1. Food Security Sector – Cox’s Bazar
Tuesday 21st of November 2017, 9:00 – 10:00
Rohingya response v

2. AGENDA Introduction and welcome GFD: 5th round update
OXFAM Rapid assessment
Price monitoring
MEB
AoB ;

3. Action Status PiC Price monitoring Ongoing FSS team + VAM + 5 NGOs
Households assessment enumerators training and field data collection
Done
FSS VAM team + 5 NGOs
FSS to organize a Distribution monitoring discussion
Pending
FSS team
FSS Information Bulletin (monthly)
FSS – IMO - members
FSS & Nutrition step forwards
FSS and Nutrition team and members
FSS Livelihoods technical group
FSS team +8 partners
MEB discussions

4. Round #5 GFD: by partner
Breakdown by Partner

5. Total # Households by distribution point
Round 5:
Total # Households by distribution point

6. Market Price Monitoring
Food Security Sector meeting, Cox’s Bazar
21st November 2017

7. Review Total of 4 rounds of data collection
Target: 12 key markets / 3 traders per market
Key informant survey
19 food and non-food items + labour cost
Frequency: every 2 weeks
Current participants: ACF, IFRC, Christian Aid, Solidarites, YPSA
Objective:
Price trend monitoring
Input for cash considerations

8. List of markets 12 key markets to the target population Markets
Court Bazar
Unchiprang Bazar
Ukhiya City
Nhilla Bazar
Kutupalong
Leda Bazar
Balukhali
Nayapara Bazar
Thingkhali Bazar
Teknaf
Palongkhali Bazar
Shamlapur Bazar

10. Market Dashboard

11. Challenges Challenges
One observation per market, difficult to triangulate
Unit of measurement (e.g. bundle size for bamboo, firewood)
Defining commodity qualities (e.g. plastic, fish)
Reviewing the food and non-food items for seasonality and availability
Wholesale or retail?
Overall improvement of data quality

12. Rohingya Crisis Cash Response
21th November 2017
THE MINIMUM EXPENDITURE BASKET
Cash Working Group | Cox’s Bazar

13. Engaging in a MEB WHAT IS A MEB? Why a MEB? NATIONAL MEB
WHY AN UPDATE PROCESS?
HOW TO UPDATE IT?
MPCA & SECTOR SPECIFIC ASSISTANCE
MEB ROADMAP
Multisector cash refers to unrestricted or restricted cash transfers that cover a range of needs but are designed and managed in a traditional sectoral way. Multipurpose cash refers to unrestricted cash transfers corresponding to an amount of money that cover fully or partly house-hold basic needs.

14. WHAT IS A MEB? WHY?
Defined as what a household needs – on a regular or seasonal basis – and its average cost over time.
The MEB can be a critical component in the design of interventions including Multipurpose Cash Grants/Assistance (MPG/MCA), with transfer amounts calculated to contribute to meeting the MEB. MPCA and sector specific interventions (which can also be cash and market based) should be viewed as complimentary rather than mutually exclusive
Multipurpose-cash intervention (a total amount of money that cover fully or partly household basic needs).

15. National MEB and MPC package
65% spent in Food (NMEB)
MEB BDT 5,400/month
MPCA 4000 BDT /per HH/ 4 weeks
Emergency response, not for recovery
Affected by Natural disasters
Why an update?
HC different realities than Rohingya population
Prices increased
Expenditure patterns
What should be covered by the MEB
If updated, which methodology is better?
Itemized
Expenditures
Others: poverty line, HEA,, HH survey
HEA, FEB 2017 MS, 82% spent in Food
HYBRID

16. TECHNICAL SUBGROUP TO SUPPORT AND FACILITATE WITHIN
Step by Step (*)-TECHNICAL GROUP
List items that are delivered to ensure standards (Unit, Sector, Technical specification)
Classify which items are one off or monthly needs (quarterly can be adapted if possible, if not, add into specifications) Consider HH size and seasonality where appropriate.
Select the items that “realistically” will be available, purchased or defined by standards (it is not an static process). Adapt to how the response evolve. Engage Sectors. Ensure defining and clearly explain the rationale why the item should not be monetized (Cash are only facilitators on this process)
Define a survival basket of items need on monthly basis.
Cost with local prices
Define which items are available, at fair price and in the quantity and quality required in local markets (estimate the potential demand)
ITEMIZED MEB V.1 and sector specific packages (specially one-off packages).
Crosscheck expenditure patterns and consumption of items by getting assistance (REVA, Dec, 2017). Review PDMs. Pilots
EXPENDITURE MEB V.1
Review assessments (feasibility, appropiateness, etc.)
Go back review list of items, add or remove (refer to step 3)
Define a MEB for the operation MEB 2018
Define which items could be cover by a MPCA, or by restricted CBI.
Gap analysis
Inform the response analysis process and define complementary interventions to support MPCA and/or sector specific packages.
MPCA PACKAGE and sector specific packages (specially one-off packages).
TECHNICAL SUBGROUP TO SUPPORT AND FACILITATE WITHIN
SECTORS & CWG

17. MEB ROAD MAP Subgroup MEB update Ongoing
MEB validation
ISCG, NCWG, HCT, GOV (*)
MPCA + Sector’s packages
MEB endorsement
Mid January 2018
End of January 2018
December 2017
HEA, FEB 2017 MS, 82% spent in Food
HYBRID MEB (December-November)
Itemized MEB (November-December)
Expenditure Patterns (December/January)
Sector’s Assistance
Economic Vulnerable population Multipurpose Cash
65% spent in Food
The MEB session was facilitated by Mr. Damien Joud, Food Security Cluster Coordinator and Mr. Atwar Rahman, EFSVL and CWG Coordinator, Oxfam in Bangladesh. The MEB was discussed in the technical session and according to the “Household Economic Approach (HEA)” Study reports for the North West (May to June 2016) and South West (November 2014) conducted by the Food Economy Group under the Food Security Cluster (FSC)/World Food Programme (WFP), the average Minimum Expenditures Basket (MEB) for “Very Poor” of North West (Flood prone areas) and South West (Cyclone prone coastal areas) is BDT 5,400/month during the normal time when there are no disasters. The details are as follows: After a long discussion and interactions in the technical session, the workshop participants proposed and agreed on a package for the “Multi-purpose Cash Assistance” amounting BDT 4,000 (Four thousand only) for 4 weeks for emergency response which is about 75% of the Minimum Expenditures Basket (MEB) for North and South in the aftermath of any disaster considering that the remaining 25% can be covered by peoples’ coping mechanisms, local capacities and other assistances. The agreed amount is for emergency response only not for the recovery period. All humanitarian organizations working in the country will need to follow the package of BDT 4,000 as “Multi-purpose Cash Assistance” for emergency response.
The workshop participants also agreed and appreciated the processes that followed to determine the package like reviewed and analyzed the available Household Economic Approach (HEA) Study reports for the North West (May to June 2016) and South West (November 2014) conducted by the Food Economy Group under the FSC/WFP; Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM) reports conducted by NARRI and DeSHARI Consortia and INGOs in North West and South from All the analyzed information were shared and agreed with the CWG members in the CWG coordination meetings and also consulted the examples of other countries like Nepal and Myanmar for determining the package for Bangladesh. Finally the proposed “Multi-purpose Cash Assistance” package was agreed by the workshop participants.
The Multi-purpose Cash Assistance package is proposed with the views:
 To prevent the increase of negative coping mechanisms among severely vulnerable people and uphold their dignity.
 The Multi-purpose cash assistance will contribute to meeting the survival Minimum Expenditures Basket (MEB), but can also include other one-off or recovery needs.
 To meet the immediate food and other sectoral and basic needs.
 To complement the Government efforts during any humanitarian crisis and to maximize the impacts for emergency response.
(PDM) reports conducted by NARRI and DeSHARI Consortia and INGOs in North West and South from All the analyzed information were shared and agreed with the CWG members in the CWG coordination meetings and also consulted the examples of other countries like Nepal and Myanmar for determining the package for Bangladesh. Finally the proposed “Multi-purpose Cash Assistance” package was agreed by the workshop participants.
REVA (VAM unit FSS) – Mid December Results on Expenditure Patters

18. AoB
Nutrition week

19. THANK YOU!