The report has been prepared as commissioned by the Government of Madagascar (Ministry of Population, Social protection and Women’s Promotion and the National Office of Risk and Disaster Management) in coordination with the members of the emergency cash group and with UNICEF’s funding and technical support. The results of this report have been presented and discussed with the Government and the members of the emergency cash group.

The main goal of this analysis is to provide the Government with elements for setting up a shock responsive national social protection system. Madagascar currently has several cash transfer programmes, implemented by the Government as well as humanitarian agencies. These include both development and emergency response programmes. In the past, there have been coordination efforts among the different implementing agencies, however, these efforts are not systematic and significant challenges still remain as to coordination, especially with regard to emergency response. Therefore, the Government wishes to develop a strategy for a better harmonization of the various cash transfer interventions in Madagascar.

This report has two sections. The first analyzes the Government’s social safety nets programme as a developmental response to a chronic situation of vulnerability of the population. Section 2 focuses on the use of cash transfers as emergency response.