PROJECT BACKGROUND
Asia and the Pacific remain the most disaster-prone region in the world. The Asia-Pacific region is home to an estimated 70 per cent of those affected by natural hazards. The region’s meteorological, climatological, and hydrological disasters, such as heatwaves, droughts, floods, and tropical cyclones, are becoming more frequently occurring and destructive. Between 2021 and 2023 alone, the region experienced a series of devastating disasters related to these hydrometeorological hazards: massive floods in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan; heatwaves in India and Pakistan; drought in Afghanistan; Tropical Storm Megi in the Philippines; Cyclone Mocha in Myanmar and Bangladesh; and the impact of El Niño in the equatorial pacific. These occurrences highlight the region’s susceptibility to disasters, which significantly affect marginalized groups and at-risk populations, particularly women, girls and people with disability. As a result of climate change, hazard risk in existing hotspots in the region is likely to intensify, and new hotspots could emerge in the future.
As part of their broader emergency preparedness and response operations, humanitarian and development partners supporting governments in Asia and the Pacific have shifted their focus to developing, implementing, and institutionalizing Anticipatory Action (AA) in an effort to capitalize on this expanding capacity. Since the first AA pilots in the region – in Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Mongolia – around 2015–2017, AA initiatives have been established in at least 14 countries.
Anticipatory action is a set of interventions that are carried out when a hazard poses imminent danger based on a forecast, early warning or pre-disaster risk analysis. Anticipatory action is taken by an individual or organization before an anticipated disaster to mitigate its impact on people, assets and infrastructure that are likely to be affected.
The use of cash in the anticipatory action approach is considered to be an appropriate means for providing timely, cost-efficient, and effective assistance to vulnerable households within the limited timeframe for action. Cash is often preferred over in-kind assistance since it presents fewer challenges in terms of procurement, storage, and transport. In the Southern Africa region, anticipatory cash represents in volume, almost 70% of the AA response, according to the Dialogue Platform. It has been highlighted that there is a need for more research and technical guidance material for both cash in emergency response and anticipatory action practitioners to adopt common standards in effectively addressing the needs of the affected population.
The State of the World’s Cash (SOWC) 2023 Report found that there are relatively limited documented resources available on the use of CVA in anticipatory action, with a range of questions to answer to better understand the outcomes of, and how, when, and where anticipatory cash can be most effectively deployed. Key topics to explore and questions to answer outlined in the report include scalability for rapid and slow onset crises, funding mechanisms, roles of various actors, including government and non-traditional partners, coordination, and required complementary intervention to increase the effectiveness of anticipatory CVA. For this reason, CALP is commissioning this study to consolidate learning and draw recommendations from the experiences of humanitarian organizations in the Asia-Pacific region.
OBJECTIVES
Main objective
To support relevant stakeholders in better understanding the efficiency, effectiveness, and impacts of anticipatory cash in selected focused countries (Bangladesh, Philippines, Nepal, and Viet Nam), capturing key lessons and recommendations in the design and delivery of anticipatory CVA in the Asia-Pacific region.
Specific objectives
- Review the literature available in the region and focused countries, on anticipatory CVA to explore the learnings-to-date from the design and implementation of programs with different pilots, activation of protocols, and various initiatives on anticipatory action.
- Analyze collected data and develop country case studies/samples capturing key challenges and lessons on efficiency, effectiveness, and evidence of impact focusing on impact and to provide practical recommendations informing the current and future practice.
- Document the use of anticipatory cash and its effect in the Asia-Pacific region to contribute to the evidence at the regional and global levels.
Specifically, the study will focus on answering the following questions:
- What is the added value of anticipatory cash compared to emergency cash response?
- How, when and where can cash be most effectively used in anticipatory action (taking account of differences between modalities, and factors such as conditionality, and complementary interventions)?
- How to improve Anticipatory Cash/CVA to better address population needs specifically on the appropriateness of cash transfer value and timeliness of delivery of assistance upon reaching the response triggers.
METHODOLOGY
This study will include both desk review of existing documentation and primary qualitative data collection through Key informant interviews and focus group discussions with key stakeholders. Continuous engagement with both CALP key staff and the research steering committee will be required. Specific tasks include:
- Engage periodically with the Steering Committee formed of network members and CALP staff to discuss research orientations, progression, key findings, and related decision-making.
- Desk review based on the documentation available from Bangladesh, Nepal, Philippines and Viet Nam (report, publications, studies, etc.)
- Key informant interviews and/or focus group discussions with the Regional Cash Working Group, Regional Anticipatory Action Technical Working Group, Country Cash Working Groups and Country-level Anticipatory Action Working Groups, as appropriate.
- Development of report and country case studies.
In addition to this, there may be ad hoc requests for specific input either, directed to both the steering committee as well as individual members.
AREAS OF WORK
Estimated time (days)
Collection of the key documentation available on AA globally and specifically for the region – 2 Days
Review of key documentation available and briefing by the steering committee – 3 Days
Designing, planning, and conducting multiple KII (Key Informant Interviews) with AA experts, cash experts, and donors across the region, focusing on the priority countries – 10 Days
Analysis of information and data collected / identification of findings, conclusions and recommendations. First Draft submission. – 12 Days
Addressing draft comments/ questions and discussions with the steering committee. Presentation of the final draft – 5 Days
Preparation of Presentations, and participation in launching events – 3 Days
TOTAL – 35 Days
KEY DATA SOURCES
The data sources will be from primary and secondary sources. The literature review is focused on the experiences of the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on the four countries mentioned, and insights may be drawn from global studies. Limited resources are available in the CALP Library, Anticipation Hub, and the ReliefWeb. The Regional Cash Working Group, Regional Technical Working Group on Anticipatory Action, and the country-level counterparts are key stakeholders for primary data gathering.
KEY DELIVERABLES FOR CONSULTANT
- Inception report including a short literature review of relevant documents to assure agreement on the methodology, existing data, data collection tools, parameters, analysis plan, planned outputs, options on structure, and work plan.
- Debriefing with the steering committee on the initial findings, prior to drafting the report.
- Draft report- first phase:
- Desk review and mapping of interventions in countries, maximum 40 pages total.
- Draft four (04) Country Case Studies/Case examples featuring experiences and key findings from Bangladesh, Nepal, Philippines, and Viet Nam.
- Final report including final desk review, mapping, final case studies, and complete citations with hyperlinks to external documents.
- 1 to 2 pages summary with core messages for dissemination
- PowerPoint presentation of findings
- Participation in up to two webinars to present results.
AUDIENCE
The primary audiences of the report are the humanitarian cash and AA practitioners, national governments, cash and/or AA implementing agencies, Cash Working Groups, AA working groups, clusters, Humanitarian Country Teams, and donors in the Asia-Pacific region and globally.
TENTATIVE TIMELINE
The study will start in June and conclude in September 2024. This consultancy is estimated to take up to 35 working days.
Management
ACF Philippines’ Mission on behalf of the CALP Network commissions this piece of work. The CALP Regional Representative will manage the consultant, with the support of a steering committee and other CALP colleagues.
MILESTONES AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE
50% of the payment will be made upon submission and acceptance of the inception report and the remaining 50% of the payment on completion of the study and delivery of the key deliverables.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
The consultant (s) should have the following skills and knowledge:
- A solid understanding of CVA in emergencies
- A solid understanding of Anticipatory Action
- Background in Disaster risk reduction, climate change and environment
- Excellent research skills, including the ability to collect, collate, and analyze large amounts of qualitative data and identify critical aspects to succinctly communicate complex subject matter (in a written and oral form) to make it accessible to wider audiences.
- Experience working remotely with a diverse range of stakeholders, ensuring effective consultation and engagement is achieved.
- Relevant regional experience
- Professional proficiency in written and spoken English
- Excellent writing and presentation skills
How to apply
Expressions of Interest should include technical and financial proposals (maximum four pages), CVs of consultant(s) and two writing samples carried out in the last three years, which should be sent to [email protected] by COB (Manila) 20 May 2024 with the subject line: “Anticipatory CVA ToR.” Any additional clarifications on the consultancy should be addressed to Michael Belaro – [email protected]