Climate Mobility Financing Expert

Job Description

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the UN Migration Agency. With 175 Member States it is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. Established in 1951 and now active in over 400 field locations worldwide, IOM works with partners, government and civil society to: 

1.    Assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration and mobility 

2.    Advance understanding of migration issues 

3.    Encourage social and economic development through migration; and 

4.    Uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants and mobile populations.

IOM’s Regional Office for the East, Horn and Southern Africa, specifically, the Climate Action Division, works to Support the implementation of IOM’s institutional strategy on Migration, Environment and Climate Change (2021-2030), notably it’s three objectives related to identifying solutions for people to stay, to move and for those on the move in the context of environmental degradation, natural hazards and climate change. 

The impacts of climate change in Africa, from prolonged droughts and severe flooding to rising temperatures, challenge traditional livelihoods and drive migration and displacement within and beyond national borders. Additionally, countries transitioning to a green economy may displace existing jobs and force people to migrate, which without proper planning can have negative impacts. Despite growing evidence linking climate change impacts to human mobility (covering migration, displacement and planned relocation), financing made available for addressing climate mobility concerns under the global and regional finance mechanisms remain limited. Although UNFCCC decisions have increasingly integrated human mobility concerns, many of the funds under the UNFCCC, such as Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund, Global Environmental Facility (including associated Least Developed Countries Fund and Special Climate Change Fund) and the recently established Fund for Responding to Loss and damage, still lack clear guidance on how to program for human mobility in the context of climate change. This lack of guidance holds true also for other key funding actors such as Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), humanitarian funds, bilateral donors and philanthropies, that have an interest in addressing climate mobility.

Considering the urgent need for countries to address climate mobility concerns, and harness the potential of migration, it is crucial that countries and implementing partners have access to tools and information on how to practically approach these funds and donors.  For Africa, where climate mobility is increasingly a reality, it is important that countries improve their readiness to absorb finances and address the issues and potential of human mobility in the context of climate change, to ensure that they can unlock existing and emerging financing opportunities. 

Through this assignment, IOM will support EHSA countries by developing a Handbook on Climate Mobility Investment Planning. The handbook will guide countries with accessing financing for addressing climate mobility through provision of localized and practical tools. The product will be building on the forthcoming UNFCCC guide on “Accessing financial resources aiming to avert, minimize, and address the impacts of displacement associated with the adverse effects of climate change”[1], which introduces a programmatic approach for accessing finance for climate mobility. 
 

1. Climate Action Division-Regional Office.

Responsibilities

• Provide regional information on the diverse mobility needs arising from climate impacts and solutions to address them.
• Introduce the key data sources on the nexus between climate change and human mobility in the EHSA region to guide the development of ‘climate rationale’ for interventions.
• Provide a mapping of relevant coordination mechanisms and stakeholders (such as ministries) needed for development of effective climate mobility solutions.
• Provide a mapping of relevant financing entities that could finance climate mobility interventions
• Provide deep dives on how climate mobility financing could be mobilized through a selection of high viability entities, accompanied by step-by-step practical guidance from ideation and coordination to country preparedness and project criteria.
• Train IOM personnel and selected participants in the financing architecture around climate mobility and what is needed to access it.

Based on a desk review of existing sources (including the Technical Guide, and other relevant climate finance investment frameworks[1]), the Handbook should consist of: 

1. An overview of climate mobility priorities and solutions as outlined in key strategies and policies of countries and RECs (such as NDCs, NAPs and REC Policies), outlining key areas for action in line with key programming categories introduced in the Technical Guide for Finance.
2. An overview of key actors and their mandates in relation to mobilizing resources and implementing climate mobility interventions, to guide stakeholder coordination and engagement.
3. An overview of the relevant data platforms and tools at the regional level in East, Horn and Southern Africa (EHSA), for assessing the impact of climate change on human mobility, with a critical assessment and recommendations on strengthening data systems to guide evidence-based decision making and development of strong climate rationale for proposed interventions.
4. Mapping of relevant financing actors for climate mobility in EHSA region (e.g. national funds, donors, finance mechanisms) divided under relevant human mobility dimensions and relevant sectors to be agreed such as: 
   1. migration, displacement, and planned relocation;  
   2. adaptation, just transition and loss and damage;  
   3. water, infrastructure and agriculture 
5. Deep dive into 5 to 10 feasible funding actors, representing different financing sources (e.g. humanitarian, climate, MDBs, funds, donors) explaining detailed steps needed to mobilize resources and detailed guidance on improving readiness to absorb them (e.g. financial management).
6. Regional guidance and recommendations on how to advance climate mobility investment planning and project formulation at the national level

In addition to the Handbook, the assignment will also result in the development of training content and implementation of trainings for IOM personnel and selected participants. The training will concentrate on financing architecture around climate mobility and what is needed to access it. The trainings will aim to improve readiness and ensure governments have support available to develop climate mobility investment frameworks at the national level. 

The consultancy will also contribute to the implementation of a CLIMATE CHANGE AND MIGRATION DATA PROGRAMME, aligned with the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change (KDMECC). The objective of the programme is to contribute to improved evidence-based migration management and reduced risk of irregular migration and displacement occurring, in the context of disasters, climate change and environmental degradation in countries of origin, transit and destination along key migration corridors in North, East, and West Africa, including countries in the Southern Africa. 

 Objective of the Consultancy

The overarching goal of the assignment is to reduce barriers to accessing finance for climate mobility, a critical yet underserved area within the broader finance landscape. More specific objectives of the assignment include: 

• Develop a Handbook for operationalizing and contextualizing the forthcoming Technical Guide on Accessing Finance for averting, minimizing and addressing the negative impacts of climate related mobility. This would serve as a practical guidance for Member States on how to access finance on addressing Climate Mobility (migration, displacement and planned relocation) in the context of environmental degradation, disasters and climate change in the EHSA region. 
• Provide capacity building for IOM staff, national governments and relevant stakeholders in EHSA on the tools, knowledge, and institutional capacity needed to identify, design, and implement climate mobility interventions and access finance through appropriate funding mechanisms. This will include a focus on locally led project origination and structuring projects in way that aligns with East, Horn and Southern African countries needs as well as requirements of potential funds, finance mechanisms and donors for addressing climate mobility. 

Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment 

1. Prepare Inception report (2 days)

• Prepare and validate with IOM the workplan including the outline of the handbook and approach to capacity building and training 

2. First draft of the Handbook for Climate Mobility Investment Planning for EHSA submitted (12 days)

• Submit the zero draft of the framework for IOM review and comments (10 days)
• Submit the revised first draft of the framework to IOM for clearance (2 days)

3. Stakeholder consultations to support the development of the framework (6 days)

4. Final draft of the framework submitted as Word document (10 days)

5. Development of training materials (10 days)

• Submit a PPT and exercises for trainings for IOM review
• Pilot the training with IOM selected audience

• Successful validation of Regional Climate Mobility Investment Planning Framework and training by relevant stakeholders including IOM and where possible, national governments in EHSA 
• Quality of the content of the Framework 
  • Sub-indicators:
    • Clarity of text and structure
    • Complies with IOM house style manual
    • Are publishing ready (e.g. footnotes and references are in order)
• Participant’s feedback on the training

Qualifications

Required Skills

Job info