Consultant - Assessment of ECOWAS Commission, ECOWAS Member States (MS) at the International Organization for Migration (IOM)

International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental andnon-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for thebenefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Consultant - Assessment of ECOWAS Commission, ECOWAS Member States (MS) and Mauritania approaches and efforts on addressing Human Mobility in the Context of Climate Change Environmental Degradation & Disasters.

Job Identification: 12056
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Job Schedule: Full time
Grade: UG
Initial Contract Duration: 4 Months
Contract Type: Consultancy (Up to 11 months)

Job Description
Project Context and Scope:

• The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) seeks to enhance economic integration among its 15 MS, which experience significant mobility as millions of people move within and beyond borders daily.
• This migration, driven by a youthful and growing population facing limited access to quality education and decent job opportunities, manifests in both regular and irregular forms. Migration decisions are often driven by a combination of economic, environmental, social, and political factors.
• In West Africa, floods were with wind storms the most important cause of disaster displacement. Droughts, desertification, deforestation, water scarcity, rising sea levels, coastal erosion have increased in occurrence and severity over the last few decades due to the adverse effects of climate change, also compelling people directly and indirectly to leave their homes. These changes also affect mobile population such as transhumant herders.

Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing:

• FMM II Programme.

Responsibilities
Tasks to be performed under this contract:
The tasks listed below will be subject to ongoing review and, where necessary, adjusted in consultations between the incumbent and IOM:

• Legal and Policy Framework on human mobility in the context of climate change, environmental degradation and disasters:
• Identify inconsistencies, gaps, and overlaps in the legal and policy framework that may impact the implementation process.
• Identify key indicators on ECOWAS, with a particular focus on the Directorates of Free Movement and Environment and Natural Resources, its MS and Mauritania’s legal and policy capacity to address the challenges and seize the opportunities of human mobility in the context of climate change, environmental degradation and disasters as part of a baseline assessment and to allow for measuring progress over time of their capacity.

Institutional Framework and Coordination Mechanisms on human mobility in the context of climate change, environmental degradation and disasters:

• Review of the mandate, responsibilities, and roles of the relevant ECOWAS Commission Directorates, relevant government agencies and institutions related to human mobility in the context of climate change, environmental degradation and disasters.
• Review of ECOWAS internal coordination mechanisms (policies and practices) within the ECOWAS Commission and at its Departments’ and the Directorates’ level, as well as environmental degradation and disaster risk reduction management -gaps and challenges. 
• Review of ECOWAS MS and Mauritania inter-agency and inter-government coordination mechanisms on climate change environmental degradation and disaster risk reduction. Identify the challenges and propose mitigation measures. 
• Assessment of existing Policy Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), guidelines, established practices, etc. within ECOWAS on human mobility in the context of climate change, environmental degradation and disasters to identify gaps and challenges.
• Identify key indicators on ECOWAS, its MS and Mauritania’s institutional frameworks and coordination mechanisms capacity to address the challenges and seize the opportunities of human mobility in the context of climate change, environmental degradation and disasters as part of a baseline assessment and to allow for measuring progress over time of their capacity.

Knowledge Management, Data and Information Sharing processes on human mobility in the context of climate change, environmental degradation and disasters:

• Identify and review existing systems and processes in place for collecting, sharing, and analyzing climate mobility data and ensuring adherence to international standards, and their current implementation capacity in MS and Mauritania. 
• Collect and review all relevant SOPs, instruments, tools and guidelines related to knowledge and data management within the context of climate change, environmental degradation, and disaster risk reduction.
• Identify key indicators on ECOWAS, its MS and Mauritania’s knowledge management, data and information sharing capacity to address the challenges and seize the opportunities of human mobility in the context of climate change, environmental degradation and disasters as part of a baseline assessment and to allow for measuring progress over time of their capacity.

Capacity-Building Needs and actionable recommendations on human mobility in the context of climate change, environmental degradation and disasters:

• Based on the initial assessment of all the key fields above as well as the analyses of its outcomes, the Consultant will provide an overview of key capacity-building gaps and needs for ECOWAS, its MS and Mauritania to better address human mobility in the context of climate change, environmental degradation and disasters. 
• Provide a comprehensive baseline assessment and actionable recommendations

Methodology of the Assessment:

• Pre-Survey Questionnaire: Preparation of an assessment questionnaire streamlined with the developed ECOWAS questionnaire validated by MS to be shared with relevant Departments of the ECOWAS Commission and relevant national institutions in the ECOWAS, its MS and Mauritania.
• Desk Research: The Consultancy will review and analyze relevant documents including, but not limited to: 
  • Relevant regional and national legislation, policies, and strategies. 
  • Annual reports and topical issues reports including reports on climate change environmental degradation and disaster risk reduction thematic areas.
  • The ECOWAS Regional Climate Strategy and Disaster Risk Reduction Policy and other sector-based climate change documents.
  • Surveys (including their methodologies and data collection tools) and research studies relevant to climate change environmental degradation and disaster risk reduction conducted in the ECOWAS Commission, ECOWAS MS, and Mauritania.
  • All relevant documents as per the objectives of the consultancy
• Expert Consultations: The hybrid evaluation will include:
  • Meetings with relevant counterparts and consultations with the support of IOM, who will be accompanying the Consultant throughout all meetings. 
  • The Consultancy will hold extensive consultations with relevant ECOWAS bodies, especially with, the Directorate of Environment and Natural Resources, and other relevant departments within ECOWAS HQ in Abuja 
  • Field visits to selected ECOWAS MS and Mauritania. The number of visits is still subject to discussion.

Performance indicators for the evaluation of results:

• Quality of work: Ability to accurately coordinate with the ECOWAS Commission and relevant stakeholders.
• Timeliness: Ability to meet the consultancy timeline and deliver on time.
• Clarity: Ability to communicate and integrate climate change environmental degradation and disaster risk reduction contents clearly and concisely. 
• Understanding: Ability to understand and interpret the complexities of climate change environmental degradation and disaster risk reduction in integrated border management and free movement-related programme.
• Adaptability: Ability to adjust to changes in scope or objectives. 
• Knowledge: Understanding of climate change environmental degradation and disaster risk reduction and Free Movement of persons in the context for West Africa region. 
• Responsiveness: Ability to provide timely responses to inquiries.

Tangible and Measurable Deliverables of the Assignment

Qualifications
Education:

• Master’s Degree in Political Science, International Relations, International Economics, Law, Environmental Sciences or any other related from an accredited academic institution with six (6) - ten (10) years of progressive working experience in working on migration, climate change, environmental degradation and disaster risk reduction

Experience:

• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in regional integration, climate action and the free movement protocol.
• Demonstrated experience and skills in facilitating stakeholder/working group consultations.
• Relevant regional and international experience will be an added advantage Proven experience in drafting and producing high-quality written reports

Skills:

• Excellent understanding of gender-related needs, perspectives, concerns, and participation.
• Proficiency in English and French. Fluency in Portuguese is an advantage.

Languages:

• IOM’s official languages are English, French and Spanish.
• Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Travel required:

• The consultant may be required to travel on needs basis. 

Required Competencies:
Values - all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these three values:

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.
• Integrity and transparency: Maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.
• Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.
• Empathy: Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.

Core Competencies - behavioural indicators:

• Teamwork: Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• Delivering results: Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
• Managing and sharing knowledge: Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
• Accountability: Takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.
• Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

The consultant will be responsible for:

• All the deliverables as set out in the ToR.
• Cost for translation/interpretation (if applicable), communication (phone/internet) where applicable.

IOM will be responsible for:

• Costs for in-country coordination for data collection, and local and international travel arrangements if applicable.
• This will include flight ticket, any visa or administrative related fee, terminal transfer cost and accommodation only.

Application Closing Date
26th November, 2024; 12:45 AM.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Criteria for Selection of Individual Consultant
Upon the advertisement of the Consultancy Notice, qualified individual consultants are expected to submit:

• CV/Resume, indicating comprehensive experience in similar projects/assignments, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the candidate and at least three (3) professional references.
• Technical Proposal (Narrative) detailing methodology approach for the consultancy.
• Financial Proposal with breakdown costs.
• All individual applicants should be Community Citizens of ECOWAS.

Notes

• Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, verification of residency, visa, and authorizations by the concerned Government, where applicable. Vaccination against COVID-19 will be required for IOM personnel who are hired or otherwise engaged by IOM. As part of the mandatory medical entry on duty clearance, candidates may be requested to provide evidence of full vaccination. Consultants engaged to work on a home-based consultancy who do not need to travel do not need to provide vaccination records, regardless of the length of the consultancy contract.
• IOM covers Consultants against occupational accidents and illnesses under the Compensation Plan (CP), free of charge, for the duration of the consultancy. IOM does not provide evacuation or medical insurance for reasons related to non-occupational accidents and illnesses. Consultants are responsible for their own medical insurance for non-occupational accident or illness and will be required to provide written proof of such coverage before commencing work.
• IOM does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, processing, training or other fee). IOM does not request any information related to bank accounts.
• IOM only accepts duly completed applications submitted through the IOM online recruitment system. The online tool also allows candidates to track the status of their application.
• Pre-selected candidates will be called for interviews.
• Applications without the adequate set of documents will not be considered in the selection process.