2. RHVP context • Growing caseload of chronically vulnerable to hunger. • Continued reliance on short term responses • . . . And limited menu of short term response options – primarily food aid • Concerns regarding the reliability of current vulnerability assessments to guide appropriate responses • Concerns regarding the need for vulnerability assessment systems to capture the complex nature of vulnerability to guide appropriate responses

3. RHVP – The big picture • Goal • Reduce hunger & vulnerability in southern Africa • Purpose • Improve national and regional policies & systems for addressing hunger & vulnerability in the SADC region

4. How will we achieve this?3 content areas • Improving knowledge • Generate, synthesise, interpret & disseminate evidence for better policy response • Improving human & technical capacity • Enhance human & technical capacities to provide and interpret information on vulnerability for better policy response • Promoting policy uptake • Enhance policy-makers’ capacity to main stream hunger and vulnerability issues in national policy frameworks

5. POLICY CHANGE ENHANCED CAPACITIES EVIDENCE RHVP CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK adopting broader policy options and mainstreaming them in PRSPs VAA and broader approaches knowledge and its application

6. How will we achieve this?Approach • A demand driven resource • . . . But on merit not an entitlement • Provide a regional perspective • Support countries’ own initiatives • Develop tools and evidence to support improved assessment, analysis & policy-making • Building capacities to support improved assessment, analysis & policy-making

7. How RHVP will add value – the regional dimension • Technical • Consistent and comparable methodologies • Establishing key common indicators • Cross border information systems • Developing regional “engine” to generate needed human and technical capacity • Lessons • Comparative studies to identify best practices (intra/extra regional) • Retrospective evaluation of the accuracy of VAA predictions • Preparation of generic handbooks/implementation manuals • Advocacy • Preparing generic policy guidelines • Bringing lessons to the attention of policy makers • Externalities of national policy choices

8. How RHVP will add value – the national dimension • Technical: • Building capacities in existing institutions • Supporting the institutionalisation of existing systems • Lessons: • Synthesising existing policies and instruments • Commissioning national evidence based research • Advocacy: • Promoting the inclusion of hunger and vulnerability issues in national policy frameworks • Promoting the provision of predictable resources to meet the needs of the predictably vulnerable

9. Isn’t about Imposing a blueprint OR Dictating national or regional level priorities Is about A demand driven resource Providing evidence & identifying lessons on best practice Building national & regional capacities What RHVP is and isn’t

10. Isn’t about Abandoning food aid OR Wholesale replace-ment of food aid with cash transfers Is about Predictable resources for predictable needs On-budget funding Placing food aid within a social protection context Looking at longer term options What RHVP is and isn’t

11. Isn’t about Replicating or replacing existing institutions OR Replicating or replacing existing tools and methods Is about Working with existing institutions Promoting evolution of tried and tested tools Enabling VAA to better serve evolving user needs in reducing hunger & vulnerability What RHVP is and isn’t

12. What do we hope to leave behind–regional level • Stronger regional coordination & cooperation on hunger and vulnerability responses: • A stronger regional capacity to generate skills, methodologies and research to support hunger & vulnerability assessment & responses • A stronger regional capacity to manage information & evidence on hunger & vulnerability

13. What do we hope to leave behind-national level • Increased Government responsibility and accountability for reducing hunger & vulnerability: • Better VAA systems – relevant, accurate, reliable and sustainable • Hunger & vulnerability issues incorporated in national policy framework • Adequate on budget resources provided to meet needs of the predictably vulnerable • Broader range of short and long term instruments to respond to chronic vulnerability

14. Thank you www.rhvp.org