Kenya: TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR A CONSULTANCY TO CONDUCT A DESK STUDY ON DURABLE SOLUTIONS SYSTEMS REVIEW

Organization: Danish Refugee Council

Country: Kenya

Closing date: 27 Nov 2015

Background

According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, the number of refugees and internally displaced people has reached its highest point since World War II . At the same time, solutions to displacements are increasingly politicized and difficult to achieve, leading to the protracted nature of displacement experienced in many regions in the world. UNHCR defines a protracted displacement situation as one in which the displacement has lasted five years or longer, the case load is greater than 25,000 individuals and there is no immediate solutions for the majority in sight.

Several of the displacement situations in the Horn of Africa today are in protraction: some have lasted over 20 years particularly for Somalis in Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and internally in Somalia; for Congolese in Uganda and South Sudanese in Ethiopia. This complex nature of protracted displacement calls for an urgent emphasis on achieving solutions.

The challenges that arise when people are forced to flee their homes for any length of time, are neither exclusively humanitarian nor exclusively developmental. Some protracted displacements occur in fragile or conflict environments, such as South Sudan or Somalia. These challenges are faced not only by the refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons themselves but also by the host societies and host governments, and by those wanting to assist them.

Solutions discussions must be put into perspective and viewed from an angle of the protracted displacement situation in the greater Horn of Africa. The key drivers of solutions need to be carefully analyzed from past programmes, including lessons learnt in order to form the building blocks for future solutions and to unlock barriers to solutions in protracted situations. In order for this to be achievable and sustainable, a comprehensive and integrated approach needs to be applied. This calls for strategic and close partnerships between humanitarian and development actors, and an engagement by development actors with governments and humanitarian actors from early on with the aim of joint efforts to solutions.

The solutions architecture has evolved in the recent past with the Decision of the Secretary General No.2011/20 on Durable Solutions aiming to set up a coordination structure on durable solutions to displacements, followed by a number of global and regional initiatives such as the Solutions Alliance (SA) which includes national groups engagement such as the Solutions Alliance Somalia Group recently launched and the UNHCR-led Global Initiative on Somali Refugees (GISR) aimed to advance a partnership-oriented approach to addressing protracted displacement, acting as a catalyst for mobilising development and humanitarian actors to collaborate using different entry points. The initiatives aim to establish linkages between donor and host governments, UN agencies, multilateral financial institutions, civil society organisations, international NGOs, the private sector and academia. The Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat is also a solutions initiative bringing together civil societies working on displacements within the Horn of Africa and Yemen and aimed at maintaining a focussed momentum and consistent NGO engagement with durable solutions. ReDSS represents the civil societies’ arm of the Solutions Alliance Somalia. Other initiatives in the region focussed on solutions include; the ReHOPE Strategy in Uganda, the IKEA Foundation in Ethiopia and the Office of the Special Envoy for the Secretary General, Great Lakes Strategy among others. All these initiatives try to define the multifaceted nature of a solutions approach to displacements- requiring coordinated rather than parallel efforts towards solutions.

While the need to link humanitarian and development work in order to influence solutions has long been recognised, it remains unclear as to what channels of coordination and collaboration exist between the two aid systems. In the Horn of Africa, there is a lack of clear mechanism in place to bring this diverse actors into place and harmonize an understanding around solutions to displacement. This disparity is often seen in the separate funding streams, solutions to displacement struggling to find a place in the development agenda and the limits of the traditional three durable solutions (voluntary repatriation, integration and resettlement). The HCR/RC Office has been mandated to lead durable solutions as per the decision of the Secretary General No.2011/20 – Durable Solutions: Follow up to the Secretary General’s 2009 report on peace building. To what extent has this mandate been implemented in the context? What are its limits and what external support is required? What coordination model is in place when the issues in the search for solutions are cross border(s)?

Objective

To this end, ReDSS seeks to commission a study that will review the existing durable solutions system, mechanism and architecture including a review of the international and regional normative/legal and policy frameworks as well as commitments on solutions in order to build a strong knowledge and evidence base for strategic advocacy particularly within the Horn of Africa region.

Specific Objectives

More specifically the study will seek to answer three key questions;

1. What is the current coordination system for durable solutions in the horn of Africa region and how is it envisaged to work?
   
   a) With whom does the mandate of solutions coordination sit?
   
   b) What are the elements (e.g. roles, structures, relationships, mechanisms, and processes) of the humanitarian, development and political system that are designed to enable durable solutions to protracted displacements and potentially protracted displacements?
   
   c) Based on the findings under (b) above, what is the current international, regional and national architecture including normative/ legal and policy frameworks and commitments around protracted displacement situations and solutions? Does this need revision and/or strengthening? (Include review and analysis of Tripartite Agreements as instruments to facilitate solutions as applied in Burundi, Tanzania and Kenya)


2. How is that coordination system functioning in practice? (To be analyzed through case studies)
   
   a) What is working and what is not? Why is this the case, and what are the implications for achieving durable solutions?
   
   b) What is the perspective of key stakeholders including the donor community, host and producing governments, UN agencies, multilateral financial institutions, civil society organisations, international NGOs, the private sector and academia on coordination on durable solutions sit?
   
   c) What are the challenges, lessons learned and good practices of facilitating durable solutions? (Include break down of learning on; the Solutions Alliance Somalia Group, the Uganda solutions model, the Office of the Special Envoy for the Secretary General- Great Lakes strategy (focus on Tanzania and Burundi)
   
   1. What actions are needed to ensure more effective and consistent achievement of durable solutions?
      
      a) Are the current systems adequate if appropriately implemented, or what might need strengthening and how?
   
   

Methodology

• Desk review


• Stakeholder interviews

Expected Deliverables

• Inception report outlining the methodology, preliminary findings, study report outline and assessment tool for the study;


• 1st draft of the final report


• A professionally edited report

DRC’S responsibilities

DRC will:

• Provide Information on the context and project, contact numbers for relevant people;


• Provide transportation of the consultant as mutually agreed between DRC and consultant;


• Provide for accommodation and meals of the consultant in the field;


• Provide consolidated feedback/guidance on draft reports

Reporting arrangements

The consultant shall write and produce a precise final report (maximum 40 pages excluding annexes) written in simple and clear English language. The draft report shall be shared with DRC for comments and inputs for inclusion in the final report by the consultant.

Duration of assignment

The study will be conducted in a period of 25 consultancy days broken down as follows:

• Development of the inception report methodology and approval by DRC: 3 days

• Desk study: 7 days

• Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders: 6 days

• Report writing: 7 days

• Incorporating comments from ReDSS/ Final report: 2 days

Total: 25 days

Qualifications

• An advanced degree in Law, Social Sciences, Forced Migration or any other related area of study

• Demonstrable experience on matters relating to forced migration locally and regionally

• At least 3 years proven research skills and experience in the area of forced migration

• Track record on issues of displacement and durable solutions

• Good understanding of legal and policy frameworks in the Horn of Africa

• Good understanding of socio-economic dynamics in the Horn of Africa;

• Excellent analytical and reporting skills

• Fluency in written and spoken English. Knowledge of Somali is an added advantage

Terms and conditions

The Consultant must be available to commence the desk review immediately and provide the final report within 22 days from date of commencement.

The consultant should adhere to the UNHCR coordinated security guidelines. DRC does not guarantee security of the consultant and will therefore not be liable for any eventuality. Nevertheless, any relevant security updates will be shared with the consultant when necessary. The consultant must abide by DRC security rules and directives

• The consultant must complete work within the stipulated time frame


• The consultant must operate within the budget allocated.


• The consultant must adhere to and sign DRC’s Code of Conduct

For general information about the Danish Refugee Council, please visit www.drc.dk.

General

Commitments: DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability commitments. All staff are required to contribute to the achievement of this framework.

How to apply:

Application process

Interested applicants who meet the required profile are invited to submit an expression of interest including:

• A suitability statement including CV of participating consultants with details of qualifications and experience.


• Technical proposal that summarizes understanding of the TOR, methodology and tools to be used.


• Work-plan clearly indicating the activity schedule.


• Financial proposal providing cost estimates and consultancy fees.


• Contacts of three organizations that have recently contracted you to carry out similar assignment.

Interested parties should forward the expression of interest, in English on this link www.drc.dk under vacancies no later than 30th November, 2015.

If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please contact job@drc.dk