Cash-based interventions (CBIs) are increasingly used to deliver humanitarian assistance. They help to meet the basic needs of vulnerable and crisis-affected populations both by complementing in-kind interventions and as standalone interventions.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has considered CBIs a priority modality since 2014 and is now a leading agency in providing cash assistance. UNHCR CBIs are provided through cash transfers, mostly in the form of unrestricted multi-purpose cash grants. In 2019, UNHCR provided US$646 million in cash and voucher programmes across 100 countries, of which US$614 million (i.e., 95 per cent) was as unrestricted cash.
