Consultancy to Conduct a feasibility study to establish a diaspora skills platform for Mauritius

Request for Expression of Interest

MU10.REI 2023-04

Project title Conduct a feasibility study to establish a diaspora skills platform for Mauritius

Duty station Homebased/Mauritius

Type of appointment Consultancy

Estimated start date August 2024

Closing date 30 June 2024 REPUBLICATION

Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

Context:

Mauritius has established various programmes to engage the diaspora, one of which is a Research Fund, set up by the Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, whereby Academic Diaspora Members are also catered for. In order to encourage the return of skilled and high net-worth Mauritians through tax-based incentives, the Economic Development Board launched the Mauritius Diaspora Scheme in 2015 under the Investment Promotion Act of 2015. Through the 2018 National Migration and Development Policy, Mauritius acknowledged the need for more in-depth data on diaspora communities and to create strong platforms tailored to the Mauritian diaspora.

This project aimed to respond to the diaspora needs identified through IOM pilot mapping and profiling (2021) and build on the momentum to engage its diaspora and strengthen existing initiatives, while working towards building new initiatives.

As a result, IOM and UNDP are jointly supporting the government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade to implement a regional project, entitled: “Promoting Regional Integration Through Diaspora Capital”. The project is being implemented at multiple levels, clustering implementing partners at regional, national, and local levels. The project aims to support Lesotho, Malawi and Mauritius in strengthening the potential of diaspora contribution to achieving the SDGs in the southern Africa region.

The overall objective will be achieved through the following outcome: Governments in Lesotho, Malawi and Mauritius develop participatory gender-sensitive strategies aimed at enhancing and expanding diaspora engagement as a development partner for countries of origin. Therefore, IOM and UNDP Mauritius are seeking the services of an expert to assess the feasibility of establishing a Diaspora Skills Platform in Mauritius, which would provide information to diaspora professionals on how they can contribute to Mauritius’s development via skills transfers with the objective of providing Diaspora communities access to up-to-date information and tools on employment or short-term assignment opportunities in their home country.

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

Purpose and scope of the Assignment

Joint IOM-UNDP Initiative Project”, funded by IOM Development Fund. The objective of this consultancy to assess the feasibility of establishing a Diaspora Skills Platform to leverage diaspora skills for the socioeconomic development of Mauritius.

The assignment is undertaken under the overall supervision of the IOM Chief of Mission for Mauritius and Seychelles, and direct supervision of IOM Mauritius Programme Coordinator, in close coordination with IOM and UNDP Mauritius Programme Team and IOM experts (including the Regional Project Coordinator and the Labour Migration and Social Inclusion Specialist in the IOM Regional Office in Pretoria). The assignment will be conducted in close coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Diaspora Technical Working Group.

Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment

The consultant is expected to perform the following tasks / activities:

• Conduct an initial meeting with the IOM and UNDP team to discuss about the context, available documentation and the consultancy process as well as to clarify expectations.

• Prepare an inception report, outlining the methodology to be used, breakdown of work, the timelines, and an overview of stakeholders to be engaged with during the assignment and structure of the report. The report will be reviewed and validated by IOM and UNDP.

• Using appropriate methods and a participatory approach, conduct an assessment of existing skills platform, that are available to support diaspora contribution in Mauritius and identify related gaps.

• Undertake an assessment of significant projects and initiatives both philanthropic and skills transfer, undertaken by the Mauritian diaspora in sectors of Mauritius priority sectors.

• Hold consultations with relevant stakeholders to understand their views and expectations on diaspora human capital, and based on their views devise recommendations on the mechanisms that should be put in place to encourage and facilitate their contribution.

• Assess the legal framework around capturing diaspora talents and skills in Mauritius.

• Identify and analyze international best practices on diaspora skills transfer mechanism and platform that have the potential to maximize diaspora contribution towards Mauritius priority sectors.

• Produce a set of recommendations on the potential application and support the design of specific skills transfer mechanism and platform to accelerate diaspora contribution in priority sectors in Mauritius. These recommendations should be accompanied by analyses showing economic, legal, institutional, operational, technical and technological viability of the diaspora skills platform proposed as well as policies and guidelines as to the effective set up of the platform in the Mauritius context. Present the key elements of the inception report to key stakeholders at an inception meeting.

• Develop and submit a first draft feasibility study report (using IOM report template) to IOM and UNDP

• Incorporate comments and submit a second draft report.

• Present the second draft report to stakeholders for technical review.

• Submit a final report incorporating all comments and inputs, to be approved by IOM and UNDP.

All documents are to be produced and delivered in English language.

Timeline

This assignment is expected to start tentatively in mid-July 2024, but the actual timeline is subject to change based on the date the agreement is signed between IOM and the Consultant. The assignment shall be completed no later than November 2024.

Deliverables

• Inception Report

• First Draft Feasibility Report

• Second Draft of Feasibility Report

• Final Feasibility Report

Required Qualifications and Experience

IOM is seeking applications from individual consultants and/or consortiums of individual consultants. The successful (lead) consultant should have a minimum of the following qualifications and experience:

Education

• Advanced university degree in international relations, international economics, development studies, social or behavioural science, migration studies or other relevant disciplines.

Experience & Skills

• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in academia, research institutes, think tanks, governmental, inter-governmental, non-governmental organization working on diaspora engagements.

• Experience in facilitating working groups and discussion and actively engaging members.

• Working experience with senior officials within government, inter-governmental, and nongovernmental organizations.

• Proven experience in developing mechanisms and platforms, particularly to subject related to diaspora engagement.

• Fluency in English is required.

Languages Fluency in English is required. French and Mauritian Creole is an advantage.

Required Competencies Values

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: encourages the inclusion of all team members and stakeholders while demonstrating the ability to work constructively with people with different backgrounds and orientations.

• Integrity and transparency: maintains impartiality and takes prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour.

• Professionalism: demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter and willingness to improve knowledge and skills.

Core Competencies

• Teamwork: establishes strong relationships with colleagues and partners; relates well to people at all levels.

• Delivering results: produces quality results and provides quality services to clients.

• Managing and sharing knowledge: shares knowledge and learning willingly, and proactively seeks to learn from the experiences of others.

• Accountability: operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules.

• Communication: encourages others to share their views, using active listening to demonstrate openness and to build understanding of different perspectives.

Other

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.