Consultant – Supporting Development of the Policy Document on Reintegration in Georgia

Duty Station of the Consultancy: Remote (with travel to Georgia for stakeholder meetings).

Duration of Consultancy: 20 working days, to be completed over a span of 8 months.

Nature of the consultancy: Support the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Health, Labour and Social Affairs of Georgia (MoLHSA), as the chair of the Integration Working Group of the State Commission on Migration Issues (SCMI) in the development/finalization of the Framework/Vision policy level document on Reintegration.

Project Context and Scope

The Programme “Enhanced Opportunities for the Returning Migrants in Georgia”, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), implemented by International Organization for Migration (IOM) mission to Georgia, aims to support the sustainable reintegration of returned migrants in Georgia and improve their economic and social well-being, by enhancing the responsiveness and coordination of national and local stakeholders, improving the contribution of local self-governments and other local stakeholders, including through provision of information and services to returnees, and increasing the opportunities for economic reintegration, social inclusion, and financial inclusion of returnees and their families.
The programme adopts a comprehensive reintegration approach at the individual, community and structural levels, emphasizing a gender-sensitive and human rights-based approach. The programme builds on existing policies, such as Georgia’s Migration Strategy 2021-2030, while aims to address gaps in governance, coordination and capacity at both local and central levels.
Recent migration trends in Georgia reveal an increase in returns, especially from EU+ countries, including rejected asylum seekers and long-term migrants, which is straining the reintegration system. Returnees often face difficulties reintegrating due to limited employment opportunities, skill mismatches, psychological distress and restricted access to services. Reintegration efforts are hampered by insufficient support, lack of coordination between central and local authorities and limited involvement of local stakeholders, private sector actors and diaspora networks. Economic reintegration remains a significant challenge, coupled with gender-specific barriers impacting female returnees’ economic inclusion.
The main challenge the programme intends to tackle is the insufficient and unsustainable reintegration of returned migrant in Georgia, which hampers their social and economic inclusion and limits their potential contribution to the development of their communities and the country. The overall goal is to enable migrants to achieve economic self-sufficiency, social stability and psychosocial well-being, thereby strengthening their ability to contribute to Georgia’s development.
Key objectives:

1. Strengthen the institutional capacity of national stakeholders to implement a consolidated comprehensive reintegration framework.
2. Empower local self-governance and other local stakeholders to address community development and reintegration challenges.
3. Support returned migrants in overcoming employability and employment barriers, improving financial literacy and accessing tailored social services.
4. Leverage the diaspora’s expertise and investments to contribute to the local economic development.

MoLHSA is the lead partner of the programme, responsible for coordinating the consolidation of the overall reintegration framework in Georgia.
IOM Georgia is seeking to hire an international consultant that will support MoLHSA (Department of IDPs, Eco-migrants and Policy Division) in the development of the Reintegration Vision policy document for Georgia, based on existing concepts previously developed by MoLHSA with IOM support.
Under the direct supervision of the IOM Programme Manager, the International Consultant will be responsible for supporting MoLHSA in the development of the Reintegration Vision policy document for Georgia. He/she will work in cooperation with two local experts deployed to MoLHSA under the programme, and will be responsible for:

1. Leading, in close coordination with the IOM Programme Implementation Unit (PIU), the team of consultants in support of the development of the Reintegration Vision document.
2. Conducting preliminary work including but not limited to
   a. desk research and review of existing materials,
   b. current policy and institutional framework, coordination mechanisms,
   c. existing gaps and recommendations already identified in previous assessments,
   d. applicable best practices from other countries.
3. Developing an inception report of the Reintegration Vision development, including the methodology and the work plan for its finalization, specific deliverables, timeline and specific roles, and submitting to IOM for review and endorsement.
4. Providing support to IOM Georgia for organizing the initial stakeholder consultation workshop, participating and guiding the consultation process.
5. Presenting the initial findings from the desk review and stakeholder consultations, as well as the suggested outline of the policy, which will be the basis for further discussion and elaboration, in line with the methodological approach approved by IOM, in cooperation with the local consultants.
6. Preparing and submitting the first draft of the Reintegration Vision for review by IOM, MoLHSA, the members of the Integration Working Group and other relevant stakeholders, aligned with:
   a. the IOM’s integrated approach to reintegration,
   b. the Migration Strategy of Georgia 2021-2030,
   c. the institutional roles of the respective levels of governance,
   d. the endorsement process by the Government of Georgia, as regards the procedural and format requirements.
   and incorporate stakeholders’ feedback accordingly.
7. Providing support to IOM Georgia for organizing the validation workshop, participating and presenting the consolidated draft of the Reintegration Vision to the stakeholders, as well as incorporating stakeholders’ feedback accordingly.
8. Submitting the final draft Reintegration Vision, reflecting any stakeholders’ inputs from the validation workshop.
9. Submitting a consultancy report on the delivery of tasks to IOM Georgia upon completion of the assignment.

Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing

“Enhanced Opportunities for the Returning Migrants in Georgia”

Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment

Deliverable 1: Inception report including the methodology and the work plan for its finalization, specific deliverables, timeline and specific roles, submitted by 15 April 2025.
Deliverable 2: Draft document of Reintegration Vision for review by IOM, MoLHSA, the members of the Integration Working Group and other relevant stakeholders, submitted by 31 August 2025.
Deliverable 3: Final document of the Reintegration Vision, reflecting any stakeholders’ inputs from the validation workshop submitted by 31 October 2023.

Performance indicators for the evaluation of results
Delivers the listed deliverables on time and with good quality.

Required Qualifications / Work Experience

Education

• University degree in social sciences, public administration, development or another relevant field

Experience

• Good understanding of the migration governance framework in Georgia.
• Experience in developing policy documents in the field of migration/reintegration.
• Knowledge of the IOM’s methodology on integrated approach to reintegration, would be an asset
• Knowledge of the rules of planning, monitoring and evaluation of the policy documents and experience in drafting documents aligned with government regulations in Georgia will be an asset.
• Experience in cooperating with various stakeholders, including international organizations

Skills

• Analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
• Strong organizational and communication skills;
• Proficiency in MS Office and online collaboration tools

Languages

• Fluency in English is required

IOM’s official languages are English, French and Spanish.

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Travel required

• 2 working visits, 3 days each.

Required Competencies

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link. Competencies will be assessed during the selection process.

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 Competencies – 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 Organization’s 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.