Consultant – Durable Solutions Strategy Review

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the UN Migration Agency. With 174 member states it is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. Established in 1951 and now active in over 400 field locations worldwide, IOM works with partners, government and civil society to:

• Assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration and mobility
• Advance understanding of migration issues
• Encourage social and economic development through migration; and
• Uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants and mobile populations.

IOM is committed to a diverse and inclusive environment. Internal and External candidates are eligible to apply to this vacancy.
IOM’s Regional Office for the East and Horn of Africa supports and monitors the following countries: Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Through a team of specialists, the Regional Office supports the development, implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of projects and initiatives undertaken by country offices and regional programmes.

Crises are forcing record numbers of people to flee their homes, seeking safety within or across international borders. The increasingly complex and unpredictable nature of these crises is resulting in more protracted displacement situations. Contemporary patterns and processes of forced displacement do not easily lend themselves to resolution through the three classic durable solutions of return, local integration, or resettlement (or relocation for internally displaced persons (IDPs)). Furthermore, the underlying dynamics of current complex emergencies defy political solutions alone.

In the East and Horn of Africa (EHoA) region, forced displacement is very prevalent, with overall 12M people forcibly displaced, including 8.3M IDPs and 3.7M refugees (Dec 2022). In addition, 48.5M people are in need of humanitarian assistance, a 120 per cent increase since 2019. In line with trends in global displacement, forced displacement across the region has increased in volume over the last five years, fuelled by political conflicts, socioeconomic challenges, and environmental factors. 2022 has seen a new wave of internal and cross-border displacements caused by drought and conflict across the region. New approaches are needed if all stakeholders are to avoid remaining trapped in this cycle for decades to come.

Internal displacement is mostly caused by conflict and violence, although climate-induced displacement has been increasing due to the floods and drought affecting several areas in the region. A combination of factors often lies at the core of displacement. There are conceptual and operational reasons why protracted displacement is now the norm. First, a range of factors propel forced displacement; in several countries, patterns of violence and conflict, mostly at the intrastate level, challenge the capacity of the international community to promote peace building and lasting political solutions. Other drivers such as human rights violations, poverty, and poor governance, such as in Somalia and Burundi, also precipitate involuntary migration. These factors often reflect fragile underlying conditions, such as water scarcity, food insecurity, drought, environmental degradation, and famine, for example in the Horn of Africa. Another contemporary characteristic of current crises is episodic violence and thus recurring and multiple displacements, such as in South Sudan.

Natural hazards are also a major driver of displacement, potentially increasing with accelerating climate change. Although populations affected by natural hazards may return more easily than in the case of conflict-induced displacement, durable solutions are not always available. Failure to resolve land-related and other issues after a disaster may lead to protracted displacement, as experienced in Burundi and Ethiopia. Where return is feasible, it may take time to be accomplished and may not be sustainable in the longer term.

Finally, it is also becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between conflict and hazards as the immediate causes of displacement. On the one hand, episodes of drought-induced food shortages and famines have been associated with rising conflict in the region, while on the other hand, conflicts have increased the vulnerability of the populations already displaced by climate-related hazards. Recurrent incidences of natural and man-made hazards have resulted in protracted displacement, which poses dilemmas for long-term, development-oriented solutions and tends to lead towards an emphasis on short-term humanitarian assistance.
Durable solutions are critical to post-conflict countries’ recovery and sustainable development, which requires comprehensive and effective recovery and development strategies and programmes (UNSG, 2011). It is important to note that finding solutions to displacement is a process rather than a specific endpoint. The United Nations Secretary-General noted in the annex to his Decision No. 2011/20 that failing to put an end to displacement can result in increased and continued vulnerabilities, and can negatively impact hosting communities, leading to serious economic, political and security implications for national authorities and affected populations. Refugee returnees and IDPs need durable solutions, that is, they need to work towards a situation in which they no longer have assistance and protection needs related to their displacement and such persons can enjoy their human rights without discrimination resulting from their displacement.
Traditionally, durable solutions frameworks have typically centred around three settlement options of sustainable, voluntary return, sustainable settlement elsewhere and sustainable local integration. IOM like many other stakeholders has recognized that these three solutions are based on finite conditions that do not fully reflect forced migration trends and which are focused on ending mobility and movement. In 2016, IOM developed “The Progressive Resolution of Displacement Situations” a framework which integrates mobility dimensions into a wider and more inclusive approach to the progressive resolution of displacement situations.
The promotion of durable solutions is a central priority for the International Organization for Migration (IOM). At IOM’s Regional Office for EHoA, the Emergency and Post-Crisis (EPC) Unit is the unit responsible for leading IOM’s focus on finding solutions that allow the displaced populations to rebuild their lives. Overall, the EPC Unit aims to provide evidence to inform decision-making and to identify best practices, gaps, and challenges that will inform harmonized, dynamic processes and approaches to facilitate durable solutions in the region and beyond.
Likewise, with such a large, displaced population in the region, the promotion of durable solutions is a central priority of governments in the East and Horn of Africa (EHoA) as well as Regional Economic Communities (RECs) including the East African Community (EAC) and The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). This has led to the creation of a plethora of frameworks and initiatives across countries and the region, many of them duplicative and overlapping.

PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH

Under the overall supervision of the Senior Regional Policy and Programmes Coordinator and the direct supervision of the Senior Regional Emergency and Post-Crisis Specialist, the incumbent will produce a mapping and analysis of the durable solutions landscape in the EHoA region, analyzing the linkages between global, regional and country level policies, strategies, initiatives and platforms on durable solutions.
The study will also provide policy recommendations and guidance that contextualize IOM’s approach to global “Partnerships for Supporting Sustainable Solutions to Internal Displacement” within the EHoA region. The report is expected to provide a coherent strategy for IOM’s engagement within country and regional level frameworks based along the five principals outlined in the document “Partnerships for Supporting Sustainable Solutions to Internal Displacement”, specifically:

• Community driven, locally led development solutions
• Enhanced data, data partnerships and joint analysis for solutions
• Strengthening governance systems and the policy environment
• Investing in displacement prevention, through preparedness, anticipatory action, early warning and reducing disaster risk
• Placing protection at the center1 and ensuring the continuum of protection and respect and promotion of human rights2 throughout the solutions continuum that is rooted in a rights-based approach

RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment

• First deliverable – a meeting with RO Nairobi EPC and agreement on the final scope of the review and final deadlines for deliverables two, three and four.
• Second deliverable – A first draft of the mapping study which provides an analysis of the durable solutions landscape in EHoA region – including policies, frameworks, and platforms. The mapping study will cover the 12 countries in the EHoA region that are members of the EAC and IGAD: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, the Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda. EAC and IGAD’s policies and platforms on durable solution will also analyzed. The key objective of the mapping study is to analyze the linkages between global, regional and country level policies, strategies, initiatives and platforms on durable solutions. It will also identify innovations applied by countries with respect to implementing the regional and global policies and frameworks as well as gaps. The study is also expected to provide a way forward for the second deliverable which is a regional strategic engagement plan.
• Third deliverable – A first draft regional strategic engagement plan for IOM’s durable solutions approach to support member states and RECs. The regional engagement strategy will map out key trends, policies and entry points that guide IOM’s durable solutions in the region, explaining their linkages to global frameworks and the added value of the organization in the area of durable Solutions. The strategy will be developed based on the mapping study.
• Fourth & Final deliverable – A final version of both documents (mapping study and regional strategic engagement plan).

Performance indicators for the evaluation of results

1. Preliminary draft mapping and analysis of all relevant policies, frameworks and platforms on Durable Solutions in the IGAD and EAC regions which includes:

• Mapping and analysis of linkages and gaps between country, regional and global frameworks;
• Mapping of key stakeholders of each of the frameworks;
• Identifies best practices and innovations in country & regional frameworks that should be replicated.

2. Preliminary draft of regional strategic framework which:

• Identifies and analyzes key trends and policies in global, regional and country level durable solutions frameworks and how they link to IOM’s global durable solutions framework;
• Identifies key entry points and areas for further investment by IOM at the country and regional level;
• Prioritizes IOM’s engagement within policies, frameworks and platforms throughout the region;
• Contextualizes IOM’s global durable solutions strategy for the region and explains IOM’s added value at the country and regional level.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• A minimum of an advanced university degree in a social science with a specialization on displacement, migration studies, focus on the African continent, research methods, or another related field;
• At least 10 years of professional policy- oriented research and working experience with the UN/INGO system;
• Solid, in-depth understanding of IOM’s mandate and work on migration;
• Track record of research and publications on migration, community stabilization and durable solutions or preferably all three areas combined;
• Track record of effective coordination with multiple stakeholders for research on migration, community stabilization, durable solutions or preferably all three areas combined;
• Solid work experience in the East and Horn of Africa region in research on migration, community stabilization, durable solutions is an added advantage;
• Experience working with IGAD/EAC and their member states on areas related to migration, community stabilization, durable solutions is an added advantage; VI. SKILLS
• Ability to collate and synthesize a wide range of literature from multiple sources in an easily comprehensible, accurate and intelligible manner;
• Ability to extract information from a wide range of literature from multiple sources, summarize and analyze it and present it in a succinct, relevant, and well-defined manner, tailored to the needs of the Organization.

LANGUAGES

Required: Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of French; and/or any other UN Official language is advantageous.