Evaluation Context:
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Migration Agency, was established in 1951 and is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration working closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. With 175 Member States, eight states holding observer status and offices in over 100 countries, IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all.ย
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) established its operations in Turkmenistan in 1997.ย Over this period, IOM has supported the Government of Turkmenistan in various areas of migration management in alignment with the national development priorities, focusing on prevention of irregular migration and human trafficking, protection and reintegration assistance to returning migrants in vulnerable situation, women empowerment, promoting sustainable development and social cohesion among Afghan and local communities in Turkmenistan, climate resilient development of vulnerable communities, including families of migrants staying behind and their adaptation to climate change, as well as implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
Since 2020, IOM has successfully advocated for integration of human mobility considerations into the national adaptation planning by providing policy advice, enhancing national expertise and equipping national partners with practical tools and knowledge. To this effect, IOM in Turkmenistan implemented the project โTurkmenistan: Mainstreaming the Migration, Environment and Climate Change Nexus into Climate-Related National Planning Processesโ from February 2022 to July 2024 with funding from the IOM Development Fund (IOMDF). The project objective was to support the Governmentโs strategic vision on climate change adaptation by improving its understanding of the nexus between migration, environment and climate change (MECC) in Turkmenistan for potential mainstreaming of MECC into the ongoing national adaptation planning process and reporting efforts associated with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.ย
This project intended to contribute directly towards the SDGs 10 (target 10.7), 13 (targets 13.2 and 13.3) and 17 (17.14), Outcome 3 (Deliverables 1 and 2) of IOM Migration and Sustainable Development Strategy, and aimed for alignment with Principle 2/Objective 1 of the Migration Governance Framework. The project aimed to contribute to the implementation of two Strategic Priorities of IOMโs South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Strategy 2020-2024: Strategic Priority 1 - Address drivers of migration, including adverse effects, such as environmental and climate change impacts, instability, poverty and exploitation; Strategic Priority 4 - Strengthen cooperative development and implementation of evidence-based and inclusive migration governance that addresses migration challenges, leverages opportunities and facilitates safe, orderly and regular migration. The project also intended to be aligned with Strategic Priority 1 of IOMโs Central Asia Sub-Regional Strategy 2021-2025, contributing to building resilience to climate change and advocating for stronger action on environmental migration.
The project entailed capacity-building activities on improving the understanding of the migration, environment, and climate change nexus of the national stakeholders by:
conducting MECC briefings and workshop for national stakeholders; supporting 3 national experts to gain expertise on the migration, environment and climate change nexus; conducting gender-sensitive case study on how, when and where migration - contributes to climate change adaptation and climate resilience in Turkmenistan; mapping and analysing major policies, legislation and strategies in Turkmenistan to assess the extent of alignment with the UNFCCCโs migration-related recommendations; organizing stakeholder meetings to support the mainstreaming of the migration, environment and climate change nexus into the national climate change plans, policies, strategies, and reports; providing policy advice to Turkmenistan's focal point for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.Evaluation purpose and objective:
This external ex-post evaluation of the project is being conducted to assess the relevance and effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of the project. The evaluation will also explore the potential impact of the project activities on project partners and beneficiaries and the coherence of project interventions with other interventions in this thematic area at the country level. This will be relevant for organizational learning, knowledge development and capacity building, and future IOM programming on MECC. Given the research component of the project, the evaluation will focus on the project's longer-term impact and sustainability, especially taking note of the project intended outcome, namely building capacity of key national stakeholders to mainstream the migration perspective in climate change policies and climate change perspective in migration policies. The gender perspectives will be duly reflected during the development of all methodological tools for the evaluation. The process of selecting the evaluator will be done by the IOM mission in Turkmenistan, in coordination with RO Vienna.ย
Evaluation scope:
The intervention period being evaluated will cover the entire project period from February 2022 to July 2024. The geographical area to be covered will be Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. In cases when the project beneficiaries are located outside of the targeted cities (national stakeholders in the regions/provinces), there will be organized phone calls.ย
Evaluation criteria:
The project will be evaluated based on the following evaluation criteria: relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability. Cross-cutting issues such as gender mainstreaming, rights-based approach and environmental considerations will also be evaluated.
Evaluation questions:
Relevance:
To what extent was the project design relevant to needs and priorities at the national level? How was the quality of the intervention logic design? Was the project designed with the support of relevant units at HQ and regional offices and with a logical connection between its objective, outcomes, outputs and indicators based on a solid theory of change and needs assessment?ย Does the project correspond to IOM global, regional, and national strategies and priorities? To what extent was the project aligned with the Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for Turkmenistan 2021-2025? Were stakeholders/beneficiaries targeted in this project consulted during design and implementation of the project to ensure relevance to their needs? Was the project aligned and contributed to the seed-funding dimension of the IOMDF?Coherence:
How well was the project aligned with and complemented by other interventions carried out by IOM?ย To what extent did the project ensure synergies within programmes of UN agencies and other implementing organizations and donors?ยEffectiveness:
To what extent were intended outputs and outcomes achieved in accordance with stated plans?ย Were there any barriers constraining or delaying the achievement of planned outputs? What were the major factors influencing the achievement of the projectโs expected outputs and outcome?Efficiency:ย
How well were the resources (funds, expertise, and time) converted into results?ย How efficient was the overall management of the project (e.g., project team composition, implementation, partner engagement, monitoring, knowledge management and communication)? How were problems and challenges managed?ย Were there any significant delays in the overall implementation? Did the project require a no-cost extension? If yes, what was the reason for a no-cost extension? Were the project monitoring and reporting (technical and financial) procedures well-established and conducive to tracking implementation progress in a timely manner?Impact:ย
What were the most significant changes or impacts, whether positive, negative, intended, or unintended, that have already emerged as a result of the project, if any? Did the project take timely measures for mitigating unplanned negative impacts, if any? In what ways could the impact of the project have been increased or better captured?Sustainability:ย
Which (if any) project results are likely to continue after the project ends?ย Were the activities appropriately designed to ensure sustainability of project? Did the intervention include an appropriate sustainability and exit strategy (including promoting national/local ownership)? Were project partners adequately capacitated (technically, financially and managerially) for continuing to deliver the projectโs benefits/services?ย How strong was the commitment of the authorities and other stakeholders to sustaining and continuing initiatives?Cross-cutting issues:
Was the project planned, designed and implemented with consideration for human rights and gender equality, including Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA), gender analysis, needs assessment and adherence to available guidelines? How inclusive was the project? How could barriers be addressed that disadvantaged groups faced to reduce exclusion and avoid entrenching existing inequalities?ย Was the project successfully implemented without any negative impact on human well-being or the environment?Evaluation methodology:
The detailed evaluation methodology should be developed in the inception report, but at minimum should include the following data collection tools to conduct the evaluation:
The evaluation methodology proposed by the selected evaluator should be in line with both IOM and, specifically, IOM Development Fund evaluation guidelines (including the use of the mandatory IOMDF Scoring Matrix, and following theย IOMDF Evaluation Guidelines).
Ethics, norms and standards for evaluation:
IOM abides by theย norms and standards of the UN Evaluation Group and expects all evaluation stakeholders to be familiar with theย ethical conduct guidelines of UNEG and the consultant(s) with theย UNEG codes of conduct. The final evaluation shall be carried out following the IOM Data Protection Principles.
Evaluation deliverables:
The selected evaluator should develop an inception report,ย using an IOM template, including an evaluation matrix and related data collection tools (including questionnaires as applicable) to describe his/her understanding of the ToR and how he/she will conduct the evaluation including any revisions to the methodology as required. This should be submitted to the evaluation manager following the document review phase, for comments and discussion with the evaluator to finalize plans prior to the field visit.
The evaluator should prepare a draft evaluation report, using an IOM template,ย to be shared with the evaluation manager, the Regional Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer (RPMEO) and the IOM Development Fund team for feedback. The evaluation manager will be responsible for compiling comments/feedback. The evaluator will then finalize the report based on the comments/feedback received.ย
The final evaluation report, using an IOM template,ย shall be written in English and meet good language standards, being grammatically correct, proofread and laid out well, between 20 and 30 pages of the main text (without annexes). The report will follow the same presentation logic and include, at a minimum, the information described in the IOM Project Handbook template for evaluation reports: executive summary, list of acronyms, introduction, evaluation context and purpose, evaluation framework and methodology, findings, conclusions and recommendations. Annexes should include the TOR, inception report or evaluation matrix, list of documents reviewed, list of persons interviewed or consulted, data collection instruments, as well as any other relevant information.ย
The evaluator will develop a two-page evaluation brief,ย using an IOM template, to summarize key findings, conclusions and recommendations for the main intended evaluation users. IOM will provide a template as guidance, which can be adapted by the evaluator, but which should be no longer than two pages.ย
Finally, the evaluator will draft a partially completed Management Response Matrix,ย using an IOM template, with proposed timeline and actions related to the recommendations posed in the evaluation report. This will be drafted in close coordination with the Evaluation Manager, who will then finalize afterwards the matrix in coordination with other relevant colleagues and partners.ย
Specification of roles:
Evaluation Manager:ย The Project Manager in IOMโs Mission in Turkmenistan will manage the final external evaluation and act as the primary focal point for the selected Evaluator. The Project Management Team will provide the Evaluator with the list of documents and suggested interviewees. The Project Management Team will also organize a kick-off meeting with the Evaluator once selected and will be responsible for the final approval of all the deliverables.Reference Group:ย A Reference Group, consisting of Regional Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer (RPMEO) and the IOM Development Fund team, will be created to provide technical advice to the Evaluator during the final evaluation. The Reference Group will have the specific functions of reviewing the deliverables and providing feedback throughout the process. The Reference Group is also expected to review the lessons learned and actionable recommendations identified by the Evaluator. Furthermore, the Reference Group members will act as advocates for ensuring that the evaluation recommendations are integrated into IOMโs subsequent programming.Evaluator(s): The selected vendor will be responsible for completing the evaluation according to the present ToR and the deliverables set out therein. All deliverables will have to be approved by the Project Management Team and coordinated with the Reference Group.Time schedule
The total duration of the evaluation will be seven weeks within the period of September - November 2025 with precise dates to be agreed upon with the evaluator.
Evaluation budget:
IOM expects the evaluator to submit an all-inclusive budget for the evaluation based on their proposed methodology.
Evaluation requirements:
The external evaluator should meet the following requirements and qualifications:ย
Masterโs degree or PHD in a relevant field such as social sciences, psychology, statistics or similar is required. A degree in the Monitoring & Evaluation will be an asset;Minimum of five years of experience conducting evaluations is required, including skills in evaluation design, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, logical framework design, drafting and editing in English, communication, time management and cultural sensitivity;Experience on design, implementation or evaluation of Migration, Environment and Climate Change projects will be an asset;Demonstrated capacity to coordinate with and secure key informants (including government actors, private sector actors, UN agencies, civil society actors, and migrant workers) for field-based data collection is required.ยย Required Competenciesย IOMโs competency framework can be found atย this link. Competencies will be assessed during the selection process.ย Values - all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these three values: Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.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.Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.Empathy: Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.Core Competenciesย โ 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 Organizationโs priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.
Submission of application
Technical Proposal:ย
Applicants shall prepare a proposal according to the ToR, ensuring that the purpose, objectives, scope, criteria and deliverables of the evaluation are addressed. The proposal shall include detailed breakdown of inception phase and data collection methodology, the suggested approach and proposed sampling to be used in the evaluation. A brief explanation of data collection, analysis and report writing phases should also be included, along with a draft work plan and timeline for the evaluation.
Financial Proposal:ย
Offer with a cost breakdown: Consultancy fees (including DSAs), international (economy class) travel costs, and required translation and other costs. The Financial Proposal shall be submitted in a separate file, clearly named Financial Proposal. No financial information should be contained in the Technical Proposal. Travel expenses shall be based on the most direct route and economy fare. Quotations for business class fare will not be considered.
At least two writing samples, preferably of similar assignments conducted.
A detailed Curriculum Vitae. ย
Any questions regarding the call for applications should be sent to kbeshimova@iom.intย ย
ย Notes