Consultancy to contextualise and concretise the ActionAid West Africa and Mediterranean Delegation’s Theory of Change on migration

Type of contract: Consultancy

Contracting entity: ActionAid Italy (on behalf of the ActionAid West Africa and Mediterranean Delegation)

Delivery period: November 2022

Duration: Maximum 14 days

1. Introduction to ActionAid

ActionAid is a global federation working for a world free from poverty and injustice. We want to see a just, fair and sustainable world, in which everybody enjoys the right to a life of dignity, and freedom from poverty and oppression. A Human Rights Based Approach informs our action, from the global to the community level and is driven by the understanding that poverty and oppression always originate from social injustice and imbalances of power. We work with rights holders, their communities and social structures to hold duty bearers accountable for the rights of people.

Based on ActionAid’s continued commitment to working with the most marginalised members of society, ActionAid established a West Africa and Mediterranean Delegation in 2019 composed of 5 of its members to pilot a regional program on migration and development.

1. Context

Human mobility has become a key geopolitical issue in global politics, with the current global estimate suggesting that there were around 281 million international migrants in the world in 2020, which equates to 3.6 per cent of the global population. Overall, the estimated number of international migrants has increased over the past five decades. The total estimated 281 million people living in a country other than their countries of birth in 2020 was 128 million more than in 1990 and over three times the estimated number in 1970.

The way in which the issue of human mobility is being handled by international institutions, governments, private sector, conservative organisations and political parties is causing enormous human suffering, numerous human rights violations, a rise of nationalism and fascist ideologies all over the world and the dismantling of the current International Human Rights instruments (many defined for the aftermath of World II), like the 1951 Rome Convention for Refugees and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966 due to the forced confinement practices.

It is safe to say that human mobility, mostly framed as forced displacement, refuge and asylum or migration, has in recent years become one of the more contentious and controversial political issues across the European Union, African Union and other African regional bodies, with agendas around ‘curbing irregular migration’ defining many political and funding strategies of donor governments.

Having observed these recent shifts in the global dialogue and acknowledging that migration is increasingly impacting the communities and rights holders with whom we work, ActionAid has embarked on piloting a regional program on migration and development, with the objective of both defining programming interventions which promote the human right to mobility and defining an ‘African perspective’ on migration which might challenge the existing narrative which frames migration mainly as a problem.

A delegation has been established to foster this work on migration in the Mediterranean and across the West Africa region on behalf of the wider ActionAid Federation. This delegation is timebound (with the possibility of renewal, pending the approval of ActionAid International’s Global Secretariat) and composed of the following ActionAid entities – ActionAid International The Gambia, ActionAid Italy, ActionAid Nigeria, ActionAid Senegal and Alianza por la Solidaridad (ActionAid Spain). A recent addition to this is ActionAid International in Mali, a presence which is a direct product of the delegation’s effort and overseen jointly by the delegation itself.

These countries, in coming together to form the delegation, have agreed to prioritise migration work in their country strategies and have, to varying extents, defined programming and policy entry points which are relevant to the individual contexts and Country Strategic Plans.

The delegation’s Theory of Change, a document yet to be finalized, captures the delegation’s ambition and intervention pathways through which we hope to shift the migration dialogue. This document is the focus of this consultancy.

1. Objectives of the consultancy

Despite extensive work to define the core pillars of the West Africa and Mediterranean Delegation’s Theory of Change, there are elements which ActionAid feel are needed to further contextualise, steer and bring together this strategic document which will inform subsequent steps of the delegation’s work. The consultancy would therefore look at:

1. Identifying country-specific priorities to link migration and development for each of the delegation countries/where the delegation has existing or previous linkages (The Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria and Senegal), interrogating the specific needs, opportunities, and challenges of each context in which the Theory of Change will be rolled out as well as the organisational strategies for bridging the migration-development nexus.
2. Defining ways in which ActionAid can take forward its policy-oriented research agenda and action, both at national, regional and continental levels, in order to ensure that the voices of marginalised communities are heard in key policy spaces and dialogues.
3. Synthesising the inputs from delegation members to define a coherent and concise outlook on what an African perspective on migration looks like (and ensuring our Theory of Change is framed from this perspective)
4. Where possible, refreshing the delegation’s perspective of the donor and partner landscape, in particular to understand where migration sits in strategic donor documents and what funding opportunities might be on the horizon.
5. Deliverables and timeframes

The assignment is expected to commence upon contract signing and take place over the month of November 2022.

The consultancy deliverables include:

• An inception report, outlining the proposed methodology for data collection, including a list of key informants (from within the ActionAid West Africa and Mediterranean Delegation and externally, where appropriate) and timelines for completion of the data collection
• A final, synthesized Theory of Change document, building on the existing draft document and incorporating findings from the data collection

1. Requirements and how to apply

Required experience:

• At least 5 years’ experience working with civil society at local, national, regional and continental levels on migration, either in a programmatic or policy capacity
• Demonstratable knowledge of the evolving migration dynamic and dialogue taking place particularly at regional level across West Africa
• Experience conducting similar studies, with a particular focus on defining intervention strategies and policy agendas
• Whilst the consultancy will be completed in English (including all deliverables), preference will be given to consultants with the ability to communicate both in English and French
• Preference will also be given to applications from across the West Africa region, which can demonstrate a strong understanding of the evolving migration dialogue
• Good command of Microsoft tools, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.
• Good organizational and coordination skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Interested applicants should submit a proposal that combines the below into one PDF document:

• A CV(s) of no more than 3 pages (for all personnel included in the proposal)
• A technical and financial proposal of maximum 4 pages with 3 pages describing the structure of the study including the methodology and timeline and 1 page outlining the budget including all professional fees
• A list of references of similar studies the consultant(s) have completed

How to apply:

Interested candidates should send proposals to the following address: [email protected]

The deadline for submission of applications is: Close of business on Wednesday, October 26th, 2022