Ukraine Regional Response
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The ongoing crisis in Ukraine, which escalated in February 2022, has caused widespread destruction and displacement. Providing cash to vulnerable individuals, households, and communities has proven to be a useful form of aid in Ukraine's functioning markets. CCD aims to leverage its collective reach to support aid agencies, focusing on local organisations, to deliver cash effectively and efficiently. The CCD's strategy for the Ukraine regional crisis aims to build a smart response that is both innovative and tried-and-tested, meeting urgent needs.
CCD is currently working in Ukraine, Poland and Romania through the Collective Initiatives Project, funded by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine response.
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Shared Services Hub
CCD launched a Shared Services Hub (SSH) to support and complement CCD members’ responses. Collectively the SSH supports CCD members in Ukraine and surrounding countries to develop technical capacities, share learning, develop common strategies and advocacy messages in three areas; social protection, data interoperability, and localisation. 
The SSH is comprised of a Collaboration Facilitator, Social Protection Advisor, Localisation Advisor and Global Cash Trainer of Trainers.
Facilitation & Brokering
Communities of Practice
Communities of Practice (COPs) are groups that foster connections and provide a secure environment for NGOs to share their expertise and insights on technical and coordination matters. Additionally, COPs enable NGOs to collaborate on joint advocacy messages. CCD will build on its existing Shared Services Strategy to strengthen collaboration and promote collective action within the established COPs and Cash Working Group (CWG) task teams in Ukraine and Poland.
Ukraine: 51 participants from 21 agencies have formed a CCD COP group. The group aims to provide a safe space for NGOs to discuss technical and coordination issues, and agree on collective advocacy messages. Topics include sharing beneficiary caseloads, winterisation planning, and NGO inclusion in social protection dialogues.
Poland: 31 participants from 13 agencies make up the COP, which is exceptionally active in the Cash Working Group. CCD agencies are leading the targeting and social protection task forces. The Localisation Adviser is also supporting the CWG with issues regarding local NGO attendance in coordination structures.
Romania: The COP has 15 participants from 7 agencies but no active CCD workstreams due to low funding caseloads. UNHCR and Red Cross handle the majority of the Multi Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) caseload, while the COP serves as a safe space for NGO discussions. Data protection training has been provided to Romania's CCD member staff and partners.
Thematic Support
While Ukraine and neighbouring countries have well-developed data and network infrastructure, and people generally have high levels of data literacy, the humanitarian response has seen a need for more data protection expertise. There has been limited use of digital platforms, ineffective data management practices, and challenges and delays in inter-agency and government coordination, specifically related to the leadership of registration, deduplication, and interoperability.
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Non-compliance with the data protection laws is a reputational and financial risk to CCD members and also exposes project participants to risks and harms if their data is breached.
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CCD, through World Vision International, has deployed digital and data governance expertise (on the ground and remotely) to support members in the following areas:
Support digital governance issues, including data sets, sharing agreements, local actors, and data portability.
Building data governance
Data coordination and advocacy
Participate in coordination forums to reach agreements on data management standards and deduplication that meet the requirements of the CCD Network.
Building digital literacy
Improve digital literacy through practitioner networks, training sessions, discussions, and regular refreshers on responsible data practices.
Key Achievements
- CCD's Digital Governance Adviser was elected to co-lead the Poland Cash Working Group deduplication sub-working group. - Supporting the development of Data Sharing Agreements within the Poland and Romania Cash Working Groups.  - Training sessions on data protection principles delivered to 250 people across 25 organisations.
Resources
The relief efforts in Ukraine have largely been carried out by local volunteers, who played a crucial role in the initial response. However, they are now in need of external resources to sustain their operations. By working with local organisations, CVA programmes can be tailored to meet local needs and provide more effective and sustainable aid. Localisation is a top priority for CCD, and the Technical Advisor on Localisation and Capacity Strengthening, hosted by Catholic Relief Services (CRS), supports the relief efforts through:
Research and analysis
Understanding localisation trends in Ukraine, how CCD/non-CCD (DEC) members perceive “localisation” and what objectives and commitments they have set for achieving objectives.
Localising cash responses
CCD is testing 3 localisation models of cash delivery. CCD INGOs are testing different ways of supporting/handing over cash responses to local partners through a programme of capacity building, and generating learning on the process.
Due diligence & cash capacity assessment harmonisation
Burdensome assessment processes have been frequently identified by local NGOs as a barrier to forming more, effective and equitable partnerships. CCD is addressing this by convening a group of five International NGOs to pilot a harmonised approach to reduce the burden.
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Guidance, liaison & coordination
CCD will provide technical support to member agencies, establish synergies with existing initiatives, and advocate for better inclusion of local organisations in the CVA response in Ukraine. There will be a COP for local civil society organisations, facilitated by the local CCD Coordinator and hosted by Right to Protection (R2P).
Key Achievements
- The "Localisation in Practice - Case of Ukraine" report is based on a survey conducted among 22 Ukraine CoP members. The survey included 22 questions related to localisation objectives and commitments of agencies, types of local partners, funding levels, capacity strengthening efforts for local partners, existing gaps, coordination structures, and learning around localisation models. Additionally, bilateral meetings were held with the CCD core team and member agencies (14 agencies), comprising up to 20 meetings with several representatives, mainly cash and partnership FPs. - A workshop on localisation was held for member agencies of the Ukraine CoP. During the workshop, the participants discussed the findings and trends related to localisation in Ukraine. They also identified and prioritised the CCD localisation commitments and set indicators to measure the progress. The final commitments document was then shared with the attendees for comments and to identify the targets for each KPI. - A mapping exercise has been conducted to identify and compile the list of local partners for CCD agencies. - CCD is developing harmonised tools for due diligence and cash capacity assessment to address the concerns repeatedly raised by local NGO surveys. The surveys have identified the repetitive and burdensome due diligence processes as a major concern while the lack of rigorous cash capacity assessments undermines the effectiveness of capacity-building efforts for cash transfer programming. The tools will be piloted by five INGOs - ACF, Concern, Oxfam, Save the Children, and World Vision - and their partners in Turkiye, North West Syria, and Ukraine. In later phases of the project, joint capacity building and passporting of assessments will be developed to allow local NGOs to take on larger shares of the program cycle and form partnerships more easily. - CCD is facilitating a group of International NGOs (INGOs)and their partners to trial different approaches to transferring power from INGOs to Local NGOs and building more equitable partnerships. Our Global Cash Trainer of Trainers is working closely with participating INGOs and local partners to support them to access training and take on more direct programmatic responsibilities. A comprehensive learning plan will allow us to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the tested approaches.
Global Cash Trainer of Trainers (ToT)
CCD and Save the Children International in Ukraine, in collaboration with DanChurchAid and Action Against Hunger, are working on a pilot programme to strengthen local organisations' institutional and cash management capabilities in Ukraine and Romania. The pilot programme will be implemented alongside the partners' ongoing CVA response operations in both countries. CCD is testing three localisation models:
1
Save the Children International
(Ukraine), supported by CCD’s Global Cash ToT builds the capacities of 3 x local partners, selected through a grant process in Ukraine.
2
DanChurchAid builds the capacities of National NGO Ukranian Education Platform to deliver global cash transfers through local community groups in Ukraine.
3
Action Against Hunger, supported by CCD’s Global Cash ToT, builds the capacities of National NGO, BRCT to train selected local organisations to deliver MPCA in Romania.
Resources
The role of the CCD Social Protection Technical Advisor is to assist CCD members in Ukraine and Poland by establishing connections between humanitarian CVA and national social protection systems. This is done to enhance the response's coordination, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. The Social Protection Technical Advisor offers expert guidance to CCD member agencies on an integrated approach that combines financial assistance with other locally available or complementary interventions. This approach seeks to address the various non-income related needs of individuals and families assisted by CCD members, also known as 'Cash Plus.'
Building Capacity
CCD is evaluating capacity-building needs for social protection among CCD agencies & partners to improve the CCD framework for 'Responding to Shocks using Social Protection' in Ukraine & other responses.
Social Protection Schemes
The Social Protection Adviser is developing an understanding of social protection schemes in Ukraine and Poland and providing recommendations for inclusive and accountable mechanisms.
Social Protection Mapping Tool
CCD developed a mapping tool as part of the Ukraine Response Shared Services Strategy to analyse and understand existing social protection programmes in Ukraine and Poland. This tool categorises programs based on financing, availability, lifecycle stages, and vulnerability criteria. It provides valuable insights to humanitarian organisations, allowing them to easily access and analyse relevant programs. The tool also highlights amendments to the Ukrainian social protection system following the 2022 conflict. CCD's Community of Practice (COP) members validates the mappings and promotes collaboration and synergy within the humanitarian response. Overall, the mapping tool is crucial in improving the quality and inclusiveness of social protection efforts in the region.
Key Achievements
- Workshops led within the CoP to identify a harmonised way forward for NGOs seeking to link their humanitarian operations to social protection systems in Poland. - The Social Protection Advisor is the elected lead of the Poland Cash Working Group Social Protection Task Force. - A statement on NGO capacity and vision on social protection in Ukraine is being developed to enable improved NGO participation in ongoing social protection dialogue between UN agencies, the government, and donors. - Leading a donor-government-UN initiative to operationalise humanitarian Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance and Shock Response Social Protection linkages in Ukraine on the value add of NGOs in linking humanitarian cash with social protection systems, which secured a strategic space for INGOs and NNGOS within the initiative’s steering committee (decision-making body).
Resources
Collective Initiatives Outcome Areas
CCD, Save the Children, and their partners, DanChurchAid, Action Against Hunger, and Save the Children International - Ukraine, will pilot a program to strengthen the capacities of local actors in Ukraine and neighboring countries. The pilot will select local/national NGO partners, community groups, and local government ministries and agencies to provide institutional and technical capacity building, and direct funding to design and implement CVA programs. The goal is to scale the tested models in Ukraine or in other humanitarian crises around the world.
Localisation
Data Portability
World Vision International, through existing consortia comprising CCD member agencies, will implement a data portability pilot in Ukraine aimed at shifting control of personal data back to aid recipients so they can make informed decisions about how, when and with whom to share their data for humanitarian assistance. This pilot will build the necessary technology, digital literacy, community engagement, etc. to test a data portability model for referrals between agencies for service provision. The evidence and learning from this pilot will be used to inform the data portability roadmap being developed by CCD and its collaboration partners, DIGID, funded by ECHO.
User Journey Mapping: CCD and SC will work with Ground Truth Solutions (GTS) to conduct a longitudinal study of the experiences and perceptions of recipients and applicants of cash assistance in Ukraine. The study aims to ensure that beneficiaries of cash programming (humanitarian and state-provided social protection support) drive improvements to these programmes in real-time, and strengthen them in the long term, based on their voices, feedback and experience in identifying the gaps in the CVA response, and to facilitate recommendations for programme adaptations.
User Journey Mapping
Collaboration
CCD agencies continue to build on their collaboration within the established community of practices and Cash Working Group task teams, to strengthen joint capacity and to improve the efficiency, accountability, transparency, technical soundness and effectiveness of cash humanitarian responses through joint advocacy efforts, technical contributions, sharing of learning and programmatic synergies.
Cross-cutting across all project objectives is a learning component that will leverage the new and ongoing work being done in localisation, data portability, user journeys and collaboration to gather key lessons and learning to inform cash programming within Ukraine and globally. An overarching learning agenda frames the key questions CCD seeks to contribute to answering through this programme.
Learning