Cash Transfers and Gender Equality: Improving its effectiveness in response to the COVID-19

Cash Transfer Programmes (CTP), widespread in Latin America and the Caribbean as a mechanism of social protection to alleviate social and economic difficulties of those living in poverty. CTP has been identified as one of the fastest mechanisms in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.

UN Women's Office for the Americas and the Caribbean has developed a policy brief entitled "Cash Transfers and Gender Equality: Improving its effectiveness in response to the COVID-19". This policy brief presents a discussion of their structures and how they contribute to improving the quality of life among those who are most vulnerable. The policy brief also advocates for the need to include gender as a foundational principle in the design of these programmes.

It by describing recent innovations that have been made to Cash Transfer Programmes (CTP), particularly with respect to different approaches that countries have adopted in response to the COVID-19 crisis. It concludes by providing a series of recommendations that are intended to be of use to organizations and institutions that are working during the current health, social and economic emergency, recommending actions that are taken linked to structural policies.