Result of Service

Support for strengthening institutional mechanisms for managing migration and working in other thematic areas of migration

Work Location

Home Based

Expected duration

12 Months

Duties and Responsibilities

I: BACKGROUND
International migration has recently received much attention because of the demographic, economic, social, political, and cultural implications in countries of origin, transit, and destination. Human mobility across borders has been on an exponential increase since the Second World War. Globalization has opened further avenues for migration. First, distances are no longer barriers. Second, information is widely available, and people can easily know where opportunities are available. Thus, globalization has increased the interconnectedness of nation-states and therefore has increased migration flows. According to Laing (2015), the world is experiencing an era of unprecedented human mobility, a period in which people are on the move than ever before. More than 1 billion in a world of 7 billion are on the move. Of these, 250 million are international migrants and 750 million are domestic migrants.
With these growing numbers in migration, the responses have been varied. Some countries of origin actively promote emigration as a source of remittances and have even established official programs of diaspora involvement in development. However, in other countries of origin, especially where governance issues have led to the collapse of economies and resulted in the exodus of citizens as economic refugees, they perceive migrants as opponents or indifferent. The responses of recipient countries have varied mainly on the level of restriction to entry and rights of migrants once in the country. In host countries, local citizens have taken sides on either being pro-migration on or anti-migration. Thus, the emotive nature of migration has resulted in the issue being politicized and influenced public policy in most countries. According to Collier (2015) Migration policy has been fought over through using competing values rather than competing evidence.
Evidence suggests the rise of larger-scale irregular migratory flows, including the numbers of migrants returning to their countries of origin, and with it, the focus on reintegration initiatives, as well as the diversity of actors involved in migration management and governance. Sustainable reintegration is a key aspect of the migration process and part of comprehensive migration management. In view of this, several frameworks have shaped the overall African approach to migration issues. The Migration Policy Framework for Africa which was adopted in 2006 and revised in 2018 aims to assist governments and RECs in the formulation of their own national and regional migration policies in accordance with their own priorities and resources. The overarching principle that guides the ECA and AUC work on migration is contained in the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development in Africa beyond 2014 which emphasizes the commitment to reinforce and establish bilateral, regional, and global partnerships on migration to progressively reduce barriers on movement while upholding the fundamental human rights of all migrants and make migration an instrument of mutual development for the benefit of migrants and countries. At the level, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration – GCM sets out 23 objectives and affirms that migration is a source of prosperity, innovation, and development, but can also give rise to risks and challenges in origin, transit, and destination countries.
In view of the above, ECA and AUC are jointly implementing a project entitled “International Migration in Africa: Shaping a positive narrative and removing barriers to Mobility”. The project’s objective is implemented through several interventions led by ECA that depend on close collaboration between the African Union Commission (AUC), and UNECA, in cooperation with Regional Economic Communities (RECs), AU Member States and relevant stakeholders such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), International Organization on Migration (IOM). The joint project, leveraging on each institution’s strength focuses on 6 areas, namely:

1. Promoting Economic Empowerment of Migrant Women: Identifying and supporting migrant women’s engagement in economic activities.
2. Towards improving migration statistics and “Good Legal Identity” of migrants in the East and Horn of Africa
3. Support to the AU Technical Assistance Facility on Migration Governance
4. Support to Combating Irregular Migration among AU-HoAI Member States and Countries that Lie Along the 3 Irregular Migration Corridors from the Horn of Africa
5. Support to Cross-border Infectious Disease Surveillance and Data Collection on Migrants’ Health in Africa
6. Enhancing free movement of persons and pathways for labour mobility and skills portability in Africa
Through this Terms of Reference, ECA is seeking to recruit a consultant to implement Area #3 above to support the AU Technical Assistance Facility on Migration Governance.
II: Objectives of the consultancy
The objective of the consultancy is to support the AU Technical Assistance Facility on Migration Governance which emanated after the 2018 revision of the Migration Policy Framework for Africa (MPFA) undertaken by the AUC. AUC conducted a needs assessment among Member States and RECs. The results revealed an urgent need to strengthen the capacity of Member States in migration governance. In response, a five-year Continental Capacity Building Programme on Migration Governance was developed, and the Technical Assistance Facility on Migration Governance was launched.

III: Duties and responsibilities/Scope of work
Reporting directly to the AUC, Head of Division for Labour, Employment & Migration at AUC, the Consultant is responsible for providing.
• Support to AU Member States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in establishing robust migration governance systems, specifically policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation.
• Support for strengthening institutional mechanisms for managing migration and working in other thematic areas of migration.

Qualifications/special skills

An advanced degree (Master’s Degree) in the field in migration, political/social science, international relations, or other related disciplines is required. Afirst-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced
university degree.
• Excellent analytical skills and ability to conceptualize, plan, develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate programmes.
• Excellent diplomatic, representational, and interpersonal skills, including experience in interacting with stakeholders and decision-makers to build strong collaborative relationships with governments and partners.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, in particular proven ability to write clear and concise reports
• Excellent project planning and management skills for organizing, planning, and executing projects from conception through implementation

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency in English is
required. Knowledge of French is advantage. Knowledge of another UN working language is an asset.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.