International Organization for Migration
Context and Core Functions / Responsibilities
Iraq is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its dry climate, natural resource dependency, and low adaptive capacity as a result of prolonged conflict and political instability. Climate variability and change are affecting human health and health systems, increasing climate-sensitive diseases and health outcomes, and damaging health care facilities from sea-level rise, storm surges, and extreme weather events such as flooding, drought, dust storms and heatwavesThe country hosts over 1.18 million IDPs as of March 2022. Iraq recognizes significant climate risks and is striving to address them in key policies, including its Vision for Sustainable Development 2030 and its National Development Plan 2018-2022. In its first Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) in 2021, Iraq seeks to improve the health system’s resilience and adaptation to climate change risks through health service delivery and infrastructure, increasing awareness of climate related health risks, among other measures. The NDC also includes Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) related activities such as developing early warning systems. The NAP development is on-going. Iraq is a champion country for the GCM and has developed the National Migration Strategy as a road map to achieve Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) objectives. The Strategy seeks to include displacement impacts of crises and climate change in the National DRR Plan and to develop national contingency plans for large-scale population movement. Iraq also seeks to develop local resilience action plans under the Making Cities Resilient (MCR) 2030. The UN Network on Migration was launched in Iraq in March 2021, and there is an affiliated working group focusing on the climate change-migration nexus.
Building on the backdrop above, the overall objective of the Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MMPTF) joint programme entitled “Harnessing synergies between Climate Change Adaptation and Risk Reduction in Migrant-Inclusive Health System Responses” is to address the adverse drivers of migration in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, including disasters, climate change and health considerations. The programme is set to contribute to strengthening synergies between Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon through mainstreaming a gender-sensitive human mobility lens into national public health adaptation strategies and DRR strategies. The joint programme aims to improve the evidence base of the intersections between climate change, risk reduction, health, and human mobility; support the target countries to integrate human mobility into national public health adaptation strategies and DRR strategies; and, enhance understanding of health impacts of climate change among the host and migrant communities in the target countries. In MENA, harnessing these synergies in a migrant-inclusive manner is imperative as the natural hazards that displace people, claim lives, damage property and impact health are strongly linked to climate change.
The first step towards building a climate resilient and environmentally sustainable health system is conducting a comprehensive and inclusive climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessment at the national or subnational level. Next is to analyze and implement the results of the vulnerability and adaptation assessment and develop a detailed evidence-informed plan of action based the vulnerability and adaptation assessment results known as the health national adaptation plan. Vulnerability and adaptation assessment is a participatory process. It is a tool that allows countries to evaluate which populations and specific geographies are most vulnerable to different kinds of health effects from climate change; to identify weaknesses in the systems that should protect them; and to specify interventions to respond and it builds on the core principles of risk assessments, taking into consideration the unique challenges presented by climate variability and change, to provide policy-relevant information for maintaining and improving health systems in a changing climate.
As such, and as part the overall MMPTF project implementation, IOM Iraq seeks to recruit a consultant who, under the overall supervision of the Chief Migration Health Officer and in collaboration with the Migration Health Technical Coordinator and the Migration Health Officer for Reporting and Research, would be required to (i) conduct a sub-national country analysis that will cover extreme weather events and slow-onset events that affect human mobility; and (ii) to pilot a climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessment integrating a mobility dimension in Basra Governorate, using WHO tool and guideline[1].
Core Functions / Responsibilities
Task 1: Vulnerability and adaptation assessment technical report for Basra governorate
Overview: The consultant will be responsible for seeing this task through from start to finish, relying on the climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessment (V&A) resources available from WHO. The consultant will conduct a thorough desk review, stakeholder mapping, identify and establish the core team that will conduct the V&A, identify potential data sources, draft new human mobility-focused questions for each section of the V&A, and conduct the four assessment components in coordination with IOM supervisors. Following completion of data collection the consultant will be responsible for analyzing the data and developing the comprehensive report, including scheduling and conducting a validation meeting with relevant stakeholders to finalize the technical report.
Task 2: Subnational analysis on extreme weather events and human mobility in Basra governorate
Overview: The consultant will be responsible for seeing this task through from start to finish, first conducting an in-depth desk review of existing documents and develop the report structure, identifying relevant questions from the vulnerability and adaptation assessment (including the mobility questions to be piloted) to use as data for this report, proposed data analysis plan, and other requirements necessary to begin data collection. Following data collection during the vulnerability and adaptation assessments, the consultant will be responsible for analyzing the data and developing the comprehensive report, including scheduling and conducting a validation meeting with relevant stakeholders in coordination with IOM supervisors to finalize the subnational analysis report contents.
Project phase
Description & deliverables
To be completed by (assuming 01 September 2024 start)
Planning the assessment(s)
Conduct desk/literature reviews on:
(i) climate change events in Basra and their effect on mobility (published literature, gray literature, governmental reports, scientific articles, etc.)
(ii) policies in place in regard to climate change, health and mobility.
Conduct stakeholder mapping and analysis
Develop and draft mobility questions for subnational piloting within V&A tool sections based on available literature, cross-referencing with the V&A WHO tool and guidelines
Identify and establish the core team for the V&A and the subnational analysis of climate events and mobility, including stakeholders from ministries, academic institutions and other relevant stakeholder to be involved in the assessment.
Determine date of training workshop for teams conducting V&A.
Develop of proposal report and assessment plan, identifying Ii) the scope of the V&A (diseases selected and climate change events selected, within Basra), the objectives of the assessment (by addressing different questions regarding national priorities and needs), the existing policies and health system resiliency or others, proposed technical report outline, draft health and mobility questions, data analysis plans and reference list; and (ii) the subnational analysis on extreme weather events and mobility, including proposed document structure, draft introduction, mobility and relevant questions from V&A to be used in this report, proposed data analysis plan, and reference list.
Deliverable 1a: comprehensive proposal report and assessment plan, incorporating required elements for both reports
Six weeks – complete by middle of second month of consultancy
(e.g., 13 October 2024)
Training of assessment teams
Develop training materials and schedule training workshop for teams conducting V&A
Deliverable 1b: training content for workshop with teams conducting V&A
Aim to conduct training workshop between 13-21 October 2024
Conducting the assessment(s)
Conduct data collection, with incorporation of mobility dimension, for vulnerability assessment: to describe the current burden of climate-sensitive health outcomes and vulnerabilities to climate change.
Conduct data collection, with incorporation of mobility dimension, for capacity assessment: to assess the capacity of health and health-relevant systems.
Conduct data collection, with incorporation of mobility dimension, for future risk assessment: to qualitatively and/or quantitatively project the health risks of climate change.
Conduct data collection, with incorporation of mobility dimension, for adaptation assessment: to identify and prioritize policies, programmes and actions to address current and projected health risks.
Deliverable 2: shared folder containing collected and cleaned data, data dictionary, and updated/revised data analysis plan.
Eight weeks from training workshop – complete by middle of fourth month of consultancy
(e.g., 8 to 15 December 2024)
Develop first drafts of reports
Based on the in-depth desk review and the agreed upon document outline, the consultant will pull together the results of the sub-national country analysis on extreme weather events and human mobility into a complete first draft document. First draft to be approved by project personnel and shared with stakeholders for review and input.
Based on the desk review and collected data, the consultant will synthesize and develop a first draft of the comprehensive V&A technical report. First draft to be approved by project personnel and shared with stakeholders for review and input.
Deliverable 3.1: first draft of V&A technical report for Basra governorate
Deliverable 3.2: first draft of subnational country analysis on extreme weather events and human mobility in Basra governorate
Four weeks after data collection is completed
(e.g., 12 January, 2025)
Validation of key findings
With the support of project personnel, schedule and conduct validation meeting with all stakeholders to review the key findings and recommendations from (i) the V&A technical report and (ii) the subnational analysis of extreme weather events and slow-onset events affecting human mobility in Basra Governorate.
The consultant will prepare a presentation on rationale, methodology, key findings, and recommendations, and also document stakeholder feedback for final revisions to each report.
Deliverable 4.1: workshop presentation on rationale, methodology, key findings, and recommentations for both reports.
Deliverable 4.2: d documentation of stakeholder feedback for both reports.
Three weeks after first draft is completed and shared with stakeholders
(e.g., 2 February 2025)
Development of final drafts
The consultant will revise the previous drafts of the V&A technical report and the subnational analysis on extreme weather events and human mobility in Basra governorate based on comments and input provided from the validation meeting and will submit final versions of each report. Final drafts should include relevant executive summaries and key messages.
Deliverable 5.1: Final draft of subnational analysis on extreme weather events and human mobility in Basra governorate
Deliverable 5.2: Final draft of V&A technical report for Basra governorate
End of consultancy
(e.g., 28 February 2025)
Payment Plan
- 50% upon completion of the first 3 deliverables
- 50% upon completion of the last two deliverables
Note: the consultant will be responsible for conducting the required activities and completing the required deliverables however the consultant will need to coordinate all activities with the overall and technical supervisors, as the consultant is not authorized to represent IOM.
Performance indicators for the evaluation of results
- Providing high quality documents that can be used as a reference for future projects.
- Effective coordination with different stakeholders involved in the project and positive engagement of IOM with governmental entities.
- Clear and reliable communication on project progress and status updates
- Timely submission of the above deliverables.
Education:
- Advanced degree in environmental health, climate science, social sciences, or any related field.
Experience:
- A minimum of 10 years of experience in working on similar projects related to climate change and human mobility;
- Demonstrated experience conducting health vulnerability and adaptation assessments;
- Demonstrated strong skills and knowledge in working on issues related to climate change in migrant-inclusive settings;
- Previous experience in working in the Middle East and on similar projects;
- Experience conducting stakeholder and/or key informant interviews;
- Knowledge of the Iraqi environmental and migration context is an advantage;
- Previous experience in working with UN agencies and/or international organizations is an advantage;
- Proven ability to efficiently deliver project tools, reports, and documentation.
Language and other skills:
- Proficiency in oral and written English and Arabic is required;
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Travel required
- Home-based consultancy with travel to Iraq (Basra, Erbil, and Baghdad governorates) required for data collection and workshops.
Competencies
The following IOM values and core competencies are expected to be fully guarded and maintained throughout the consultancy duration:
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.
[1] Climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessment, accessible through: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240036383
How to apply
Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications via this link:
https://iraqdatacenter.iom.int/Vacancy/Apply/EOI2024IRQ186
In order for an application to be considered valid, IOM only accepts online profiles duly completed. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.