| Role objectives |
- To broaden understanding around the pull & push factors of migration & displacement in the socio cultural, economic & political context of Afghanistan.
- To assess the extent to which the existing policies & services in Afghanistan address the specific needs of returnees & host communities from return preparation to the reintegration stage.
- To explore the migration experiences between Europe, Turkey & Afghanistan, focusing on policies & programs that facilitate successful return & sustainable reintegration.
- To assess the capacity of high return communities, both in rural & urban settings, to provide an enabling environment for sustainable reintegration.
- To assess the effectiveness of applying DRR, climate change adaptation & circular economy approaches to SME investments in Afghanistan.
- To broaden understanding on the effectiveness of investment in productive infrastructures in contrast with the livelihood activities considering the context, capacities & vulnerabilities of returnees at the individual, household & community levels.
- To assess the specific health needs of Afghan migrants returning from Europe to Afghanistan & the extent to which their needs are being met.
- To explore how social reintegration processes can facilitate social cohesion in the broader community & contribute to sustainable peace in Afghanistan.
Scope of the research:
The research will cover Afghanistan (provinces of high return), host countries (e.g. Pakistan, Iran & European countries) & transit countries (e.g. Iran, Turkey, etc.). Target groups for the research will depend on the specific topic of research & may include the following participants:
- IOM personnel in HO / HQ in Kabul & working on relevant programs.
- Other relevant IOM personnel in Afghanistan.
- Govt. representatives at the national, provincial & district levels.
- Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR).
- Ministry of Labour & Social Affairs (MoLSA).
- Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation & Livestock.
- Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).
- Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation (MRRD).
- DDAs (District Development Assemblies) / DCCs (District Coordination Councils).
- CDC (Community Development Council) & return refugees’ (i.e., returnees’) representatives including elders & other community representatives.
- Representatives of private sector such as the Chamber of Commerce.
- Members of CSO's at national, provincial & community levels.
- Relevant govt. & NGO stakeholders in transit & host countries.
- Returnee individuals who are willing to share their migration experiences & will be or have already returned to Afghanistan.
- Afghan individuals that are planning to leave Afghanistan.
- Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in areas of high return.
- IOM beneficiaries.
Importantly, consent must be sought from any persons or entity participating in the research & must be preapproved by IOM in response to the final research design document submitted during the inception phase.
Research location:
- All research will make reference to the case of Afghanistan & where appropriate, the RADA program.
- Depending on the research topic & the necessity of primary data collection, research will either be conducted in country or remotely & refer to practices from other countries & contexts when relevant to the research.
Research topics
| Research topic |
Suggested
modality
|
Type |
| Theme 1: Resilient communities, social & psychosocial reintegration support |
| 1 |
What defines the reintegration needs of returnees & IDPs (with a focus on the vulnerable & marginalised, such as women, youth & persons with disabilities)? What are best practices of how these needs can be addressed most effectively through stabilisation, reintegration & resilience projects?
|
In country |
Evaluation / best practices |
| 2 |
What defines the reintegration needs of former combatants? What are best community based DDR practices? (Using examples from both Afghanistan & similar contexts.)
|
In country
|
Evaluation / best practices |
| 3 |
How can inter & intra community tensions & conflicts in displacement affected communities be best be identified, prevented & resolved in Afghan communities? What approaches have proved successful & which ones have not?
|
In country
|
Evaluation / best practices
|
| 4 |
Which are the main mental health challenges facing Afghan migrants forced to leave Europe? What strategies & approaches are most effective in delivering mental health & psychological support prior to departure, on arrival back to Afghanistan & when trying to reintegrate in their communities of origin? (With a focus on the most vulnerable & marginalised people on the move, such as women, youth & persons with disabilities.)
|
Remote |
Evaluation / best practices
|
| Theme 2: Economic revitalisation |
| 5 |
What challenges do displacement affected groups (with a focus on the most vulnerable & marginalised people on the move, such as women, youth & persons with disabilities) face regarding access to decent & sustainable employment? How do the effects of these challenges impact on vulnerable, non working age household members, such as children & the elderly (e.g. resulting in negative coping mechanisms such as child labour)?
|
In country
|
Evaluation
|
| 6 |
What are the various barriers, opportunities & pathways that lead to sustainable employment for displaced persons (with a focus on vulnerable groups)? What is best practice in optimizing the pathways to sustainable employment?
|
In country / remote
|
Evaluation / policy brief |
| 7 |
What is the bidirectional link between (Afghan) national economic institutions & the reintegration of displaced persons? How do national economic institutions (policies, formal & informal institutions) support reintegration & concurrently, how can displaced persons support national development priorities?
|
In country
|
Scientific / policy brief |
| 8 |
Can economic development / livelihood activities play a role in creating transformative (e.g. poverty reducing, rights / social protections advancing, pro peace) community actors? What is the impact of these actors & what is best practice for empowering transformation? |
In country |
Evaluation / (internal) policy brief |
| 9 |
Is there a net benefit of urban migration? What are the relations between integration of people on the move into the labour force of urban economies with national economic development? How can people on the move best contribute to economic systems & markets?
|
Remote
|
Scientific / policy brief |
| Theme 3: Sustainable infrastructure & services |
| 10 |
What role does access to basic services, incl. education, health, WASH, transport & a productive infrastructure system play in economic, social & psychosocial integration of people on the move? (With a focus on the most vulnerable & marginalised people on the move, such as women, youth & persons with disabilities.)
|
Remote
|
Evaluation / policy brief |
| 11 |
What impact does the delivery of basic services & infrastructure have on push & pull factors for people on the move to urban & / or rural areas? How can a network & hierarchical system approach support service delivery & prevent some localities from being overburdened?
|
Remote
|
Scientific / policy brief |
| Theme 4: Local governance |
| 12 |
How can inclusive community level participatory planning of stabilization, reintegration & resilience projects contribute to increasing the legitimacy & accountability of local authorities & the govt.?
|
In country
|
Evaluation / best practices |
| 13 |
What has been the impact of community based development initiatives (such as the national solidarity program, citizens’ charter, etc.) on increasing the responsiveness of local / village level governance to the needs of people on the move? (With a focus on the most vulnerable & marginalised people on the move, such as women, youth & persons with disabilities.)
|
In country
|
Evaluation / policy brief |
| Theme 5: Climate action |
| 14 |
What will be the most critical climate related challenges faced by communities in Afghanistan in the immediate to medium term future? What effects will these challenges have on displacement & what climate resilience measures can be deployed at a community and local level? (With a focus on the most vulnerable & marginalised people on the move, such as women, youth & persons with disabilities.)
|
Remote
|
Scientific / policy brief |
Research design & methodology:
- Applicants should detail their technical approach to the research, proposing a clear design & a subsequent methodology that should link with the financial components of the proposal.
- IOM proposes that the research employs a mixed method design, conducting both quantitative & qualitative data collection.
- The proposed quantitative & qualitative data collection methods / tools may include, self administered questionnaires, interviewer administered questionnaires (women, men, children, boys & girls) & relevant stakeholders’ interview, FGD's, KII's & direct observation from communities where reintegration projects are implemented.
- IOM has provided suggested modalities for conducting this research, however, applicants may suggest alternatives that will still enable robust research. For example, research could be conducted in Kabul with research participants visiting the consultant in the capital city. Alternatively, the consultant could work remotely with national Enumerators supporting their research.
IOM roles & responsibilities:
- Support the consultant so that they have access to relevant RADA program documents & data.
- Support the consultant so that they have access to RADA program participants, ensuring appropriate consent is attained.
- Support the consultant so that they have access to key informants including IOM in country senior management team.
- Review the research design document, literature review & draft papers submitted, providing feedback where appropriate.
Consultant’s role & responsibilities:
- The research consultant will report to the Senior Project Manager or delegate.
- Conduct training for the data collection team (if applicable).
- Oversee data collection.
- Undertake data entry & analysis.
- Travel to provinces of Afghanistan where required.
- Develop scientifically robust research processes & tools.
- Develop a research implementation plan.
- Review & apply IOM’s principles on:
- Personal data protection.
- Accountability to affected populations.
- Do no harm frameworks.
The following will be provided by the consultant:
- Concept note to include a) context description, b) project / research description, c) research objectives, d) literature review, e) details of methodology, f) data collection tools, g) timeline/work plan.
- The concept note will be reviewed & feedbacks (if required) will be provided by IOM.
- The consultant will have to incorporate the feedback & resubmit the final version.
- This will be approved by the Senior Program Manager.
- Draft & final research report(s).
- Page limit per research report is not given but approximately 20 pages (excluding annexes) is appreciated.
- The report to be provided in IOM’s template & include: a) executive summary, b) background, c) research objectives, d) methodology, e) findings, f) conclusions & recommendations.
- A presentation of each research report to IOM management in Kabul, outlining the main findings collected during the field work. A power point presentation that includes a summary of the research report (including process, findings & recommendations).
- A dataset for each research report, including the final data used for the research analysis, for both quantitative & qualitative components.
Tentative timeline & milestones:
Narrative & financial reports are to be provided to IOM at the end of the agreement period as per the template, timeline & conditions agreed upon in the project implementation agreement.
| Step |
Deadline |
| Selection of candidate(s) |
Within 15 business days |
| Contracting process |
Within 20 business days of selection |
| Research design document |
Within 10 business days of contract issuance |
| Literature / document review |
Within 10 business days of design doc submission |
| Presentation & submission of first draft |
Within 60 business days of literature review submission |
| Presentation & submission of second draft, incorporating feedback |
Within 30 business days of submission of first draft |
| Final presentation & submission |
Within 30 business days of submission of second draft |
|
|
