Libya Cash & Markets Working Group (CMWG) · • Focus is on a rapid feasibility of cash transfer mechanisms, ... • Tomato paste ... • Jam’eeya – consumer

Libya Cash & Markets Working Group (CMWG)

Libya Cash & Markets W.G 1

MEETING MINUTES (final) Thursday 6th July 2017

TYPE OF MEETING & # Regular CMWG meeting (Meeting #14)

DATE & LOCATION UNHCR Conference Room, Tunis. 1100 - 1300

CHAIR PERSON Tim MCINERNY

ATTENDEES ACTED, CESVI, IOM, Mercy Corps, NRC, REACH, WFP and UNHCR Apologies: CIR, DRC

1) WELCOME & INTRODUCTIONS • Special welcome to Maureen from NRC and Erick from UNHCR as first time attendees

2) SC & TF UPDATES Steering Committee • SC met on 6th June (see annex 3 for minutes)

o Primary agenda item was finalisation of the CMWG Advocacy Strategy Markets Taskforces • Taskforce met 16th June for the Market Assessment Inception Workshop (see annex 2 for more details) • Assessment on-going, have been working on tools and training enumerators next week. • Next monitoring data collection 9th & 10th July • Engagement on-going with sectors around MEB revision. Expected to be ready to discuss in the next meeting. Action – All CMWG members to share details of Libyan contacts that could be good key informants for the market assessment. Action – CMWG Coordinator to link IOM into the Market Monitoring Initiative, to assist with gap filling on locations Interesting Findings from the CMWG Market Initiative discussions so far:

• Macro economic factors are crucial – letters of credit in particular. State importers are not getting letters of credit, so private companies are filling the void.

• Monitoring data is showing significant differences in prices between Tripoli and all other areas.

3) CMWG COORDINATOR UPDATE • CMWG Coordinator in Tripoli next week meeting with Government, private sector, CMWG member representatives and others • Health scoping session scheduled for Tuesday 18th July. ACTED & Mercy Corps supporting the CMWG Coordinator. MERF • ACTED, Mercy Corps and IRC, together with the support of the CMWG, are applying to the START Network Migration

Emergency Response Fund (MERF) (link here) • Focus is on a rapid feasibility of cash transfer mechanisms, specially mechanisms that can be used to deliver assistance to

non-Libyans. • Initial findings scheduled to be available by the end of August.

4) TOUR DE TABLE ACTED • First instalment in Benghazi completed. • GAC Tripoli project is taking some time. • Focus on drafting the RRM SOPs IRC • Interested in scoping possibility of using cash for health objectives. Attending the scoping session. CESVI • Pilot of CBI monitoring initiated. Pre questionnaire findings being analysed. Post questionnaire administered in mid-July. Mercy Corps • Focus on scaling up the cash programming. UNHCR • Shelter & NFI Sector and Protection Sector Strategies have been circulated for feedback. Action – CMWG Coordinator to suggest cash & market related content for sector strategies

5) MERCY CORPS – SIRTE MARKETS REPORT • Mercy Corps presented the initial findings from the Sirte Market Assessment (supported by UNHCR). Presentation accessible

(link here) • Some key findings (many more captured in the presentation):

o Markets/shops easily accessible inside neighborhoods. Though several shops still closed o Important number of informal shops operating o No security concerns when accessing to shops o No significant lack in food items. Exception: infant formula



o NFI available in low quantities

6) ACTED – PDM FINDINGS ANALYSIS • ACTED share the PDM findings from the GAC cash assistance project in Benghazi, April 2017 (see annex 4 and link here)

o The CMWG then spent time unpacking and discussing each of the findings. • Key findings include (more captured in annex 4):

o 93% of households confirmed that they received the cash in their bank accounts at the time of the survey o 89% of households who received transfers to their accounts were able to access the cash o 4hrs was the average time spent waiting at banks to withdraw cash o 100% of households reported that the items they want to buy are available in the market

7) AOB Average Family Size During the meeting a table was circulated to capture the average family size being used by CMWG members in different parts of Libya. The below is the information captured:

Organisation All Libya East West South Mercy Corps 6

DRC 6

ICRC 6

CESVI 5 ACTED 5.7

WFP 5

UNHCR 5.5

IOM 5 6 4 6 Up-coming events • CMWG Health Scoping Session – Tuesday 18th July • CMWG Markets Taskforce Meeting – Wednesday 19th July • ISC Meeting – Tuesday 18th July

Next meeting • Regular Meeting #14 – Thursday 27th 1100 @ACTED

8) ANNEXES I. Action Point Tracking Matrix

II. CMWG Taskforce Meeting Minutes III. CMWG Steering Committee Meeting Minutes

Findings Market chain



Action Point Tracking Matrix Updated: Thursday 6th July 2017

Five out of ten actions completed from the Action Point Tracking Matrix from 25th May meeting.

Action Timeframe Progress 1) Cash WG Coordinator to review the cash decision-making tree and share considerations with the Cash WG. By June 2nd Revised 2) CMWG Coord to share cash and market questions with WASH Coordinator. By June 2nd Revised 3) CMWG Coord to share aide-memoire with World Bank to be shared once agreed upon By June 2nd Revised 4) REACH to share final draft of indicators with SC and CMWG By June 2nd Revised 5) DRC to present CBI lessons learnt during the next CMWG meeting By June 2nd Revised 6) DRC & WFP (south), ACTED (east) and WFP (west) to understand crisis committee processes. CMWG to collate and

share around. Julien to discuss with Libaid on relationship with crisis committees. By June 2nd On-going

7) All CMWG members to share details of Libyan contacts that could be good key informants for the market assessment. By September 2nd Added 8) CMWG Coordinator to link IOM into the Market Monitoring Initiative, to assist with gap filling on locations By September 2nd Added 9) CMWG Coordinator to suggest cash & market related content for sector strategies By September 2nd Added



Annex 2 MEETING MINUTES Markets Taskforce

Friday 16th June 2017 TYPE OF MEETING Markets Taskforce meeting #2

DATE & LOCATION Sidi Bou Said Hotel, Tunis. 0830 – 1400

CHAIR PERSON Manuel BÜSSER

ATTENDEES ACTED, DRC, REACH, WFP, UNHCR & Moomken

1) Agenda • Consolidation of expectations of broader stakeholder group (markets learning event stakeholder exercise on June

14) • Objectives of the market assessment • Review of critical commodities criteria and selection • Review of baseline market mapping and gaps • Review of critical market analysis questions • Additional outstanding market assessment items and wrap up • Follow up discussion on Libya payment mechanisms analysis

2) Outputs • Concrete objective statements • Agree on commodities and rationale • Review of critical market analysis questions • Agreed on statements for assessment regarding key approaches (gender, etc.) • Action list

3) Consolidation of Stakeholder Expectations • Market assessment will provide an overall understanding of critical markets for Libya response

o Capacity of markets overall and for response o Potential to cover representative sectors o Market disruptions o Impact on and from target groups including IDP, refugees and returnees

• Broader lessons on overall market will be tackled in analysis o Household, trader and market liquidity and how market actors are coping with this major obstacle o The role of imports in the Libyan economy o Distinguishing the role of the existing shadow economy (existing sources) and market informality o Raise awareness of existing secondary sources discussing macro-economic factors and other market data

available • Response options will be provided and analyzed

o The potential for aid through local markets o The potential impact of aid interventions on local markets o Additional notes on cash based interventions (connect to current payment mechanisms analysis) o Inform the upcoming HNO and provide recommendations for RRM

4) Market Assessment Objectives • Understand the impact of ongoing crises in Libya to critical local markets and their coping strategies, including

how disruptions are affecting overall market function and supply, and how they are impacting households’ market access.

• Inform the humanitarian sector’s understanding of broader economic factors (liquidity, role of imports, informality) by providing additional information on their role in specific critical markets.

• Understand the possibility for humanitarian aid to be increasingly delivered through local markets • Provide a baseline for future assessment and research, inform humanitarian understanding of key issues of local

markets and the impact of humanitarian aid on them.



5) Guiding Statements for Market Assessment • Assessment will focus on current picture of market function, rather than full comparison of a baseline

situation since Libya presents multiple baselines (pre-2011, pre-2014 crisis) which all have significant market anomalies.

• Analysis will strive to provide good enough data to inform response. For example, selected market chains may be adjusted or dropped during initial assessment, or conducted in a lighter or quicker approach.

• Depth will be determined by need – fewer key informants up the market chain may be interviewed to provide an overall picture.

• Assessment will be inclusive of gender considerations – both in endeavouring to speak to female consumers, traders and key informants and in analyzing women’s market access across geographic and target group lines.

• Specific target groups will include IDPs, refugees and migrants, and their market access, economic impact and role in local markets will be analyzed.

6) Critical commodities review and initial selection Criteria: • Interested in broader look at a sample of critical goods across sectors and how they contribute to a understanding

of large picture response issues, need to balance with deeper understanding of 1-2 goods. • Broad range to cover sectors and picture of needs • Includes subsidized goods and non-subsidized goods • Basic and regularly consumed – in the MEB • Potentially being disrupted by humanitarian aid – current in kind giving • Demonstrate regional differences • Can provide gender specific analysis

Selection: • Wheat flour – subsidized, regularly consumed, MEB, humanitarian distribution, main dietary good, some baseline

info from 2011 WFP study • Fresh tomatoes or eggs

o Tomatoes – fresh supply is different, perishable, some local production and increasing imports, not subsidized, WFP 2011 study, tomatoes will most likely be chosen over eggs

o Eggs – MEB, imports and local supply, fresh item, official import, fluctuations, more important to daily consumption

• Soap – imported (some small local production?), potential for local factory availability, part of humanitarian hygiene kits

• For additional questions: Insulin – additional considered Panadol/ aspirin, but is less critical life saving good and may be too specific. Health sector interest, available in pharmacies, different and recurrent supply. Potential for quick look at how market works and potential for response to better engage local market actors.

Additionally considered: • Gas cylinders – basic, subsidized, spikes. But supply is controlled often by militias. Considered too complicated

for this market assessment. More conflict analysis is needed. • Other WaSH items (toothpaste, diapers, baby milk) – smuggling, baby milk also food item, disruptions • Milk – MEB, local cows, but less overall importance • Cooking oil – official import, similar to wheat flour • Tuna – MEB? • Tomato paste – in food basket • Onions – fresh food item but less central than tomatoes

7) Baseline Market Map Overview – Wheat Flour Market Environment • Central Bank – letters of credit • Supply Department – is this just medical? • Price Stability Fund (PSF) – subsidies • Importation body/basic commodities • Local economic bodies (distribution body)

Market Chain – 2011 WFP map of the east skips several up front chain actors that could be useful to know about, if they limit overall supply in the country or have an excess of control • Different linkages for wheat flour vs. grains? • Jam’eeya – consumer associations



• Farms are both public and private, need to look at additional supply beyond imports • Mills are both public and private • Geographic distinctions • Bakeries are getting wheat flour from the government importers, then selling to wholesalers (reverse chain) who

resell the flour to even additional users (food producers directly, smugglers) • Consumers can also buy wheat flour directly from the baker (up to 50kg) • Bread is also being used by farmers for animal feed, as it is cheaper than feed due to subsidies

8) Review of critical market analysis questions • Review critical questions from IRC framework; largely agreed with ranking/rating from last TF meeting • Will primarily focus on questions 1 & 4 and adapt them to Libyan context:

1) To what extent are local market actors willing and able to provide key goods (wheat flour, fresh tomatoes and soap) in the quantity/volume necessary to meet the needs of the crisis-affected population (IDPs, migrants, refugees and host communities)? To what degree do conflict and liquidity crisis impede the provision of key goods? How is this expected to change over the next few months?

4) Is the crisis-affected population able to physically and safely reach the market places where the key goods are being sold? Does the population have the means and liquidity to purchase the key goods? How is this expected to change over the next few months?

9) Next Steps • Share summary of points with Cash and Markets Working Group (CMWG) and validate final points • Additional follow up with health sector on potential market chain (Tim to follow up) • Finalize market chain selection • Initial KII list and leads to market chain actors and other key stakeholders – sessions and outreach with field

coordinators and other Libyan staff • Begin market mapping of selected market chains • Confirm agenda for August workshop on initial findings and response analysis



Annex 3

STEERING COMMITTEE MINUTES (Final) Tuesday 6th June 2017

TYPE OF MEETING & # SC meeting (Meeting #4)

DATE & LOCATION ACTED Conference Room, 1500 - 1800

CHAIR PERSON UNHCR - Julien PESHMAN (CMWG Lead)

ATTENDEES • ACTED - Clement Rouquette (CMWG Co-Lead) • DRC – Kayla Pries • MercyCorps – Giovanni Sciolto • CIR – Tito Cappellaro • IOM – Martina Salvatore • CashCap/UNHCR – Tim McInerny (CMWG Coordinator)

AGENDA 9) WELCOME 10) REVIEW OF ACTION POINTS (ANNEX 1) 11) REVIEW OF THE 2017 WORKPLAN 12) COMMUNICATION & ADVOCACY PLAN

Review stakeholder mapping and analysis Develop key messages

13) SUMMARY OF ACTIONS

AGREEMENT ! 2017 Workplan reviewed. General consensus that progress is on track and no major redirection

needed. o As per the Workplan, one day review session to be organised in Q4.

ACTIONS ! CMWG to co-facilitate working session with health sector in July to map opportunities for using CBI

to achieve health objectives ! Julien to share Shelter & Protection sector strategies for inclusion of CMWG inputs ! Tim to work with ACTED, DRC & CESVI technical staff to updated CaLP Atlas in July ! Clement to share the ACTED developed technical guidance note on community engagement. ! Tim to share Coordination Officer ToR with SC and if possible CV of selected applicant ! Tim to organise meeting between SC and UNHCR during the UNHCR CBI Section Mission in July.

To discuss the longer term staffing support to the CMWG coordination function. ! Mercy Corps to consider providing a technical staff member in 2018 that would be co-coordinator of

the CMWG.



Annex 4



Documents

Libya Cash & Markets Working Group (CMWG) · • Focus is on a rapid feasibility of cash transfer mechanisms, ... • Tomato paste ... • Jam’eeya – consumer