CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (CEI) – IOM/NGR/PR/94/25 Full Time

1. Timeline

CEI Reference Number: IOM/NIG/PR/94/25

Posted (Date): 10 February 2025

Clarification Request Deadline: Not later than 5 working days before application deadline

Application Deadline: 14 April 2025

Notification of Results: Within 6 – 8 weeks from end of application

Period of Engagement of Implementing Partner: Not less than 12 months and not exceeding 18 months

2. Locations

Project activities will be implemented in each of the ECOWAS Member States and in Mauritania. IOM reserves the right to amend the location based on Donor requirements and any other factor that may change during project implementation.

3. Sector (s) and area (s) of specialization

The thematic areas to be covered within this grant are the following:

I. Strengthening the free movement of persons, right of residence and establishment, and regional integration in the ECOWAS region, including through advocacies, trainings and sensitisation activities.

II. Supporting the cross-border movement of populations and promoting cross-border cooperation.

III. Protection of migrants, returnees and cross-border populations’ rights.

IV. Protection and access to social protection for migrant workers in the ECOWAS region.

V. Protection and empowerment of migrants and cross-border populations, in particular, vulnerable migrants and populations at risk – women, children and youth, stranded migrants, and victims of trafficking.

VI. Gender, climate change, and migration nexus.

4. Issuing Agency

International Organization for Migration (IOM), Mission in Nigeria

5. Project Background

The ECOWAS 1979 Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, the Right of Residence and Establishment and subsequent supplementary Protocols set the legal framework for free movement in the ECOWAS region with the aim of promoting regional economic integration among its Member States. With a very youthful population, migratory movements have mainly remained within the region (intra-regional), with an estimated 70 percent of migration flows not leaving the region, according to the World Migration Report 2024, albeit characterised by regular and irregular migration. If well managed, free movement and migration have the potential of contributing to human, national and regional development. However, the potential benefits of free movement of persons and migration for West Africa’s development and further integration have not being fully exploited.

The project “Support to Free Movement of Persons and Migration in West Africa (FMM West Africa)” was 2 implemented from 2013 to 2021 with the aim of maximizing the development potential of free movement of persons and migration in West Africa by supporting the effective implementation of the ECOWAS Free Movement of Persons’ Protocols and the ECOWAS Common Approach on Migration. This project recorded substantial strides in enhancing the planning, coordination and monitoring capacities of the ECOWAS Commission to lead intra-regional dialogue and act as a platform for development and harmonisation. It strengthened the capacities of selected national institutions to manage migration in line with regional strategic policy frameworks whilst contributing to strengthening regional dialogue. It also supported Non-State Actors and Local Authorities through initiatives promoting migrants’ and cross-border populations’ rights. All these contributed to improving free movement and migration governance within the region. However, the governance of migration, including labour migration within ECOWAS, continues to face challenges.

With funding from the European Union, the project “Support to Free Movement of Persons and Migration in West Africa – Phase II (FMM West Africa II)” has been launched. This Phase II will build on previous achievements under the first phase, and continue strengthening the region’s development potential, taking into account the myriad and evolving drivers of human mobility such as climate change, gender, etc.

Component III of this project will involve Non-State Actors (NSAs) and Local Authorities in activities that will inform and protect migrants and foster cooperation between border populations in West Africa. These actors will receive grants through a Call for Proposals to implement 15 specific projects in this field.

6. Expected Results

The project activities implemented by the Implementing Partners (IPs) are expected to lead to the promotion of civil societies in the ECOWAS region and private sector awareness raising on the Protocol on Free Movement and the Regional Integration Agenda. Furthermore, the project activities implemented are expected to result in an increase in the Non-State Actors and Local Authorities, including women’s organisations and movements promoting gender equality and access to initiatives, who are actively supporting the protection of migrants, returnees and cross-border populations rights.

7. Budget and Costs

Project Budget The total budget of each specific project proposed must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:

• Minimum amount: 50 000 EUR

• Maximum amount: 100 000 EUR

Not more than 30% of the project budget may be allocated to staff and office costs, including administrative overhead (if any).

Not more than 5% of the grant funds may be spent on equipment relevant to execution of the project, provided a clear justification is offered as to its need to achieve project goals.

The grant is available for up to 100% of the total eligible costs of the project. Applicants are encouraged to illustrate funding opportunities and availability to sustain the funded project initiatives beyond this funding support.

Eligible Costs

Only eligible costs can be covered by a grant. To be eligible under this Call for Proposals, costs must be specific to the project activities stipulated in the proposal and be verifiable.

Eligible costs must be:

– Incurred by the IP in accordance with the Project Implementation Agreement (PIA) during the implementation period and in line with IOM rules.

– Necessary for the carrying out of activities required by the PIA.

– Foreseen and included in the Project Budget.

– Genuine, reasonable, justified and in accordance with the principle of sound financial management, in particular value for money and cost-effectiveness.

– Properly recorded, identifiable and verifiable, and be backed up by originals of supporting documents, and recorded in the IP’s accounts in accordance with its accounting practices.

Grants may only be used to cover the following costs:

– Salaries of staff assigned to the project and in proportion to the time dedicated to the project implementation.

– Office costs (such as office rent, utilities, supplies) and other reasonable costs associated with the direct delivery of the project and are proportionally attributable to the project.

– Goods and services necessary for project activities.

– Communication and visibility costs.

– Meetings, conferences, and seminars required as part of the project.

– Travel and per diem costs directly related to and essential for the effective delivery of the project (provided that travel complies with IOM travel regulations).

All costs must be reasonable, allocable, and allowable in accordance with the terms of the Grant Agreement and the applicable cost principles. It is important to ensure that all eligible expenses have necessary supporting documents that allow a complete audit trail. For instance, in case of staff payroll, this would include pay slips, contracts, or for payments to suppliers, an invoice, delivery note, and goods receipt note should be retained.

The following costs are in-eligible:

– Profit or fee.

– Contribution in kind.

– Contingency reserve.

– Payments of previous obligations or debts.

– Taxes.

– Currency exchange losses.

– Costs incurred prior to the start date of the project.

– Costs of items already financed in another framework.

– Costs of project proposal preparation.

– Subcontracting costs.

– Purchases of motor vehicles, land and buildings.

– Major infrastructural schemes.

– Salaries of staff not assigned to the project.

– International travel.

– Any costs incurred after the completion of the project.

8. Other Information

In line with FMM II programme commitments, special focus is placed on gender. To that end, any project proposal has to take congisance of this specific element. The FMM II programme will give particular considerationsto women’s organisations and movements promoting gender equality, and activities promoting regional stakeholder consultation as a useful mechanism for gaining buy-in and insight for gender-responsive actions. Particular interest will also be given to the academia, migrants and diaspora organisations, private sector organisations, trade unions, and the media.

9. Eligible Applicants

9.1 Applicants should be Non-State Actors (defined as those players from the private sector, economic and 4 social partners –including trade unions- and civil society in all its diversity according to national characteristics, with a common feature in their independence from the State and the voluntary basis upon which they have come together to act and promote common interests) legally registered and operating in one of the ECOWAS Member States or Mauritania, and ready to engage with IOM to deliver non-profit activities where IOM and the Implementing Partner will jointly contribute time and resources and share risks and responsibilities linked to the implementation.

9.2 Eligible Non-State Actors include:

– Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

– Women’s Organisations and movements promoting gender equality.

– Economic and Social Partners (such as Trade Unions and Employers’ Associations).

– Private sector (such as Business Organisations and other Private Sector Associations).

– Traders and Transporters Associations or Syndicates.

– Media Organisations.

– Migrants and Diaspora Associations.

– The Academia

9.3 Other eligibility criteria include:

– The organisation has a management structure with clearly defined and divided roles and responsibilities.

– The organisation has sufficient technical and institutional capacity necessary for the efficient and effective implementation of the proposed project.

– The organisation documented a sufficient administrative and accountability capacity.

– The organisation has an annual statement of accounts and an internal control system with adequate internal manuals and financial guidelines.

– The organisation has a bank account operated by more than one signatory and opened minimum two years ago.

– The organisation must be committed to the core values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to the Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) Framework, Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), and to Humanitarian Principles.

– The organisation that is committed to the Principle of Partnership endorsed by Global Humanitarian Platform and to the standards under the UN Secretary General’s Bulletin on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

– The organisation does not discriminate against any person or group on the basis of race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, health, disability, birth, age, or other status.

– The organisation has not been involved or charged with any proscribed practices, terrorist activities or sanctions. Neither the organisation nor its representatives appear on the Consolidated United Nations Security Council Sanctions List or on the United Nations Global Marketplace vendor ineligibility list.

9.4 In order to enhance local ownership, applicants are encouraged to submit proposals in partnership with public local authorities. Eligible public local authorities include:

– Municipalities.

– Associations of municipalities.

– Local councils.

– Local administrative bodies of decentralized government institutions from cross-border areas

9.5 Public local authorities that partner with the applicants can participate in designing and implementing the project. They play a real role in the action but cannot receive funding from the action’s budget.

9.6 If applying in partnership, the “Applicant” will be the leading organisation and, if selected, it will assume all legal and financial liability for the project completion. The maximum number of partners (excluding the applicant) is two.

9.7 As a minimum requirement, the applicant should have majority of their key professional staff have at least two years of relevant experience preferably gained in the location where the applicant intends to serve as IOM’s IP.

10. General Conditions

10.1 It is mandatory for the applicant to sign the Declaration of Conformity for Partners Form (Annex 2) certifying adherence to the highest ethical standards; and acknowledge reading the IOM Data Protection Notice for Vendors, Implementing Partners and Grant Recipient Entities (Annex 3).

10.2 The selected “Implementing Partner(s)” shall perform the Activities according to the Terms of Reference (Annex 1). The engagement between IOM and the IP shall be further covered with a Project Implementation Agreement using the Project Implementation Agreement template (Annex 4) after final confirmation of project implementation.

10.3 The organisations responding to this call need to demonstrate their capacity to implement all listed activities as a single package. Partial applications for individual activities will not be considered.

10.4 IOM reserves the right to decline disclosure of the specificity of decision derived by the IOM mission due to reasons related to confidentiality.

10.5 IOM reserves the right to accept or reject any Expression of Interest, and to annul the selection process and reject all Expression of Interest at any time, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected IPs.

10.6 In case the IP(s) has an existing agreement with IOM, the applicants shall not be asked to sign an agreement that would conflict with their prior or current obligations to other IOM projects or that may place them in a position of not being able to carry out the responsibilities in the best interest of the IOM.

11. Selection Criteria

Name Description Weight

Relevance of proposal to achieving • Relevance of the project with respect to expected results the needs of beneficiaries and coherence with the thematic areas outlined in this Call for Expression of Interest.

• Relevant technical expertise and experience 40 in working with a different range of stakeholders at a national and local level, presence and community relations.

• Gender mainstreaming skills to apply during implementation of the programmes.

Organisational capacity • Budget and cost-effectiveness, adequacy and clarity of the proposed budget. • Expertise on communication, negotiation and participation skills. • Operational capacity and expertise of the organisation and partners to implement 30 the project. • Proven capacity in financial management of projects. • Experience of implementation of similar projects (especially funded by humanitarian actors).

Sustainability of intervention • Proposed methodology and experience in partnering with key institutions related to implementation of the project. • Expected impact and sustainability of the project. 20 • Expertise and experience in developing and delivery of training programmes and capacity building for CSOs and public institutions.

Others • Replicability/scalability. • Innovative approach. 10

12. Attachment

Description URL

ANNEX 1 – Terms of Reference https://Annex 1 – Terms of Reference

ANNEX 2 – Declaration of Conformity for Partners https://Annex 2 – Declaration of Conformity for Partners

ANNEX 3 – IOM Data Protection Notice for Vendors, https://Annex 3 – IOM Data protection Notice for Vendors

ANNEX 4 – Project Implementation Agreement Template https://Annex 4 – project Implementation Agreement Template

ANNEX 5 – Implementing Partners https://Annex 5 – implementation Partners General Information Questionnaire General Information Questionnaire

ANNEX 6 – Concept Note Template https://Annex 6 – Concept Note Template

ANNEX 7 – Implementing Partner References https://Annex 7 – Implementing Partner Reference Checklist Checklist

ANNEX 8 – List of Proscribed Practices https://Annex 8 – List of Proscribed Practices