Migration, Environment and Climate Change (MECC) Toolkit Consultant

1. Nature of the consultancy: External Evaluation: To develop a contextualized gender-sensitive Migration, Environment, and Climate Change toolkit and a set of recommendations for the Government of Zimbabwe to mainstream migration and human mobility into climate change, environment, and sectoral policies, disaster-reduction plans, strategies, and frameworks.

2. Project Context and Scope:

   The phenomenon of climate change is not new as it has been occurring since time immemorial. However, the impacts of climate change have become more conspicuous in recent years due to several factors such as rapid urbanization, migration, and displacement due to natural disasters among other factors and population pressures. Moreover, household poverty has forced people to degrade their environments inevitably reducing their chances of enjoying natural resources sustainably. From this perspective, it is clear that climate change is not always the driving factor for migration but also environmental degradation due to anthropogenic activities. Globally, the effects of rising temperatures and global warming have been recognized as a contributing factor to negative impacts on ecosystems, food security, livelihoods, human health, and water resources to mention but a few.

   Zimbabwe, which heavily relies on rain-fed agriculture, has an extremely variable and predominantly semi-arid climate. The shifting rainfall patterns have led to extreme droughts and floods, exacerbated by substantial environmental challenges that include land degradation, deforestation, and inadequate water quantity and quality which have negatively impacted agriculture and food security. Further, it has been noted that women and girls, along with other vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities (PWDs) are disproportionately affected by such threats. The increase in frequency and intensity of disaster events in all regions of the African continent, including Zimbabwe is a growing challenge, leaving in their wake the destruction of property, loss of lives and livelihoods, and food insecurity. Consequently, climate change has of late been receiving significant attention with the need for adaptive actions high in national, regional, and global agendas. Zimbabwe has been experiencing increases in the frequency and severity of droughts over the years, compromising the livelihoods of vulnerable communities with a regressive effect on sustainable development.

   Although it is widely acknowledged that one of the key outcomes following environmental stressors is migration, there is a significant knowledge gap in terms of understanding the migration, environment, and climate change nexus vis-à-vis data, responsive policies, and strategies to address the plight of environmental migrants. Yet, there is limited understanding of how climate change and the environment influence individual and household decisions to migrate work or livelihood opportunities for survival, let alone manage the mobility dimensions driven by climate change and disasters. For instance, data that clearly distinguishes migration due to environmental factors from migration due to non-environmental factors i.e., political, socio-cultural, or economic is grossly lacking, suggesting a limited understanding of how climate change and environmental degradation drive migration and mobility, especially in drought and disaster-prone high migrant-sending communities. In the face of the climate crisis, it has become imperative to acknowledge the nexus of these elements and pave the way forward by being proactively deliberate in policies, strategies, and interventions to address these challenges.

   In this vein, understanding the nexus between Migration, Environment and Climate Change (MECC) and other forms of migration e.g., internal migration, labour migration, etc. is vital for effective policymaking, contextual adaptation and disaster risk mitigation, and resilience programming. It is in this context that the Government of Zimbabwe, under the auspices of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Wildlife (MoECW), with technical and financial support from IOM is implementing a 24-month project that seeks to harness stakeholders’ expertise to address Migration, Environment, and Climate Change (MECC) challenges in the country in a strategic and coordinated manner, noting with concerns that climate-induced mobility is on the rise in Zimbabwe. The project is underpinned by the realization that climate change affects where and how people live given that it drives human displacement and forced migration and thus threatens the lives and livelihood of the poorest and most vulnerable population. Notably, climate change is causing depletion of livelihood which necessitates people to migrate in search of better alternatives.

   As part of the project implementation, IOM and the government engaged the services of a consultant under output 1 who has produced a report on the gaps and opportunities to mainstream migration into climate change policies, strategies, and frameworks. From the report it was noted that while there is acknowledgment that the trend of climate-induced migration is on the rise, current policies have not adequately mainstreamed migration into environment and climate change, strategies, and action plans. Climate movements are unplanned and thus cause socio-economic challenges which calls for climate-proofing sectors to withstand and cope with the impact of climate change. Significantly, it is imperative to address solutions through policies and strategies that address the climate change–human mobility nexus in Zimbabwe. Against this background, the project second outcome is to develop a contextualized gender sensitive MECC toolkit with a set of recommendations for the GoZ to support the integration of migration and human mobility in environment and climate change policies, strategies, and frameworks. The toolkit will be accompanied by a set of recommendations to help guide the GoZ on the integration of migration in policies, strategies, and legal frameworks at the national, sectoral, and local levels.

   3. Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing:

   IOM Zimbabwe, Migration Governance and Development Unit (GDU): Mainstreaming of Migration into Environment Policy and adaptation strategies in Zimbabwe: NC0093. Implementing with Technical cooperation from the Government of Zimbabwe under the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife.

   4. Category B Consultants: Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment

• First deliverable – A workplan and Preliminary Meetings with Ministry Officials to discuss the development of the MECC toolkit based on the recommendations and gap analysis of the baseline MECC report. – First instalment payment 20% – Deliverable by email by 05 June 2024
• Second deliverable – First draft MECC toolkit, the validation of the report, final report printed – Second instalment payment 55%- Deliverable by email by 15 July 2024
• Third deliverable – Conduct two capacity building workshops and facilitate a dialogue on a road map to integrate migration and human mobility into environment and climate change policies, strategies, and frameworks – Third instalment payment 25% – Deliverable by email by 4 October 2024

5. Performance indicators for the evaluation of results

The consultancy will be evaluated against the following indicators, for which targets will be discussed with IOM:

• Quality and substance of the toolkit and recommendations made.
• Ability to coordinate/ consult and engage with different stakeholders widely.
• Proposed roadmap for integrating migration and human mobility into environment and climate change policies, strategies, and frameworks.

6. Education, Experience and/or skills required

Education:

Advanced university degree in Environmental / Climate Change Studies, Migration and Displacement, Political Science, International Relations, Social Sciences, or a related field from an accredited academic institution with at least seven years of relevant professional experience.

Experience and skills:

• Proven knowledge of climate change, disasters, and climate-induced displacement.
• Strong understanding of livelihoods, gender, and vulnerabilities in the context of climate change and environmental degradation.
• Strong knowledge of national, regional, and global frameworks and processes governing climate change.
• Proven experience in analysis and consulting research and assessments
• Strong knowledge of the local economic and political context, and ability to independently identify and connect with relevant stakeholders.
• Strong writing and analytical skills, ability to produce clear and well-written reports.

7. Travel required:

Yes, within the country at own expense.

8. Competencies:

Values

• Inclusion and respect for diversity respects and promotes individual and cultural differences; encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible.
• 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.

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 action and delegated work.
• Communication: encourages and contributes to clear and open communication; explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring, and motivational way.