About the Asia-Pacific Regional Cash Working Group
The Asia-Pacific Regional Cash Working Group (RCWG) is the region’s inter-agency platform for Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) coordination. It supports national Cash Working Groups (CWGs) and country teams through technical assistance, surge capacity, and coordination for cash preparedness and ongoing operations. It also serves as a forum for regional and national experts to share information, exchange lessons learned, develop guidance, and promote its application at the national level.
The RCWG is co-led by the World Food Programme (WFP), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), with support from NORCAP/CashCap. Inter-agency cash coordinators and technical advisers operate at regional and national levels in key countries. Membership includes country CWGs, regional stakeholders, donors, UN regional offices, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, NGOs, and other CVA actors.
Strategic Roadmap 2025–2027
The RCWG Strategic Roadmap sets a vision for inclusive, crisis-ready, nationally led and locally implemented cash coordination systems that are regionally supported.
It is anchored in two principles:
People-centredness – placing affected communities at the heart of decision-making.
Risk-informed programming – integrating anticipatory action and resilience-building.
How Cash Interventions Span Across Phases
The Strategic Pathway for Locally-led Action illustrates how cash assistance evolves across the disaster risk reduction (DRR) continuum — from preparedness to recovery — enabling community-led action at every stage. Across all phases, cash interventions shift from preparedness to protection to resilience, empowering communities to act locally, lead their own recovery, and strengthen long-term systems for risk-informed, people-centered action.
Three-Year Phasing and Joint Efforts of the RCWG Roadmap
The three-year phasing strategy embodies the Humanitarian Reset by connecting top-down support with bottom-up action for cash interventions. This hybrid model fosters shared responsibility and accountability, recognising that those closest to the risk are often best placed to deliver solutions. The strategy strengthens local preparedness, enhances regional collaboration, and empowers communities to make decisions that reduce disaster risks.
Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
