Project Support Assistant

L’OIM s’efforce de promouvoir des migrations humaines et ordonnées dans l’intérêt de tous. Pour cela, elle offre des services et prodigue des conseils aux gouvernements et aux migrants.

Son mandat est de contribuer à faire en sorte que les migrations soient gérées de manière humaine et ordonnée, de promouvoir la coopération internationale en matière migratoire, de faciliter la recherche de solutions pratiques aux problèmes de migration, et enfin de fournir une aide humanitaire aux migrants dans le besoin, qu’il s’agisse de réfugiés, de personnes déplacées ou d’autres personnes déracinées. La Constitution de l’OIM reconnaît explicitement le lien entre la migration et le développement économique, social et culturel, de même que le respect du droit à la liberté de mouvement des êtres humains.

L’OIM déploie son action dans les quatre grands domaines de gestion des migrations qu’elle a elle-même définis: le couple migration et développement, la migration assistée, la migration régulée et les mesures à mettre en place face à la migration forcée. Parmi les activités transversales, il faut citer la promotion du droit international de la migration, le débat politique et l’effort d’orientation sur la scène migratoire, la protection des droits des migrants, la santé dans le contexte migratoire et la dimension sexospécifique de la migration.

Since 2014, IOM has maintained a formal Country Office in Madagascar, following the signing of a cooperative agreement with the Government. IOM has steadily expanded its presence and currently implement diverse programmes spanning migration and health, counter-trafficking, environmental migration, emergency response, labour migration, diaspora engagement, and immigration and border management.

The current project is designed to strengthen border management and security along Madagascar’s northwest coastline and at key Points of Entry (PoEs) in Mahajanga and Toamasina, and coastal zones. The project responds to growing concerns around irregular migration, migrant smuggling, and human trafficking, which are exacerbated by outdated infrastructure, limited surveillance capacity, and insufficient coordination among border authorities.

Building on previous interventions, the project aims to modernize border operations through the upgrade of digital infrastructure, improved internet connectivity, and the integration of customs, immigration, and surveillance systems. At Mahajanga, efforts will focus on strengthening ICT systems, simplifying trade and passenger clearance procedures, and deploying biometric identification tools. Awareness-raising campaigns will be carried out with coastal communities to promote safe migration and prevent exploitation, with special focus on vulnerable groups such as women and youth. To enhance security capacity, the project will also support the improvement of existing crisis response mechanism through live simulation. In addition, the canine brigade in Toamasina will be reinforced to improve detection capabilities strengthening the port’s role in national and regional security.

Overall, the project aims to contribute to safer, more efficient human mobility and trade by reinforcing operational capacities, digital systems, and inter-agency coordination at Madagascar’s key maritime borders.

• Assist in coordinating with other IOM units within the Country Office for the smooth implementation of all project activities;
• Assist in liaison activities with Government entities, other implementing partners, United Nations (UN) agencies, and other stakeholders in the project’s target areas;
• Participate in projects’ development, including preliminary research, narrative writing, budget planning, ensuring the project’s compliance with IOM standards and donor requirements;
• Provide adequate information management on project-related activities, including visibility by providing regular updates, summaries, press releases, and other relevant materials, in coordination with the supervisor and IOM’s Communication Team;
• As per donor requirements and IOM policy, prepare progress reports and support in the review of interim and final project narrative reports, ensuring quality and timely submissions to donors;
• Participate in seminars and other meetings as requested, providing administrative and logistical support as needed;
• Perform such other duties as may be assigned.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day).
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country.
• Provide annual and end of assignment self- reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers.
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.
• As an active IOM team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to IOM and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:
• Support IOM in strengthening its programmes
• Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment
• A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in, and capacities developed