General Background of Project or Assignment, Operational Context:
The collaboration between the African Development Bank (AfDB) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has grown substantively over the past years, strategically and operationally. The partnership is strong at management and technical levels, including in sectors and regions, across various shared priorities such as knowledge and analytics, policy dialogue and advocacy, capacity development, and programming.
With over 45 million forcibly displaced persons in Africa due to conflicts and climate change; including some 8.8 million refugees and 34 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), UNHCR’s partnership with AfDB is expanding further, directly linked to the Bank’s 2022-2026 Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience in Africa, among other strategic AfDB frameworks. More broadly, the partnership links directly to the Global Compact on Refugees (2018), with its coordination led by UNHCR, the 1969 OAU/AU Refugee Convention, the 1994 Addis Ababa Document on Refugees and Forced Population Displacements in Africa , the AU’s 2009 Kampala Convention on IDPs, among others.
Cognizant that no single actor alone can help prevent and address forced displacement and mindful of respective institutional mandates, AfDB and several other MDBs have increased their coordination and collaboration, including through the MDB Platform on Economic Migration and Forced Displacement. Key pledges were made at the 2019 and 2023 Global Refugee Forums (GRF). Building on and after AfDB’s active participation in the second GRF, in 2024 the AfDB endorsed the Common Position of DAC-INCAF Members supporting the Global Compact on Refugees on Addressing Forced Displacement with a Comprehensive Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus Approach .
Within this context, AfDB and UNHCR are undertaking joint efforts to further enhance their strategic partnership to contribute more effectively to prevent and better address the development challenges of forced displacement in Africa. At the institutional level, the partnership is led by the Transition States Coordination Office at AfDB and the Division of Resilience and Solutions at UNHCR.
The proposed Joint AfDB-UNHCR Flagship Study on Development Responses to Forced Displacement in Africa aims to enhance the collective, African owned, led and partner-supported efforts to advance the protection of and development solutions for refugees, IDPs, returnees and hosting communities in Africa. A particular emphasis is also placed on exploring challenges and advancing potential solutions for stateless persons in Africa through development engagement.
More specifically, the Flagship Study will:
(i) critically reflect on progress made in preventing and addressing the development challenges of forced displacement in Africa in recent years, particularly since the NY Declaration in September 2016;
(ii) identify and analyze the next frontiers of development response to forced displacement in Africa;
(iii) explore innovative approaches and solutions, including financing modalities, engagement with a new set of actors, better coordination approaches, etc.; and
(iv) set the agenda for the next four years (until the third GRF in December 2027) for development action in support of refugees, IDPs, returnees and communities affected by forced displacement in Africa. This will include content developed as basis for sector-specific ‘Guidance Notes’. References, where suitable, will also be made to stateless persons and statelessness in Africa, including challenges and potential solutions for protection and inclusion.
Methodology: qualitative and quantitative research based on inclusive stakeholder consultations (mostly in virtual/hybrid format), building on and coordinating with existing and/or ongoing research & partnerships to avoid duplication, whilst ensuring complementarities and synergies. These exchanges, discussions will be done in consultation with various core stakeholders, including government representatives, African Regional Organizations (incl. AU, RECs, ROs…), the UN system (incl IOM, UNDP, WFP, UNHABITAT, ILO, PBSO, the Office of the Special Advisor on Solutions to Internal Displacement for the IDPs etc.), DFIs, Bilateral development partners, private sector, CSOs, academia/think tanks and other HDP nexus partners as determined during the implementation jointly by AfDB and UNHCR.
Within the framework of the MDB Platform on Economic Migration and Forced Displacement and by extension complementing also work-streams of the Development Finance Coordination Group on Solutions to Internal Displacement, the proposed flagship study will strengthen the concrete collaboration between AfDB, UNHCR and MDBs in the subsequent follow-up implementation of the second GRF. The GRFs have proven excellent opportunities to shape engagement of AfDB, MDBs and Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus partners on forced displacement over the coming years (now from GRF 2023 to GRF III in 2027), with AfDB leadership and convening power informing joint policy dialogues and programming on the African continent. MDBs in the MDB Platform on EMFD will be closely involved and consulted throughout the research project for this flagship study, with a particular focus on MDBs with operations and investment pipelines in the Bank’s 54 Regional Member Countries (RMCs).
AfDB and UNHCR will complement the collaboration on the Flagship Study with dedicated capacity development collaboration, including enhancing the capacity of AfDB staff, regional organizations and in development agencies, governments, UNHCR and other stakeholders such as private sector and civil society on the development approach to forced displacement in Africa. This will deliberately, albeit mindful of the respective mandates and associated sensitivities, include where deemed suitable, the highlighting of challenges and showcasing of potential solutions for the inclusion of stateless persons.
Purpose and Scope of Assignment:
UNHCR is seeking to hire two individual consultants – one senior researcher and one researcher – to conduct Joint AfDB-UNHCR Flagship Study on Development Responses to Forced Displacement in Africa to inform MDB and DFI approaches and investments on preventing and addressing displacement crises (refugees, IDPs, returnees and hosting communities) in Africa. It will make recommendations concerning prevention and mitigation of forced displacement, emphasizing leveraging existing financing instruments and underscoring the economic benefits of refugees-inclusive development policies.
Role and Responsibilities: Building on the comprehensive desk-based literature review undertaken by an individual consultant in 2024 (will be made available to the selected individual consultants), the Senior Research Consultant will lead the team, including supervising the Research Consultant, to produce the Flagship Study by:
a) Conducting a review and analysis of the AfDB, MDB and UNHCR portfolios (on the African continent) and datasets on engagement in forced displacement contexts.
b) Prepare business cases which demonstrate the socio-economic benefits of including refugees in national operations, leveraging evidence and studies that highlight the positive return on investment (ROI) from integrating non-national communities into host countries’ economies, i.e. showcasing value for money of investments in self-reliance of refugees
c) Mapping out best practices on specific areas of interventions in and approaches to forced displacement contexts.
d) Identify lessons learned in previous and current engagement of MDBs and identify areas for increased and/or more effective engagement, enhanced coordination, sharpened selectivity and boosted integrated solutions (e.g. via complementarities and synergies).
e) Outlining specific policy and operational recommendations on enhancing MDB strategic engagement in forced displacement contexts in Africa and systematic UNHCR-AfDB and other MDB collaboration in Africa , including but beyond coordination, on policy reforms, operational and programmatic responses over the next four years until the third GRF in December 2027.
f) Proposing a set of recommendations on how MDBs can jointly advance and expand their portfolios on the forced displacement agenda on the continent and how the MDB platform can play a coordination role in the implementation.
g) Propose any other, practical and implementable, innovative solutions based on international development finance best practices and latest knowledge that could help respond at scale and speed to the magnitude of the forced displacement crisis in Africa. This will include specific references on innovative financing and mobilization of climate finance to prevent and address forced displacements at scale and speed required considering current trends and dynamics. Chapters and Supplementary Annexes shall be suitable to become sector ‘Guidance Notes” for AfDB and MDB Practitioners.
Approach: The research will employ a mixed-methods approach, combining the secondary analysis and synthesis of both qualitative and quantitative analytics. This will be complemented by virtual interviews with strategically selected management and experts with AfDB and UNHCR staff working on these partnerships, the MDB Platform, government representatives, the Office of the Special Adviser on Solutions to Internal Displacement, the development and peace building UN agencies and UN bodies, particularly BPSO, UNDP, ILO, UNHABIAT, IOM, etc., on EMFD and other core HDP Nexus actors. The research will also consult with and seek perspectives from refugees, IDPs, returnees and hosting communities directly as suitable and deemed feasible (hybrid and/or writing). The following methods will be used:
• Literature Review and Stakeholder Consultations: Building on the literature review that the individual consultant is undertaking, conduct further desk review, including but not limited to those carried out by AfDB, MDBs, UNHCR, other UN agencies and UN bodies and other ongoing research reports, publications and documents as well as others as deemed suitable as starting point of this work.
• Review of existing portfolios and datasets: A comprehensive review of AfDB, MDB and UNHCR portfolios and datasets in Africa.
• Data Analysis: The results from the data review will be analyzed and synthesized using appropriate qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques. The findings will identify themes and/or patterns, and also provide context specific recommendations.
Key topics to be covered in the report may include. The scope and specific topics/sectors to be covered will be fine-tuned at the start of the consultancy:
1. Overall strategic relevance and frameworks guiding MDB and HDP Nexus Partner engagement in Africa. Highlight African and global frameworks applicable to African contexts, their evolution and latest status, gaps etc.
2. Building on GRF II: Knowledge, Analytics and Pledges
3. Innovative approaches and methodologies to engagement in FD contexts
4. The role of dedicated and tailored financing windows in MDB engagement in FD contexts
5. Private sector engagement and development in FD contexts, incl. non-sovereign operations, lines of credits, access to finance for MSMEs, venture capital etc.
6. Innovative financing, including but not limited to blended finance initiatives and funds
7. Co-financing initiatives and new operational modalities: what worked and what is missing?
8. Infrastructure and Human Capital investments, incl. health, education and entrepreneurship, in FD settings
9. Power, energy, climate interventions and unlocking climate finance in FD contexts
10. Food Security, access to WASH in FD contexts
11. Women, Peace and Security as well as Youth, Peace and Security in FD contexts
12. Rural vs. Urban Displacements: data, challenges and solutions
13. Policy reforms for refugees and IDPs in Africa, role of policy-based lending
14. Partnerships
15. Engagement of MDBs in regional processes and support platforms
16. Advocacy initiatives: existing, forthcoming, additional? Advocacy with M&E and results reporting
17. Actionable Recommendations for AfDB, MDBs, UNHCR, UN system and HDP Nexus Partners
A virtual kick-off workshop to endorse the inception report and a virtual validation workshop to review and present the report prior to its finalisation will take place towards the start and end of the project.
Required qualifications, language(s) and work experience of the Senior Research Consultant:
• Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in International Development, Economics, Law, Political Science, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• 9 years of professional experience
• Extensive experience in conducting qualitative and quantitative research in an MDB setting.
• Proven track record of producing high-quality research reports and publications for MDBs.
• Demonstrated experience working on projects financed by Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) in Africa.
• Familiarity with MDBs’ operational frameworks, financing instruments, and strategic priorities.
• Experience in managing or contributing to projects addressing forced displacement, including refugees, IDPs, returnees, and host communities.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to synthesize complex information and data.
• Excellent writing and communication skills in English; knowledge of French is an asset.
• Familiarity with forced displacement issues in Africa, including the socio-economic and political contexts.
• Familiarity with MDB financing modalities, climate finance, and private sector engagement in development contexts.
• Capacity to handle discussions with diplomacy and tact is critical;
Type of contract: Individual Consultancy
Working arrangement: Part-time
Location: Home-based (no mission travels)
Duration: until 30 June 2025, starting as soon as possible
How to apply
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