Tenders Are Invited For Consultancy To Support The Icglr In Drafting A Regional Strategy On Durable Solutions For Refugees

Tenders are invited for Consultancy to Support the ICGLR in Drafting a Regional Strategy on Durable Solutions for Refugees Closing Date: 15 Oct 2025 Type: Consultancy Themes: Mine Action/Protection and Human Rights Terms of Reference (ToR) to Support the ICGLR in Drafting a Regional Strategy on Durable Solutions for Refugees 1. Who is the Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat? ReDSS is a secretariat working on behalf of 14 international and national NGOs working on forced displacement in East Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region. We were established in 2015 in response to a desire by the NGO community to be more proactive in shaping durable solutions policy and programming in the region. Our team works both a regional and country level and focusses on the translation of evidence and research into policies and programmes that can better deliver for displacement-affected communities. We do this through a range of activities, including: convening key stakeholders at multiple levels to produce consensus around collective actions that can be taken; supporting new evidence generation through commissioning and undertaking research and analysis; and building the capacity of key actors through delivering training and developing tools and guidance. We do not implement programmes directly, and by maintaining this distance are better able to play a neutral role across the system About the ICGLR The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) is an intergovernmental organization composed of 12 Member States committed to promoting peace, security, stability, and development in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. Established under the Pact on Security, Stability and Development in 2006, the ICGLR provides a political and technical platform for regional cooperation and policy harmonization on complex cross-border issues. The ICGLR plays a central role in advancing durable solutions to displacement in the region, through its capacity to convene Member States and foster collective commitments. This includes the development of a regional strategy on durable solutions for refugees and internally displaced persons, anchored in the ICGLRs broader frameworks on peacebuilding, governance, and human rights. The organization works closely with national authorities, regional bodies, and technical partners to support coherent and coordinated responses to displacement-affected populations across the region. 2. Purpose and objectives of the Consultancy The overall purpose of the consultancy is to support the ICGLR in the drafting, finalization and adoption of a regional strategy on durable solutions for refugees in the Great Lakes region and its action plan. The role will be supported by a second consultant (ICGLR Liaison and Strategy Support), who will focus on coordinating with ICGLR, following up with key stakeholders, and supporting the organization of events and consultations. The ICGLR regional strategy on durable solutions has been under development since 2023, with a draft outline endorsed by the Regional Advisory Group after consultations with member states and outcomes of preliminary consultations conducted across the region. While significant groundwork has been laid, this consultancy will aim to accelerate the process by bringing on a dedicated strategy drafter to lead the development of the strategy and accompanying action plan, building on existing material and consultations. With a roadmap already in place and coordination support embedded in the process, this role is expected to drive the strategy through to technical validation and political endorsement within a defined timeframe. The scope of work includes three key areas: 1. Draft and finalize a regional strategy on durable solutions for refugees in the Great Lakes region and accompanying action plan Building on the approved draft outline and initial consultations, develop and iteratively refine a comprehensive regional strategy on durable solutions for refugees in the Great Lakes region. This includes producing successive drafts of the strategy and accompanying action plan, integrating feedback from ICGLR, Member States, and partners, as well as existing and ongoing analytical work and research on durable solutions in the Great Lakes region including those undertaken to inform the process or content of the strategy. The Consultant will be expected to support the process through to validation and final endorsement by member states and other relevant stakeholders. Validation will be done at three levels: by the Regional Advisory Group, technical endorsement by Member States, political endorsement by Member States. 2. Facilitate consultations and support stakeholder engagement Working closely with the ICGLR, ReDSS and UNHCR, the Consultant will be expected to design and lead targeted consultations with key stakeholders. This includes developing and implementing a stakeholder engagement plan; conduct consultations; supporting the organization and documentation of consultations with ICGLR Member States, regional bodies, civil society, and other relevant actors; and integrating feedback into successive versions of the strategy. The Consultant will also be expected to provide technical input to shape the agendas and content of broader peer-learning events and political dialogues organized with the ICGLR, ensuring that outcomes from these forums contribute meaningfully to the strategy development process and reflect diverse perspectives. 3. Ensure coordination with key stakeholders throughout the drafting process Coordinate with the ICGLR Secretariat, ReDSS, UNHCR, and the broader RAG to ensure alignment and responsiveness throughout the development of the regional strategy. This should involve multiple rounds of review and briefings to this group and other relevant stakeholders on key pillars and process developments. It will also include participation in relevant meetings and presenting successive drafts of the strategy and action plan in key forums to support validation and buy-in. 3. Background The history of the Great Lakes has been characterized by large-scale forced and protracted displacement within, and to a lesser extent outside, the region. The main drivers of displacement are poverty, political instability or crisis, armed conflict between and within countries, ethnic tensions and control over land and natural resources. The search for durable solutions to the protracted displacement situation in the Great Lakes is a key humanitarian and development concern. This is a regional/cross border issue, dynamic, with a strong political dimension, and which demands a multi-sectorial response that goes beyond the existing humanitarian agenda. To that end, the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), a sub-regional organization of 12 African Member States1 has adopted several instruments designed to foster a regional approach to tackle the issue of forced displacement: 2004 ICGLR Declaration on Peace, Security, Democracy and Development in the Great Lakes region: Commitment by ICGLR Member States to address the root causes of and find lasting solutions to the protracted problems of displaced and refugee populations, notably with regards to their peaceful co-existence with resident populations, their voluntary repatriation and return or local integration, with the full involvement of local authorities and host populations, and within the framework of tripartite agreements where applicable. Encouragement to countries of origin to create the conditions conducive to the return of refugees. 2006 ICGLR Framework for the Protection, Assistance and Search for Durable Solutions for Displaced Populations (Refugees and IDPs) and communities that host them: intends to establish a regional framework for protection, assistance and search for durable solutions for refugees, IDPs and the burden placed on communities that host them. Concrete activities at the regional level were envisioned such as: o Agreeing on a mutually consistent legal framework on the treatment of refugees to reduce inefficiencies and contradictions that would make them difficult to apply regionally harmonization of national laws and policies on refugees; o Use existing initiatives such as Development Assistance for Refugees (DAR) and Development through Local Integration (DLI) in areas of return and areas hosting refugees and IDPs; o Initiate or strengthen tripartite agreements for the voluntary return of refugees o Resettlement countries to increase their quotas since resettlement was also one of the durable solutions to the refugee problem. 2019 High Level Meeting of Ministers in charge of refugees in the Great Lakes region Munyonyo outcome document: Member States recommended the ICGLR to develop a regional strategy on comprehensive durable solutions for the Great Lakes region and an action plan to implement this strategy. The Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat (ReDSS) has supported the efforts of the ICGLR to develop this regional strategy through the organization of several events, such as a regional peer-learning event on comprehensive durable solutions for refugees in the Great Lakes region, organized in Bujumbura in January 2023, and a training of trainers for representatives of ICGLR member states in September of the same year. In 2024, ReDSS continued its engagement by supporting the ICGLR to organize a second regional peer-learning workshop in Nairobi, focusing on building consensus around the core pillars of the strategy. 1 Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Republic of South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia. In 2025, this support has included online consultations to gather input from Member States, direct consultations with other stakeholders including refugee-led organizations, as well as f Tender Link : https://reliefweb.int/job/4178554/consultancy-support-icglr-drafting-regional-strategy-durable-solutions-refugees