Terms of Reference
Development of a National Action Plan for the implementation of the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change (KDMECC) in the Republic of Djibouti
I- Context and justification
Human mobility, climate change, environmental degradation, and disasters interact in complex ways in East Africa. Countries in the region face both slow-onset hazards—such as recurring droughts—and sudden-onset disasters, including floods, cyclones, and landslides. These hazards combine with deep socioeconomic inequalities and structural vulnerabilities, amplifying their impacts on livelihoods and human security and causing involuntary displacement. Migration, when it takes place in safe, regular, and dignified conditions, can also be a coping strategy in the face of disasters and environmental degradation.
Djibouti exemplifies these regional dynamics, where human mobility is closely linked to the effects of climate change, environmental degradation, and recurring disasters, creating both challenges and opportunities for the country’s communities. Repeated droughts, scarce and irregular rainfall, and the resulting loss of rural livelihoods contribute to displacement, particularly from rural areas to urban centers. Displaced communities often settle in high-risk areas and in precarious living conditions, further increasing their vulnerability to disasters.
Located at the crossroads of the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, Djibouti is also a major transit country for international migrants using the Eastern Migration Route, with approximately 522,587 movements recorded in 2025. Migrants in transit or who have temporarily halted their journey in Djibouti are particularly vulnerable to weather, environmental, and health risks, including extreme heat waves, water scarcity, flash floods, and disease outbreaks. In a context where host communities already face limited resources and restricted access to essential services due to climate change and socioeconomic pressures, migration flows can exacerbate these constraints and pose challenges to social cohesion. At the same time, migrants, internally displaced persons, refugees, and host communities bring valuable knowledge and adaptive capacities that can strengthen community climate resilience and improve disaster preparedness.
The Government of the Republic of Djibouti has taken significant steps to address the challenges and opportunities related to human mobility in the context of climate change, the environment, and disasters. In 2022, Djibouti joined ten other East African and Horn of Africa states in signing the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change (KDMECC). This major regional commitment outlines twelve priority actions aimed at responding to the climate crisis, protecting affected communities, and leveraging human mobility as a potential driver of resilience and development.
Since the signing of the KDMECC, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has supported the Republic of Djibouti in implementing its commitments. National focal points from the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development have participated in regional expert working groups and contributed to the development of the Regional Action Plan for the implementation of the KDMECC in East Africa and the Horn of Africa. At the national level, IOM, in collaboration with these two ministries, has also organized several training sessions and dialogues to strengthen the capacity of the National Steering Committee on Climate Change to integrate human mobility into climate policies.
Several national policy frameworks already recognize the link between climate and mobility. The National Migration Strategy (2022) explicitly identifies environmental drivers of mobility. The updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for 2025 and the revised National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy reference the KDMECC and emphasize the importance of considering human mobility in climate change responses. Djibouti is also developing its first National Adaptation Plan (NAP), which represents a crucial opportunity to integrate human mobility into climate change response frameworks.
In this context, IOM, in close coordination with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development and the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Djibouti, is recruiting a consultant to develop a national action plan for the implementation of the KDMECC in Djibouti. This action plan must reflect the priorities of affected communities regarding climate crisis management and human mobility in the country, including those of migrants, internally displaced persons, host communities, and vulnerable rural communities affected by the adverse effects of climate change and significant migration flows. The priorities of women and youth must also be emphasized. This ambitious strategic framework will provide a crucial basis for mobilizing financing to address the climate crisis and the dynamics of human mobility, in line with the priorities defined in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy, and will fully contribute to the achievement of the country’s Vision 2035. The objective is for this national action plan for the implementation of the KDMECC (National Climate Change and Sustainable Development Strategy) to facilitate the integration of human mobility and its links to climate change adaptation into other policies and strategic frameworks, such as the National Action Plan (NAP), the National Development Plan, and regional development plans.
II- General Objective
The overall objective of the consultancy is to develop a national action plan for the implementation of the KDMECC commitments that respond to the challenges and priorities of communities and authorities in Djibouti and to support the integration of human mobility into national frameworks for climate change response, environmental protection and disaster risk reduction.
III- Expected Results
Following the aforementioned general objective, the expected results are as follows:
- National priorities for the implementation of the twelve commitments of the KDMECC, and the 25 additional commitments of its continental expansion addendum (KDMECC AFRICA) are identified through the review of documents, the facilitation of thematic working sessions on the KDMECC commitments with the technical teams of the relevant sectoral ministries and national agencies (including members of the national steering committee on climate change), regional authorities, civil society, youth representatives and community consultations in ten pre-identified localities, in accordance with the defined methodology.
- A national action plan for the implementation of the KDMECC in the Republic of Djibouti, based on identified priorities and including gender-sensitive measures, a budget, timeline, responsible entities, monitoring and evaluation indicators, a section on accountability to affected populations, and a portfolio of budgeted projects, is available and has been validated by stakeholders. The national action plan for the implementation of the KDMECC in Djibouti should be aligned with the regional action plan for the implementation of the KDMECC in East Africa and the Horn of Africa and/or with any other existing national action plan in the region, if deemed relevant by national stakeholders.
- Recommendations aimed at integrating human mobility into the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), based on the priorities of the KDMECC action plan, are developed and made available to the relevant stakeholders.
IV- Responsibilities of the consultant
The main responsibilities of the selected consultant will include:
a- Development of the methodology:
i- Participation in an information meeting with IOM and relevant government actors for a briefing on expectations regarding the development of the national action plan.
ii- Based on the results of this exchange, the joint drafting with IOM of a refined methodology for developing the national action plan, including a clear and realistic timetable of activities and deadlines, organized around four stages: 1) document review, 2) thematic working sessions, 3) community consultations, and 4) development and validation of the national action plan. A gender-sensitive approach must be applied at each stage of the development of the national action plan, and the methodology must clearly demonstrate how gender considerations are integrated into the document review, thematic working sessions, community consultations, and the stages of developing and validating the national action plan.
2. Conduct a literature review
The development of the National Action Plan for the implementation of the KDMECC will begin with a thorough literature review to ground the process in existing evidence, political commitments, and available analytical work. The consultant will review a wide range of documents, including:
- The Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change, and its addendum (KDMECC-AFRICA), the results and conclusions of the national dialogue for the implementation of the KDMECC (April 2025) in Djibouti, the regional action plan for the implementation of the KDMECC and the conclusions of the thematic expert groups on the KDMECC, as well as relevant national action plans available in other countries of East Africa, the Horn of Africa and Southern Africa.
- Grey literature relating to climate change, environmental degradation and disasters in Djibouti.
- The relevant international and regional policy frameworks to which Djibouti is a party, including the Sendai Framework, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, the Global Compact on Refugees, the Global Framework for Action on Refugees, etc.
- Relevant national frameworks, including Vision 2035, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the National Migration Strategy and its five-year action plan (2022–2027), the National Disaster Risk Management Strategy, the National Development Plan, the Regional Development Plans, the Climate Change Law, the National Climate Change Strategy, the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, the National Water Strategy, the National Strategy and Action Plan for the Environment and Sustainable Development, etc.
3- Finalization of the methodology and development of consultation tools
i- Based on the results of the literature review, the consultant, in coordination with the IOM, will identify the actors to be consulted, the thematic structuring of the working sessions as well as the localities and communities targeted for community consultations.
ii- The consultant will develop consultation tools, including discussion guides for thematic sessions and community consultations, the application of the participatory approach and the gender approach, as well as the description of the methodology for analyzing the data collected.
4- Conducting thematic working sessions with key stakeholders
Based on the literature review, the consultant—with IOM support—will facilitate a series of thematic working sessions to ensure a structured, inclusive, and cross-sectoral dialogue around the KDMECC commitments. These sessions will identify priorities, implementation pathways, institutional responsibilities, and capacity-building needs for operationalizing the KDMECC at the national level. The consultant will be responsible for documenting all discussions, preparing meeting minutes, and sharing them with the IOM project team to ensure transparency and traceability of the process. These sessions will bring together a wide range of key stakeholders for the national implementation of the agenda, including:
- Government institutions (including those represented within the National Steering Committee on Climate Change – CNDCC: Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development; Ministry of the Interior – National Coordination Office for Migration and Executive Secretariat for Disaster Risk Management; Ministry of Agriculture, Water, Fisheries, Livestock and Marine Resources; Ministry of Women and Family; Ministry of Social Affairs and Solidarity; Ministry of Labour and Social Protection; Ministry of Economy and Finance – Djibouti Institute of Statistics; Ministry of Budget; Ministry of Housing, Urban Planning and Habitat; Ministry of Infrastructure and Equipment; Ministry of Energy in charge of Natural Resources; Chamber of Commerce; Djibouti Centre for Studies and Research; National Meteorological Agency, as well as local authorities and other actors).
- Technical and financial partners (IOM, UNDP, FAO, UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP, UNDRR, UNFPA, GIZ, World Bank, European Union).
- Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
- Civil society organizations and community associations.
- Local and international NGOs.
- Research centers and universities.
- Private sector (energy, infrastructure, transport).
- Any other stakeholder identified as relevant during the consultations.
5- Conducting community consultations
To ensure that the National Action Plan reflects local realities and the perspectives of communities most affected by the interactions between climate change and human mobility, the consultant will conduct community consultations in ten selected localities in the sub-regions where IOM is implementing community planning processes: Dikhil-ville, Yoboki, Ali Sabieh-ville, Doudoub Allaleh, Arta-ville, Karta, Tadjourah-ville, Sagalou, Obock-ville and Dalay Af.
In accordance with the methodology established by IOM, the consultant will organize focus groups in each locality with five socio-economic categories: youth, women, civil society organizations, economic cooperatives, and community leaders. Where possible, populations affected by displacement, as well as migrants in transit or to their destination, and host communities (rural and urban) will be included. These consultations will help identify local priorities, perceived vulnerabilities, existing adaptation strategies, and expectations regarding government action on climate change and mobility.
Integrating input from community committees and representing diverse socio-economic and gender groups will foster local ownership and ensure that the National Action Plan is responsive to the country’s varied contexts and challenges. This participatory dimension is essential to ensuring that national policy directions are relevant, achievable, and aligned with community priorities.
6- Drafting of the National Action Plan for the implementation of the KDMECC in the Republic of Djibouti
The National Action Plan will include, among other things, the following sections:
- An introduction to the context of human mobility and climate change in Djibouti, as well as to the KDMECC process.
- The methodology.
- Alignment with national, regional and global frameworks.
- The identified and prioritized gender-sensitive actions, accompanied by a budget, a timetable, a responsible entity and indicators.
- A section on accountability tools towards affected populations.
- Budgeted project portfolios consistent with the priorities identified for the implementation of the KDMECC.
- Recommendations for integrating human mobility into the process of developing the National Adaptation Plan (NAP).
7- Presentation and validation of the draft National Action Plan during a consultation workshop
A consultation workshop will bring together the focal points of the CNDCC and other relevant stakeholders, including representatives of communities, women and youth, to present the results of the consultation process and the draft National Action Plan.
9- Finalization of the National Action Plan based on stakeholder feedback
The consultant will finalize the National Action Plan based on the results of the consultations and feedback gathered during the consultation workshop. The final document will include an indicative timeline for implementing the proposed actions as well as an initial estimate of the resources required.
i- Presentation and validation of the final National Action Plan during a validation workshop
A workshop will bring together key stakeholders consulted within the framework of the project to present and validate the National Action Plan for the implementation of the KDMECC in Djibouti, and to identify opportunities for integrating this plan into relevant policies and strategies, including the NAP development process. During the workshop, participants, including community representatives, will be trained on how to use the action plan to mobilize funding for community projects. Balanced participation of women and men will be ensured during the workshop. A session will be dedicated to the links between the NAP and the National Action Plan for the implementation of the KDMECC in the Republic of Djibouti. Discussions will also address synergies with other planning frameworks under review related to climate change and human mobility, such as the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy and the National Climate Change Strategy.
V- Gender sensitive perspective
A gender perspective will be integrated throughout the development process of the National Action Plan for the implementation of the KDMECC in Djibouti. Recognizing that climate change and human mobility affect women, men, girls, and boys differently, the consultant will ensure that the structure, content, and actions proposed in the plan reflect these differentiated impacts and address gender-related vulnerabilities, particularly those faced by women in rural, nomadic, and economically fragile communities.
From the outset, the consultant will apply a gender-sensitive approach to the analytical and advisory components of the assignment. During the literature review, particular attention will be paid to literature and data highlighting differentiated exposure to climate risks, unequal access to natural resources, differentiated livelihood opportunities, and the roles of women and girls in migration, displacement, caregiving, and community resilience. Where data gaps are identified, they will be clearly indicated, and recommendations will be made to improve the collection of gender-disaggregated data within the framework of the KDMECC implementation.
Gender considerations will also be central to stakeholder mapping and engagement. The consultant will proactively identify and engage women’s organizations, gender institutions, women leaders, and representatives of women-led cooperatives and community groups. The methodology will address common barriers to women’s participation—including caregiving responsibilities, sociocultural norms, time constraints, and mobility challenges—and propose practical solutions to ensure meaningful women’s participation in consultations. This may include adjusting meeting times, establishing appropriate communication channels, creating women-only discussion spaces where relevant, and ensuring facilitators are trained in conducting gender-sensitive dialogues.
In thematic working groups, the consultant will facilitate discussions that explicitly consider gender-differentiated roles, needs, and capacities in climate adaptation, disaster risk management, and human mobility. Women’s perspectives will be sought not only as beneficiaries but also as agents of change, decision-makers, and holders of community knowledge. The consultant will ensure balanced participation of women and men in all activities, to the extent possible, and will document how gender issues influence policy priorities and implementation pathways emerging from these sessions.
At the community level, the consultant will apply IOM’s community planning approach to capture gender-specific experiences and vulnerabilities. Focus groups will be structured to allow women—including young women and female heads of household—to express their priorities and constraints in a safe and supportive environment. Their contributions regarding the impacts of climate variability, access to services, livelihood strategies, protection risks, and mobility dynamics will be systematically integrated into the development of the Action Plan.
At all stages of the mission, the consultant will ensure that gender is not treated as an isolated theme, but is integrated across the entire document, including the analysis, proposed activities, institutional arrangements, monitoring indicators, and budgetary considerations. The final Action Plan will reflect how gender equality and women’s empowerment contribute to climate resilience, sustainable mobility governance, and the effective implementation of the KDMECC commitments in Djibouti.
VI- Deliverables and provisional schedule
The deliverables are detailed below and spread over a period of approximately 120 consecutive working days between April and July 2026.
Deliverable
Due date
Refined methodology for the development of the national action plan, including a clear and realistic timetable of activities and deadlines, organized around four stages – 1) literature review, 2) thematic working sessions, 3) community consultations and 4) development and validation of the national action plan.
Day 10
Document review report, summarizing the information gathered from the analysis of relevant policies and documents.
Day 20
Consultation tools, including guiding questions for thematic working sessions and community consultations, the application of the participatory approach and the gender approach, as well as a description of the methodology for analyzing the data collected.
Day 25
Report of the technical working groups
Day 40
Reports from community consultations
Day 70
First draft of the national action plan for the KDMECC for the implementation of the KDMECC
Day 90
Second draft of the national action plan for the implementation of the KDMECC, taking into account feedback and comments from the IOM
Day 105
Final national action plan for the implementation of the KDMECC, incorporating feedback from the consultation workshop and the final validation workshop
Day 120
VII- Qualifications
Interested consultants are invited to submit their expression of interest if they meet the minimum criteria presented below:
Training
- Hold a master’s degree with relevant experience in the field of migration, climate change response, disaster risk management, public policy analysis or other relevant field;
- Hold a bachelor’s degree with 5 additional years of experience in the aforementioned fields;
Experience in writing strategic reports, action plans, and roadmaps
- Proven experience in writing strategic reports, action plans, roadmaps, related to migration, climate change, the environment, disaster risk management.
- Proven experience in integrating gender and vulnerability dimensions into action plans, roadmaps and/or other strategic frameworks
- Experience in conducting stakeholder mapping, policy framework mapping, and capacity assessments is an advantage.
Contextual knowledge
- Have a good understanding of international frameworks relating to climate change and migration (UNFCCC, NAP, NDC, MGP, etc.).
- Understanding of the political, institutional and legislative frameworks related to climate, the environment, drought, biodiversity, human mobility and sustainable development.
- Having a good knowledge and understanding of climate and migration dynamics in the Horn of Africa and Djibouti is an advantage
Experience in conducting consultations with different stakeholders
- Experience in conducting consultations with various stakeholders.
- Proven experience in conducting consultations and facilitating working groups with government entities
- Proven experience in conducting community consultations
Communication and coordination skills:
- Ability to organize and lead training, consultation and feedback workshops
- Ability to work closely with national institutions, international partners and local communities.
- Excellent writing skills in French and English, with clear, structured and accessible deliverables.
- Knowledge of local languages ​​(Arabic, Afar and/or Somali) is an advantage
Submission of application file
Interested consultants who meet the required profile are requested to prepare and submit to IOM an expression of interest dossier containing the following documents:
Administrative Documents
- Application letter (one page).
- The consultant’s CV clearly indicating the qualifications and experience relevant to this assignment.
- At least one recent similar work, of which the consultant is the principal author or one of the principal authors.
Technical proposal
- Technical proposal (maximum 4 pages) taking into account the guidelines provided in the terms of reference (TOR). Variations may be proposed for technical reasons.
- Work plan and schedule for the completion of all the work.
Financial proposal
- A financial proposal including all expenses necessary to achieve the set objectives.