Vulnerability and Participant Targeting in the Context of COVID-19

In the wake of the novel coronavirus global pandemic (COVID-19), humanitarian and development actors face a new reality in terms of implementing on-going – and future – food security and resilience strengthening interventions. Efforts to reduce the spread of the virus, including travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders, make it difficult if not impossible for implementing activities to address the resilience, food security, livelihoods, nutrition, and other needs of vulnerable or affected populations. As part of a series of virtual expert consultations to explore guidance and operationalization strategies important for food security and resilience programming in the face of COVID-19, this background paper summarizes the issues around new forms of vulnerability as a result of COVID-19 and implications for targeting in current and future humanitarian and development activities.