrature review Borana is a pastoral zone located in the southern part of Ethiopia bordering Somali region in the east, Northern Kenya to the south, Guji zone to the northeast and SNNPR in the West. It is one of the 18 zones in Oromia regional state located in the arid and semi-arid southern lowlands. The predominant economic activity is pastoralism and agro-pastoralism. Livestock are a vital source of food and income to purchase cereals and other household needs. In normal years, the zone is one of the major sources of livestock supply in the local and international markets. In Borana the short rains (Oct-Nov 2010) failed, causing livestock and crop production to decline significantly, and this has worsened considerably with the failure of the long rains (March-May 2011). Currently one component of humanitarian action in Borana Zone is providing resources to vulnerable households to prevent distress migration, sale of assets and exhaustion of limited savings through cash based programming including cash-for-work, nonconditional cash and voucher transfers. Cash and vouchers are means of transferring resources to targeted affected populations which can be used to access goods and services from markets, private sector providers, subsidized government shops, or through humanitarian suppliers. Cash transfers involve payments to a targeted beneficiary directly or via an agent. Vouchers conveyed to beneficiaries, either in paper or electronically, can be exchanged in selected shops or through selected traders for a fixed quantity and/or fixed type of item (value based and/or commodity based). Unconditional transfers make no demands on beneficiaries to receive their entitlement, while conditional transfers imposes requirements such as work, training or participation in a social service e.g. health attendance or schooling. Cash and voucher transfer programming has been in existence and has been expanding in the Horn of Africa region since the 1990s, yielding a growing body of evidence that has documented the strengths and weakness of the various programs. While cash transfers will help offset the impact on household economies of high and rising staple food prices, increased purchasing power is expected to stimulate an expanded supply of food and essential commodities into markets. Cash and voucher transfers are therefore increasingly being used by a broad range of humanitarian actors in the area across clusters, targeting different groups (men, women, boys and girls) and for different objectives. The complexity of cash and voucher interventions require that they be implemented by organizations that have the technical competencies, and in areas where they can safely and effectively address the needs of affected populations. Cash and vouchers are only 2

3 appropriate in situations where food and other items that are needed are available in local markets in sufficient quantities, or can be supplied relatively quickly through market mechanisms. 1 In a context of reduced supply due to crop production failure, support to increase the purchasing power of vulnerable populations needs to be coupled with measures to ensure access through markets and, where possible, through humanitarian channels to meet requirements for an adequate and balanced diet. Measures facilitating imports and their supply chain to the final beneficiaries should be established. This entails engagement with the private sector, especially traders, in order to help ensure that supply gaps can be fully addressed when additional demand is created through cash based transfers. 4. Rationale Given the multi sectoral, inter cluster nature of the cash and voucher-based programming, cluster based coordination mechanisms alone may be inadequate and it is crucial that programs are complementary and approaches mutually reinforcing. In light of this, CAFOD/Trocaire/SCIAF Joint Programme in Ethiopia and HelpAge International Ethiopia have initiated the formation of a Cash/Food Transfer Working Group in Borana Zone. The purpose of the group will be to deliberate on approaches for cash programming and were possible harmonise interventions in Borana zone by working in collaboration with Government, INGO s, and local NGO s. The Cash/Food Transfer Working Group initiation workshop on the 1 st September 2011 in Borana Zone was attended by some 13 International NGOs, 6 Local NGOs and 2 Government Representatives. During the workshop, action points were agreed on by the wider group on key priorities that would form the basis of this Cash/Food Transfer Working Group CTWG Terms of Reference. The working group can deliberate on local markets monitoring, traders and cooperatives capacities and insights to the markets at National Level and this should give humanitarian and other players a holistic picture each month of market trends and likely flows of food supplies into the local markets. This information will provide insight as to how we can tailor our food security response to meet the needs of the people while simultaneously strengthening the local markets in Borana. Based on this information 1 Many of the key actors in cash and voucher based programming have undertaken risk analysis, either independently of through consortia. Select examples of the type of risk being considered are found in Section 3 of this paper. These and additional risks vary by context. 3

4 we will be able to provide information to traders which will enable them to more accurately respond to the needs in the markets. In addition to the monitoring of the markets we seek to support the private sector and cooperatives to get the markets functioning again by providing traders/suppliers with updated information as to how aid will be distributed into the zone and the opportunities that exist for trade in the smaller local markets. 5. Objectives By working in closely with the Government led Humanitarian Response Command Post in Borana Zone 2, the Cash/Food Transfer Working Group will ensure a strategic coordination that aims to; a. Harmonise approaches (modalities, rates etc.) and identify synergies; b. Agree on standardised indicators and monitoring variables to allow valid comparison between projects; c. Monitor progress against needs in terms of the quality of the work outputs, inputs accessed or services provided; d. Keep key stakeholders informed, including linkages with market information networks; e. Promote standards and best practices in programming; f. Establish, strengthen and promote linkages and networking with long term sustainable livelihood interventions; g. Identify potential opportunities for integrated approach and establishing linkages with other social sector in the medium to long term; h. Explore opportunities and evolve strategies for risk reduction, building resilience and future preparedness; i. Prevent duplication of effort and address gaps in coverage. 6. Members of the Cash/Food Transfer Working Group While the list of member organizations of the Cash/Food Transfer Working Group in Borana Zone is subject to change as some organizations continue to put across their notice to join the group, a list of current member organizations is provided on Annex-1 of this document. 2 The Humanitarian Response Command Post in Borana Zone (established in 2011) is a government led coodination mechanism that works to harmonize humanitarian actions by different actors in the area 4

5 7. Leadership committee members of the Cash/Food Transfer Working Group During the Cash/Food Transfer Working Group initiation workshop on the 1 st September 2011 in Borana Zone, participants have confirmed the following leadership committee member organizations: I. CAFOD/Trocaire/SCIAF Joint Programme in Ethiopia II. HelpAge International Ethiopia III. Oxfam GB, and IV. The Zonal Government (BOFED) 8. Key priorities and Action points of the Cash/Food Transfer Working Group in Borana Zone The following Key priorities and Action points shall be the main focus of the Cash/Food Transfer Working Group in Borana Zone: 8.1 Key priority One - Harmonising Rate and Grant Sizes Action Points: By exploring different factors including legal minimum wage in the country, market rate for the labor in Borana Zone, typical unskilled and skilled daily labor rates at various times of the year and the cost for a family to meet minimum food and/or non-food needs, the working group will suggest ideas for Harmonized daily rates for skilled and unskilled labor for CFW and for direct cash transfer and a mechanism will be set for adjusting the grant size or rates as needed on the basis of inflation. The working group will strongly advocate for harmonized rates in Borana Zone that should help reduce the potential for challenges that widely varying different rates and grant sizes may cause amongst community members and local authorities. The working group will ensure adequate communication to communities, local authorities, government agencies and donors about the rates and grant sizes. Following a rate being set in Borana Zone, the working group will put a mechanism in place to regularly review this rate by establishing a price surveillance system (of both food prices and market labor rates) that would inform the Working Groups decision making. 8.2 Key priority Two - Cash Acceptability 5

6 Action Points: By outlining clear messages and a communications strategy the working group will play a role in improving the acceptability of cash in Borana Zone through joint communication, lobbying and messaging to communities, the Government, donors and other actors. Where traders are unable to respond to increased purchasing power or inflation, cash based transfers will not have a positive impact but rather the opposite. To address such eventualities, the working group will advocate for flexibility by Governments, donors and agencies to rapidly deploy different transfer modalities including switching to in-kind, or a mix of cash/in-kind transfers. The working group will encourage donors to coordinate with each other and allow for a high level of flexibility in cash and voucher based programs in order to respond to feedback from affected populations, level of resilience, changing markets of conditions and to address gaps in coverage. The working group will work towards ensuring that emergency cash/voucher transfer program negative impacts are avoided or of limited duration and do not contribute to the exclusion from the market of vulnerable non-beneficiary populations. 8.3 Key priority Three - Payment Methods and Delivery Agents Action Points: The working group will facilitate a sharing of experiences on payment methods and modalities among delivery agents which will help the member agencies participating in the working group and others to be able to avoid repeating mistakes and to improve the timeliness and effectiveness in delivering cash. The most common modality (delivery agents) currently being used in Borana are direct cash deliveries through the implementing local NGOs. To this end, the working group will coordinate to ensure that there is no saturation of any particular delivery agent. The working group will support member organizations in Borana Zone to establish risk analysis based on the impact and likelihood of threats and put in place relevant contingency plans. The working group will keep investigating possible options (delivery agents) for cash transfer (working with other actors including expertise and facilities of micro finance institutions). 8.4 Key priority Four - Accountability and Transparency 6

7 Action Points: The working group will have a key role in sharing best practice, lessons learnt, formats and communications materials for use in promoting accountability and transparency. The working group will also work to get member agencies agree on minimum standards in accountability and transparency. The working group will support member organizations to commit to operational transparency at the relevant forum (eg. Borana Zone task force, command post) to the level of detail required for strategic coordination in order to mitigate risks and ensure the most appropriate type of response is assured. To ensure accountability to affected populations, the working group will promote the establishment of feedback mechanisms for humanitarian organisations cash and voucher programs in Borana Zone, and direct that the concerns raised are addressed and the direction of the cash and voucher programs modified accordingly. Given the multitude of interests and actors involved in cash/voucher transfer, the formal humanitarian community comprises only a small part of the dynamics that generate and ameliorate the risks of emergency cash/voucher transfer programs. Therefore, the working group will pool resources from and collaborate with different actors including the community, formal humanitarian institutions, donors, Government at different levels, and individuals operating independently of formal humanitarian principles and structures (e.g., traders, etc.) The working group will recognize and advocate that Cash/voucher transfer programs rely on the private or public sector to transform humanitarian resources (cash transfers, vouchers) into life saving and livelihood supporting resources for vulnerable individuals and households. Such resources are provided through private sector market actors (e.g., traders, private service providers), producers (farmers, pastoralists, fisher-folk), governments (e.g., social safety nets, productive safety nets) 8.5 Key priority Five - 3W who does What Where? Action Points: The working group will issue a regular circulation of the 3W (who does what where) matrix for Borana Zone which is important in avoiding unintentional duplication of work by different 7

8 agencies and also allows stakeholders, including affected communities and local governments, to identify gaps in responses. The working group will work with OCHA to regularly issue key messages and 3Ws (who does what where) map in relation to Cash/voucher transfer programs in order to ensure consistent messaging on cash and voucher programs in the Borana Zone. The working group will be a focal point who will feed updates into the national level coordination mechanisms (HCT, HINGO, MANTF, etc). The national level coordination mechanisms are to provide updates and if necessary highlight issues of concern to the regional (horn and east Africa) coordination mechanisms (eg. CALP, IASC). 8.6 Key priority Six - Assessments Action Points: Working group member organisations engaged in cash and voucher based programs in the Borana Zone will commit to dedicate resources to ensure that necessary technical expertise are available for needed joint assessments (rapid, market or recovery assessments) in the area. The working group will also encourage member organizations to Share results of assessments done by their own. This allows for shared learning, and leaves more time for implementation. The working group will ensure improved harmonization of assessments through agreed methodologies, checklists and formats, where possible. The group will identify different trainings being offered in assessment methodologies, and inform members as appropriate. The working group will continuously assess and suggest recommendations on households level uneven power relations in Borana Zone based on age, gender or status determining control over resources, which may result in the women and other vulnerable groups not being able to access or retain control over the cash transfer or voucher, including not having influence over the use of the resource. Under conditions of extensive indebtedness, it can be expected that cash transfers will be used by households to service debt, and this can consume a considerable portion of the value of the cash transfer. To this end, the working group will do research and provide evidence based direction so that agencies design cash based Humanitarian operations with the realities of credit/debt relationships in mind. 8

9 8.7 Key priority Seven - Monitoring Action Points: The working group will promote best practices by agencies through encouraging agencies to share their M&E guidelines, methodologies and formats. Conditional and non-conditional cash transfers can be expected to have localized inflationary impacts. To this end, the working group will ensure a continues monitoring of the impact of cash/voucher transfer in the area by jointly assessing various factors, including the extent of goods and services available at the time of the intervention and subsequent periods, as well as the quality of information available to beneficiaries and traders alike. The working group will facilitate a peer to peer monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of cash transfer projects in Borana Zone including activities of output tracking, post-distribution monitoring (PDM), market monitoring (including price surveillance), real time evaluations (RTEs) and evaluations. 9. Ways of Working As a formal working group recognized by the Government of Ethiopia at different levels, the Cash/Food Transfer Working Group of Borana zone (with the guidance from the leadership committee member organizations) will apply the following ways of working; 9.1 A regular monthly meeting in Borana Zone where member agencies will share updates and if necessary highlight issues of concern 9.2 Based on proposals by the leadership committee, Working group member organizations will commit to dedicate resources to ensure that necessary technical expertise are available for needed joint assessments (rapid, market or recovery assessments) in the area. 9.3 The working group (through the leadership committee member organizations) will feed updates into the national level coordination mechanisms (HCT, HINGO, MANTF, etc) and also at the Zonal level coordination task force in Borana Zone. 9.4 The working group will regularly produce and share a range of documents including price surveillance system guides, communications strategy, minimum standards in accountability and transparency, key messages and 3Ws (who does what where), assessments methodologies, checklists and formats, where possible. 9

10 9.5 The working group (through the leadership committee member organizations) will engage in activities of advocating, llobbying and messaging to communities, the Government, donors and other actors on issues of cash transfer. 10. Annexes 10.1 Annex-1 - List of member organizations of the Cash/Food Transfer Working Group in Borana No Organization Name 1 Action Contre La Faim (ACF) 2 ACORD / Agency for cooperation and Research in development/ 3 Action for Development (AFD) 4 Borana Zone Pastoral Development Office 5 Borana Zone Finance and Economic Development Office 6 CARE 7 CAFOD/Trocaire/SCIAF Joint Programme in Ethiopia 8 Community Initative Facilitation and Assistance (CIFA) 9 Community Initative Support Organization (CISO) 10 Dan Church Aid 11 Ethiopia Red Cross Society 12 FAO 13 Gayo Pastoral Development Initaive (GPDI) 14 GOAL 15 HelpAge International Ethiopia 16 OXFAM America 17 OXFAM Canada 18 OXFAM GB 19 Plan International Ethiopia 20 SOS Sahel Ethiopia 21 World Vision Ethiopia 10