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Call
for Expressions of Interest - Evaluation of the Migration and Development
Unit
International Organisation for Migration (IOM)
Deadline:
20 November 2009
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- Call for Expressions of Interest - MS
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- Call for Expressions of Interest - Acrobat
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- Zimbabwe Migration and Development Strategies - Final Implementation
Document - MS
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- Zimbabwe Migration and Development Strategies - Final Implementation
Document - Acrobat
PDF version - (487KB)
- Terms of Reference for the Migration and Development Unit - MS
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- Terms of Reference for the Migration and Development Unit - Acrobat
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1. Background
The poor economic
situation prevailing in Zimbabwe has led to multiple and complex
issues characterized by high levels of brain drain, cross border
mobility and irregular migration. Breadwinners and in many cases
entire families have migrated to other centers or across borders
in search of better employment opportunities. Skill areas affected
include, but are not limited to medicine, education, engineering,
surveying, architecture, audiology, veterinary medicine and forensic
science. The loss of skills is of growing concern as it has negatively
impacted on service delivery.
The majority
of those who migrate to South Africa are doing so without proper
documentation. Up until the issuing of the special Visa Free dispensation
for Zimbabweans by South African Authorities in April 2009, irregular
migrants apprehended by authorities were routinely deported back
to Zimbabwe and the height of the deportations from South Africa
the IOM Beitbridge reception centre was receiving up to 15,000 deportees
per month. This proxy indicator signifies the magnitude of the problem.
Due to the lack
of documentation irregular migrants are vulnerable to exploitation,
physical abuse and rape in host countries, with little or no access
to neither medical care nor legal recourse in the case of sickness
or physical ailments resulting from ill-treatment.
While the government
lacks information on the diaspora, their skills and potential to
participate in the development of Zimbabwe, the majority of Zimbabweans
in the diaspora are willing to contribute towards the development
of their country of origin. An IOM survey in 2005 revealed that
73% of Zimbabweans in the diaspora would be willing to participate
in a skills transfer programme in order to contribute to the development
of Zimbabwe. They would want to make such contribution without losing
or giving up their positions, benefits or entitlements they have
acquired or still enjoy in their host countries. The need was therefore
identified to engage the Zimbabwean diaspora and set up mechanisms
that facilitate diaspora involvement in the development of their
country of origin.
While the foregoing
illustrates the magnitude of the migration challenges Zimbabwe is
facing, the capacity of the Government of Zimbabwe to manage these
multi-faceted migration issues so as to reduce the negative aspects
of migration and enhance its positive impact has been constrained
by lack of a comprehensive and coherent legal, institutional and
policy framework for implementing migration practices in an integrated
manner. Up until March 2008 there was no institutional framework
that spearheaded the day to day migration and development issues
within the GoZ. Migration issues were dealt with by officers in
several stakeholder Ministries, with no or limited coordination
and without following a common strategy. The core responsibilities
of these officers were not related to migration and development.
Consequently, migration and development tasks tended to lag behind.
The lack of adequate data and analysis of the nature and extent
of factors driving migration further limited the ability of the
government to devise appropriate policies and programmes focusing
on the management of migration for national benefit.
In response
to the lack of a coherent migration and development framework, IOM
in collaboration with the Government of Zimbabwe held several workshops
in 2007, the strategic objective of which was that Zimbabwe maximises
the benefits from migration through deliberate national policies
and programmes. The major achievement of this initiative included
the formulation of a national vision for the migration and development
initiative, thus "To be a model in the effective management
and integration of migration in national development". In
order to achieve this vision the conference identified seven strategic
objectives which are set out as follows:
(a) To establish a policy,
legal and institutional framework for the effective management of
migration;
(b) To mainstream migration
policy and practice in Zimbabwe's national and sectoral development
plans;
(c) To increase the participation
of diasporas in the development process;
(d) To formalize and
harness the positive impact of labour migration for national socio-economic
development, including leveraging and maximizing the developmental
potential of remittances;
(e) To mitigate the brain
drain and strengthen skills retention;
(f) To protect and promote
the human rights and well-being of migrants;
(g) To strengthen technical
cooperation for border management.
The workshops
also tasked the Ministry of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion
to co-ordinate the drafting of a policy paper on migration and development.
In recognition of the lack coordination of migration activities,
the workshops recommended the establishment of a migration and development
unit in the Ministry of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion.
The unit would coordinate Zimbabwe's migration and development
agenda. A Migration and Development Unit was duly established in
April 2008 in the Ministry of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion.
Since its inception, the Migration and Development Unit has been
working closely with IOM in addressing national migration and development
issues. It was foreseen that since migration and development was
a fairly new area, the unit might need technical support during
its formative stages. In this regard, IOM provided the unit with
office furniture and equipment, stationery and a vehicle as part
of ongoing efforts to build the capacity of the MDU.
It is within
the context of this support that IOM would like to assess the extent
to which the technical support has assisted the MDU to fulfill its
mandate.
2. Terms
of Reference
Specifically
the evaluation will:
(a) Evaluate
the impact of the technical support provided to the MDU by IOM within
the context of Zimbabwe's migration and development agenda
(as embodied in the seven migration management and development strategic
objectives).
(b) Assess the capacity
of the MDU to coordinate and implement Zimbabwe's migration
and development agenda, including its ability to coordinate with
other organs of government, civil society and the private sector;
and the adequacy of the resources assigned to fulfill the MDU's
mandate.
(c) Assess the performance
of the MDU to date with specific reference to the Unit's Terms
of Reference and tasks performed to date.
(d) Review at least three
international case studies of similar structures that have been
set up in comparable countries and draw lessons that could be adopted
by the MDU.
(e) Provide
recommendations based on findings in 2 (a) through (d) above.
For more information,
contact Peter Mudungwe on pmudungwe@iom.int
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