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This document provides an overview of the factors that may put persons with disabilities at heightened risk in the COVID-19 pandemic and response in humanitarian settings; and proposes actions to address these risks. This note draws on the IASC Guidelines on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, applying these to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the Coronavirus pandemic means that the Co-convenors of the workstream 3 (Increase the use and coordination of cash-based programming) are unable to hold the annual Grand Bargain cash workstream workshop in person this year, they are still keen to keep up the momentum and harness all the great work the Signatories have been doing to deliver in our shared commitment to increase the use and coordination of humanitarian cash assistance.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on ongoing humanitarian crises have created a need to make funding agreements more flexible so that frontline humanitarian actors receive timely and adequate resources and can pivot as appropriate to COVID-19-related activities.

The Operational Policy and Advocacy Group (OPAG) of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) held the sixth session of its third regular meeting on 19 June 2020. The primary objectives of this session was to (i) follow up on the previous discussion around how best to leverage new opportunities created in light of the pandemic to speed up localization efforts; and (ii) discuss the shared responsibility around duty of care for all humanitarian workers, including national staff, particularly from a prevention vantage point.  

This light guidance was developed by WHO and UNHCR on behalf of the IASC Results Group 4 on Humanitarian-Development Collaboration and in consultation with the UN Joint Steering Committee to Advance Humanitarian and Development Collaboration (JSC). It is to be a live document meant to ensure a common understanding of analysis, funding and financial strategies and effective coordination initiatives. It highlights key steps and questions that should be answered during the process of creating and delivering context-specific collective outcomes.