This short note examines the relationship between the humanitarian assistance sector and the routine social protection sector in response toCOVID-19. Whilst a variety of guidance is being developed to support humanitarian practitioners around the response to the pandemic, less material exists that guides humanitarian practitioners on how to practically link their responses to social protection (SP) systems and programmes in the COVID-19 response. Both sectors have comparative advantages that together can improve overall outcomes:
- Routine social protection systems usually have larger reach, while humanitarian actors are specialised in serving the most vulnerable, working collectively they can achieve higher coverage, adequacy and comprehensiveness of assistance, to better meet needs of affected populations.
- Humanitarian actors are good at mobilising quickly, while routine social protection systems often work more cost-effectively. By working together,they can ensure better timeliness, cost-effectiveness, accountability, predictability and sustainability compared to working in parallel.