“Final External Evaluation for the Project “Strengthening the Sphere of Protection for Victims of Trafficking and Vulnerable Migrants in Egypt while Preventing Irregular Migration and Human Trafficking – Phase II” (SPHERE II)
Commissioned by IOM Egypt Country Office
- Evaluation context
Egypt has a key geo-political role in the region, both in migration from Sub-Saharan Africa and flows across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The country’s position in the region makes it a point of destination and transit for vulnerable migrants, and a source and destination country for smugglers and traffickers seeking to take advantage of such groups. In order to address these trends, IOM Egypt works closely with the Government of Egypt (GoE) to build a whole-of- government approach to fair and protection-oriented migration management policies and practices. This includes protection structures such as shelters for particularly vulnerable migrant groups, such as women, children and victims of trafficking; hotlines for similar groups; national frameworks to ensure legal basis for prosecution of traffickers and smugglers and protection for migrants; strong border response; and tailored, evidence-based awareness raising campaigns on the dangers of irregular migration and trafficking in persons along with positive alternatives of safe migration channels and associated socio-economic benefits.
Egypt’s border management commitment has led to a decrease in departures from Egypt to Europe and the number of departures from Egyptian coasts has dropped drastically since 2016, in turn leading to a decrease in the number of migration-related deaths in the Mediterranean, which made up at least 19,803 migrant fatalities of the globally reported
35,240 fatalities between 2014 and 2019.1 However, other borders present similar dangers to vulnerable groups attempting to enter Egypt: migrant fatalities in the desert represent an under-reported, but incredibly potent, threat to irregular, smuggled and trafficked migrants crossing Egypt’s borders with Sudan and Libya.
IOM is committed to providing fair protection services from housing, education, legal and socioeconomic to assisted voluntary return and reintegration to those eligible and willing to return. As part of the institutional approach to this issue, IOM Egypt works with relevant stakeholders in the areas of operation to raise awareness in migrant and host communities, build capacities of service-providers and the judiciary, and to provide protection services for migrants at risk of exploitation. Tackling trafficking in persons requires preventative, protective and prosecution methods which engage all parts of the Government and society; this was reflected in the GoE’s 2016–2021, and later the 2022-2027, National Strategy on Combatting Trafficking in Persons, a comprehensive national framework which works in line with Egypt’s Counter-Trafficking Law 64/2010. IOM Egypt has worked closely with the GoE to implement this Strategy, seeing in recent years the strengthening of several national hotlines for victims of trafficking (VoTs), shelters for vulnerable and at-risk women and children and other protection measures implemented by the State.
Building on SPHERE I2’s efforts to strengthen protection for VoTs and vulnerable migrants in Egypt and preventing irregular migration and trafficking in line with the National Strategy and Egypt’s Law 64/2010, this intervention will continue to tackle trafficking and irregular migration in order to contribute to rights-based and efficient mobility governance in Egypt, prioritizing protection-centered and evidence-based interventions with stakeholders and vulnerable migrants. Following the successes of SPHERE I, this intervention will continue to increase access to efficient protection services through IOM and the GoE (building on the support and establishment of national helplines and a shelter for VoTs, as well as protection services from IOM); further build the capacity of stakeholders who work to prevent these crimes, prosecute perpetrators and protect victims; raise the awareness of Egyptians and vulnerable and at-risk migrants from across the region; and strengthen a protection-sensitive border response. IOM is keen on and has conveyed the vitality of ensuring the sustainability in the implementation of its activities and interventions while maintaining strong relationship with the GoE and following up on the needs, which taking into account the changing global, regional and national situation.
Globally, IOM is the main intergovernmental organization assisting states in strengthening
1 IOM Missing Migrants Project, https://missingmigrants.iom.int/
2 Sphere I was the first phase of the project implemented from January 2018 to September 2020.
their institutional capacity on migration, migrant protection and integrated border management. IOM interventions increase skills and knowledge of relevant government officials and address technical, protection and infrastructural needs of the requesting beneficiary countries. Through this project, IOM will address Sustainable Development Goals number 5 and 8 with targets to “eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation” and “take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking” and Egypt’s 2030 Strategy of a society that provides protection, and support to marginalized and vulnerable groups.
This project titled “Strengthening the Sphere of Protection for Victims of Trafficking and Vulnerable Migrants in Egypt while Pretending Irregular Migration and Human Trafficking – Phase II” (SPHERE II)” is funded by the Kingdom of Denmark to continue to contribute to the efforts of GoE to reduce vulnerabilities of migrants and VoTs through enhanced migration management for fair and efficient practices that address the protection needs of migrants in Egypt and at the borders. The project will contribute to strengthening protection for VoTs and vulnerable migrants in Egypt while preventing irregular migration and trafficking in persons in line with the national priorities IOM in Egypt works to tackle cross-border crimes against migrants such as exploitation and trafficking and against the state such as migrant smuggling, through capacity building for the GoE stakeholders and in areas where these crimes are commonly identified, and through protection and prevention efforts targeting migrant and host community populations. This project is aimed at addressing these issues in line with the objectives of the GoE’s National Strategy on Preventing and Combatting Human Trafficking 2016-2021. It will tie together efforts within the country to prevent trafficking, protect victims and prosecute traffickers with efforts to prevent traffickers and smugglers from bringing vulnerable migrants and VoTs across the border.
This is planned to be achieved through the following project design (as well as its activities and as outlined in its results matrix):
The objective of project is to contribute to the GoE’s efforts to reduce vulnerabilities of migrants and victims of trafficking through enhanced migration management for fair and efficient practices that address the protection needs of migrants in Egypt and at the borders.
Outcome 1: Vulnerable migrants and those at-risk of or who are victims of trafficking are aware of available protection mechanisms and services and have access to these services from organizations and government entities
Output 1.1: Victims of Trafficking (VoTs) and at-risk populations have due access to protection services Output 1.2: An analysis and understanding of trafficking in persons (TiP) trends and protection needs of at-risk populations across migration routes are made available
Output 1.3: National actors have the skills, knowledge, and resources to strengthen the sphere of prevention, protection, and prosecution of trafficking, exploitation and abuse of vulnerable populations in Egypt
Outcome 2: Officials from the Egyptian Armed Forces have strengthened capacity to ensure efficient and rights-based migration management in general, and assistance to migrants in vulnerable positions in particular, in Egypt and within the continent
Output 2.1: Officials from the EAF show improved capacities in rights-based approach operations, including Search and Rescue (SAR) of Migrants
Output 2.2: Officials from the EAF show an improved understanding of the protection of migrants’ rights and associated challenges which reflect in their operations
Output 2.3: Self-sustainability of protection mainstreaming in EAF’s SAR operations is enhanced - Evaluation purpose
As per the project design, this evaluation end-of project evaluation will be conducted to assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impacts, and sustainability of the project components in relation to the proposed results and indicators in the results matrix. The aim is to assess the extent to which the project’s intervention package and delivery strategies have been effective in bringing about the expected short and long-term results and to collect needed information to inform the projects consolidation, improvement in design and standardization. This will also be informed by the evaluation of SPHERE I and the successes and concerns resulting from that intervention. - Evaluation scope
The evaluation will cover the whole project period 1 November 2020 – 31 January 2023 of the project. All project activities are included within the scope of the evaluation. Some project activities were conducted in governorates outside Cairo and the need to conduct field visits will be decided with the evaluator based on the chosen data collection and evaluation tools. - Evaluation criteria
The evaluation is expected to assess project performance against the revised OECD/DAC evaluation criteria: relevance, effectiveness, coherence, efficiency, impact and sustainability. - Evaluation questions
Below are the key generic evaluation questions that the evaluation is expected to answer. The evaluator may develop additional specific evaluation questions as necessary in line with the evaluation purposed in order to collect quality and sufficient data needed to meet expected standard of evaluation report.
i. Relevance- To what extent has the project responded to the needs of various priority beneficiary groups and stakeholders?
- Has the project adequately responded to local and national priorities?
- To what extent is the project consistent with IOM priorities and mandate?
ii. Effectiveness - To what extent was the project implementation fidelity been ensured? Were all project activities implemented as originally planned and in a timely manner? If not, why?
- To what extent has the project activities effectively produced quality outputs and outcomes as planned?
- Which of the project strategies were more effective and which were least effective in producing planned short and long-term results and why?
- What could have been done differently (design and implementation approaches) to make sure that the project more effective in reaching short and long-term target results?
- What (if any) lessons can be drawn from the project?
iii. Efficiency - To what extent were project implementation strategies the most cost-efficient?
- Could activities have been successfully been implemented with fewer resources without compromising the quality of resultant outputs and outcomes?
- Could cheaper alternative implementation strategies/packages have reached similar results or more?
- How successful has the project been in synergizing and complementing interventions of other national and international actors and leveraging non-project resources?
iv. Impact - What impact (positive and/or negative, intended or unintended) did the project have on its’ beneficiaries and relevant stakeholders and what do these actors perceive to be the project’s impact?
- What observed changes in attitudes, capacities and institutions etc. can be linked to the broader framework of the project’s interventions?
- What project interventions strategies were effective in triggering the observed medium and long-term results (outcomes)?
v. Sustainability - What project activities, outputs, outcomes and benefits brought about by the projects are likely to live on or continue after the project has ended?
- What actions are recommended on the project design and implementation to strengthen sustainability of future interventions?
- What potential exists for the continuation, replication or scaling up of the project’s results by national partners?
vi. Cross cutting issues (Gender, Safety, and Inclusion) - To what extent has the project addressed cross-cutting issues such as gender, human rights, and the environment?
- Evaluation Methodology
The evaluator will be responsible for developing a detailed evaluation methodology that will be followed to respond to the above evaluation purpose and questions. However, it is expected that a mix methods approach will be followed to get diverse data required to reach an objective assessment of whether the project achieved what was set out to do and draw useful recommendations and conclusions. Therefore, it is expected that a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection will be used including document review, key informant interviews, surveys, and other data collection methods as necessary to satisfactorily respond to the above set of evaluation questions.
IOM will share relevant background documents and project records as needed by the evaluator or evaluation team. These will include, amongst others, progress, training and other reports, institutional documents, meeting minutes as well as other relevant information products produced during the implementation. The evaluation must follow the IOM Data Protection Principles, UNEG norms and standards for evaluations, and relevant ethical guidelines. - Evaluation deliverables
The deliverables expected from the Evaluator include the following:
Deliverables Description Inception Report- comprising detailed evaluation approach and methodology, a set of data collection instruments as well as a detailed work plan that will be developed in close consultation with IOM Egypt project management team in coordination with Regional M&E Officer. Data Collection and Analysis
- Draft analytical evaluation report which the evaluation must submit and present to the management team for inputs. The final analytical evaluation report
- that incorporates comments and feedback from IOM Egypt management team and Regional M&E Officer. The final report submitted to IOM must be in English and include (i) Executive summary; (ii) Project background; (iii) Evaluation background and methodologies; (iv) Project performance; (v) Achievements against expected outcomes/results, (vi) Sustainability of the achievements and overall strategy; (vii) Good practices and lessons learned of the project; (viii) Summary of conclusion and recommendations. The content of the report should be clear, and all evaluation conclusions must be substantiated and backed by evidence. The report should bring new perspectives to the subject evaluated and include the comparison of the baseline data collected at the outset of the project and impact/changes made after the implementation, and should not exceed 45 pages, excluding annexes. Where there is no baseline, the evaluation methods is expected to include retrospective questions to reconstruct the baseline condition as reference for measuring achievement Evaluation Brief
- The evaluation is also expected to submit a two-pager evaluation brief in English. The brief should provide a succinct summary of the evaluation, the key findings, lessons learnt and recommendations.
- Workplan
The evaluator will supply a first draft to the Project Manager no later than 30 January 2023 for comments, and following feedback, the final report should be submitted no later than 10 March 2023. The table below provides provisional timeline for key evaluative activities. The final detailed evaluation work plan will be agreed upon between IOM Egypt and the evaluator.
Activity Timeline Delivery Date - Inception Report
10 days
30 January 2023 - Draft of the Evaluation Report
25 days
25 February 2023 - The final evaluation report and two pager evaluation brief
15 days
10 March, 2023 - Evaluation budget and Payment
The evaluator’s fee will be all inclusive. The fees include all costs related to flights, hotel accommodation, field trips to relevant implementation sites, translation and any other cost associated with the completion of the evaluation assignment. In case of travel restriction due to restrictions related to COVID 19, the evaluation methodology will be adjusted favoring online data collection methods where possible. In such context, evaluation budget will also be adjusted, as necessary. Disbursement of the evaluation consultancy fees will be paid upon satisfactory submission and approval of the following deliverables by IOM:- Inception report – 40%
- Final evaluation report – 60%
- Required Qualifications and Experience
The evaluation consultant is expected to have the following minimum qualifications and experience:- Minimum master’s degree or equivalent in social research and/or evaluation methods Monitoring and Evaluation Methods, Public Policy, Development studies, International Relations or related field of studies.
- At least 7 years of progressive experience in undertaking and managing evaluations of projects/programmes/initiatives
- Demonstrable experience and familiarity with migration dynamics in North Africa
- Demonstrated sound understanding of migrant’s thematic topics, i.e. trafficking in persons, labour migration, victim protection, etc will be an advantage
- Good track records in conducting evaluations and technical and analytical report writing.
- Fluency in English and Arabic is required.
Note:
Interested candidates are expected to submit a technical and financial proposals with all-inclusive itemized budget and their CV, cover letter as well as their recent evaluation report example. The proposal must provide details on the methodology and approach to the assignment. Late submissions will not be considered.
Required Competencies:
Values
• Inclusion and respect for diversity: respects and promotes individual and cultural differences; encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible.
• 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.
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 action and delegated work.
• Communication: encourages and contributes to clear and open communication; explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.
IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link.
https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/about-iom/iom_revised_competency_framework_external.pdf
Competencies will be assessed during a competency-based interview.
- Other Information:
Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
Female candidates with the above qualifications are strongly encouraged to apply. - Application procedure/ How to Apply:
The interested candidates are expected to submit: - A one-page cover letter expressing motivation for applying.
- A detailed resume/CV.
- Recent evaluation report example.
- Technical and financial proposal with all-inclusive itemized budget. the proposal must provide details on the methodology and approach to the assignment.
The proposal must provide details on the methodology and approach to the assignment. Duly completed proposal should be submitted to IOM no later than the 21 December 2022 by midnight Cairo time to Careers | IOM Egypt Late submissions will not be considered and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Applications with missing documents will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment. - Posting period:
From 07.12.2022 – 21.12.2022
How to apply
Application procedure/ How to Apply:
The interested candidates are expected to submit:
- A one-page cover letter expressing motivation for applying.
- A detailed resume/CV.
- Recent evaluation report example.
- Technical and financial proposal with all-inclusive itemized budget. the proposal must provide details on the methodology and approach to the assignment.
The proposal must provide details on the methodology and approach to the assignment. Duly completed proposal should be submitted to IOM no later than the 21 December 2022 by midnight Cairo time to -https://egypt.iom.int/careers
Late submissions will not be considered and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Applications with missing documents will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.
14. Posting period:
From 07.12.2022 – 21.12.2022