INTRODUCTION
Cash transfer programming (CTP) has been used in Iraq since 2014, initially for Syrian refugees living in- and out-ofcamp settings across northern Iraq and the KRI. In late-2014 and early 2015, the internal displacement following the conflict with the so-called Islamic State (IS) led to cash and voucher programmes being implemented at a larger scale by NGOs, UNHCR, and WFP. The Iraq Cash Working Group (CWG) was formed in 2014 as a ‘semi-cluster’ to coordinate the growing unconditional, unrestricted cash response, which had come to be referred to as multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA). MPCA was increasingly recognised as not only an effective and appropriate response modality in Iraq, but one that is preferred by beneficiaries. The CWG was given a seat at the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) and, following advocacy by MPCA actors, developed a standalone MPCA chapter for the 2015 HRP. MPCA has had a chapter in the Iraq HRP every year since.
In 2015 there was growing recognition of the efficacy of MPCA as an emergency response modality in Iraq. However, the community as a whole lacked a common understanding of how to accurately identify and assist the most vulnerable households. This was a problem the CCI, by leveraging its internal resources and expertise, was able to address. The tools subsequently developed by the CCI for MPCA assessment, scoring, and verification were endorsed by the CWG and widely used by other MPCA actors. A core tool used by MPCA actors in Iraq is the Vulnerability Assessment (VA).
The VA was designed around a vulnerability model that uses socio-economic indicators to arrive at an overall vulnerability score.
A rapidly changing humanitarian context, however, necessitated revision of the current vulnerability model. Taking advantage of latest data available from a country-wide household assessment that was endorsed by all the humanitarian clusters in the country, the CWG constituted a technical task force to review vulnerability assessment and targeting as it pertained to MPCA. The task force was jointly led by UNHCR and CCI.