UNFPA’s experience in different humanitarian contexts has shown that cash and voucher assistance (CVA) is a powerful instrument that can save lives, alleviate risks, and help women and girls escape abusive environments. By giving women and girls greater access to vital services and empowering them with the freedom to choose, UNFPA has found that CVA can directly contribute to the realisation of the Three Transformative Results of zero unmet need for contraception, zero preventable maternal deaths, and zero gender-based violence and harmful practices, which UNFPA is committed to achieving by the year 2030.

This vital brief provides a comprehensive but succinct background on some of the commitments, considerations, and lessons learned surrounding CVA operations in the region and evidence from the field to reinforce main conclusions.