Consultancy Title: Cross-border Study: Socio-Economic Impact of Return for Afghan Refugees
Consultancy Type: International
Consultancy Duration: Outputs finalized by 25th October 2013
Consultancy Location: Afghanistan/Iran (field work predominantly in Herat, Western Afghanistan)
Consultancy Supervisor: TBD
Consultancy Application Deadline: July 11th 2013
1. Background
Afghan refugees continue to comprise one of the largest protracted refugee populations in the world.
Current estimates place almost 2 million registered refugees in Pakistan and approximately 1 million
refugees in Iran, with similar or increased numbers of undocumented Afghans also remaining in both
countries. While Afghan voluntary repatriation is now relatively low - in contrast to the pre-2007 period,
which saw over 5.7 million refugees return from Pakistan and Iran - significant obstacles to successful
reintegration remain for those choosing to return to Afghanistan.
These refugee returnees are today confronted with a distinct set of reintegration challenges relating to
the protracted nature of their displacement and owing to the steadily changing demographic profile
now characterizing this caseload. An overwhelming number of remaining refugees in Iran are now living
in urban areas or outside of camp settings (97%). A majority were born in exile and now maintain
tenuous cultural, social and economic links to their, predominantly rural, places of origin in Afghanistan.
Family ties and material assets are also likely to be greatly reduced and a significant number of
returnees lack access to land, ownership of property and knowledge about appropriate livelihood
opportunities in their places or origin– owing to the length of their displacement and as indicated by
their choice not to return earlier.
The reality of return for many Afghan refugees is one of hardship, marked in some cases by secondary
internal displacement owing to ongoing insecurity and related poor economic prospects. Many Afghan
refugees in Iran have seen their own socio-economic situation deteriorate due to limited access to
livelihood opportunities and the absence of effective social protection mechanisms. These Afghans,
living mostly in protracted refugee situations in Iran, are increasingly susceptible to poverty and
associated vulnerabilities – adversely impacting on their ability to build the necessary levels of selfreliance to facilitate sustainable repatriation to Afghanistan.
Addressing efforts to enhance refugees’ self-reliance and support the promotion of sustainable
livelihood interventions for refugee communities in particular is, accordingly, a key strategy indicated in
The Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees to Support Voluntary Repatriation, Sustainable Reintegration
and Assistance to Host Countries, jointly launched and endorsed in May 2012 by the Islamic Republics of
Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan and UNHCR.
2. NRC support to Afghan Refugees and Returnees in Iran and Afghanistan
NRC has been working with Afghan refugees in the region since 2003. NRC’s programmes have targeted
humanitarian assistance and longer term support towards vulnerable refugees during displacement and
also for returnees in Afghanistan. In 2011, building on NRC’s regional expertise and operational coverage
in Pakistan and Afghanistan, NRC established a Country Progamme in Iran to assist in efforts to address
ongoing displacement related needs facing Afghan refugees in Iran and to maximize opportunities to
provide longer-term return and reintegration support to returnees in Afghanistan.
As part of this support to displaced Afghans across three Country Programmes in the region, NRC
currently provides a mutually reinforcing package of assistance for displacement-affected communities
with programme responses in the following areas: food security (including income generating and
livelihood interventions), information counseling and legal assistance (ICLA), education, shelter and
WASH. In Iran, NRC focuses programme support on helping to improve living conditions for Afghan
refugees in urban areas through a broad response portfolio comprising shelter and WASH, education,
ICLA and food security.
NRC’s programme support for vulnerable Afghan refugee returnees in Afghanistan extends to
addressing the negative consequences of return by supporting those returnees unable to settle or
reintegrate in their places of origin. This includes a substantial caseload that has become secondary
displaced due to the reduced options of durable solutions. NRC Afghanistan and Iran Country
Programmes (along with the NRC Pakistan Country Programme) are currently assessing means to
strengthen cross-border programme linkages to better ensure NRC’s interventions maximize
opportunities to deliver appropriate and joined-up assistance and protection for Afghans both in areas
of displacement and on return. In Afghanistan, NRC currently runs programmes supporting returnees
from Iran in areas of high return from field offices in Herat (Western Region) and Mazar-e-Sharif
(Northern Region).
3. Regional Programme Learning
As part of these regional efforts, NRC is commissioning cross-border (Iran and Afghanistan) research to
assess the factors impacting on refugee pre-return decision-making processes and the subsequent
ability to reintegrate following return. Through cross-border research and programme learning, NRC
anticipates strengthening cross-border analysis around appropriate pre- and post-return programming
approaches that can help to inform improved levels of self-reliance for displaced Afghans in Iran and,
ultimately, contribute towards improved sustainable reintegration prospects for returnee populations in
Afghanistan.
In line with the Solutions Strategy’s framework and country specific outcomes for Iran, NRC is intending
to promote improved socio-economic conditions for Afghan refugees in Iran in the anticipation of a
sustainable voluntary return to Afghanistan. This research will seek to contribute to this outcome by
informing improved understanding around the interplay between socio-economic conditions of Afghan
refugees in situations of protracted displacement, the motivating factors for return where they are
present, and the ability to successfully and sustainably reintegrate following repatriation.
While the key factors impeding return are well understood (security, economic opportunities and access
to housing and basic services), there are knowledge gaps relating to aspects of the cross-border return
and reintegration stages of the displacement cycle for Afghan refugees. Beyond the traditional
assumptions around appropriate reintegration support, there remains limited evidence-base and
accompanying analysis around actual socio-economic condition of return for returnees from Iran and
how these relate to their prior socio-economic situations during exile in Iran. This analysis can play an
important role in informing cross-border programming options to support the identification of
appropriate opportunities to better equip Afghan refugees during displacement with the necessary skills
and knowledge that would contribute towards and facilitate successful return and reintegration
prospects, should Afghan refugees seek to realize them.
Areas of knowledge NRC is seeking to inform further include:
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The specific linkages between social-economic conditions in displacement (Iran) and in areas of
high return (Afghanistan) for Afghan refugees and returnees and, informed by this evidence,
how programming interventions in Iran can better support successful and sustainable voluntary
repatriation and reintegration in Afghanistan for those choosing to return?
How prepared returning refugees are upon return to Afghanistan and what are the related
individual and community level decision-making factors driving decisions to return and the
factors that contribute towards this?
What are the different socio-economic factors that impact on the likelihood of successful
reintegration for non-assisted refugee returnees and whether distinct reintegration (and
protection) challenges exist for this group?
This research should assist NRC and other stakeholders in promoting improved prospects for cross
border coordination, programme planning and enabling a policy and institutional environment to
further support the effective implementation of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees – building
awareness around necessary conditions and environment for return and increasing prospects of durable
solutions for Afghans in protracted refugee situations and returnees.
4. Key Research Objectives*
The study will help NRC achieve the following overall research objective:
 An enhanced understanding of the key socio-economic factors impacting, positively or adversely,
on the ability of Afghan refugees to successfully and sustainably reintegrate following return.
The study will include and address the following sub-objectives:
 Review of existing research, official data sources and other relevant national and international
policy information and the production of an analytical explication of key issues impacting on
socio-economic situation of Afghan refugees (registered and unregistered) both in Iran and on
return in Afghanistan;
 Assessment of the relationship between socio -economic conditions in displacement, Afghan
refugee pre-return decision-making processes and their subsequent ability to successfully
reintegrate in Afghanistan following return;
 Based on options above, provision of general programme recommendations to NRC and also
policy and programme recommendations to all relevant national and international stakeholders
for improving relevance and quality of programme interventions targeting protracted displaced
Afghans in Iran and related sustainable return and reintegration programmes for Afghan refugee
returnees (registered and unregistered) and host communities in Afghanistan.
* The research should seek to identify and capture the different socio-economic factors identified by men
and women as well as by different age categories.
5. Scope and methodology
The study should seek to utilize innovative methodologies that include both quantitative and
qualitative research approaches. Key to this study is the generation of information that lends itself
to strong analytical outputs, including programme and policy learning. The research presents a
number of methodological constraints related to the cross-border nature of the study and the
limited access and potential needs to employ remote data collection tools. The large variations in
migration patterns and urban migration, coupled with a diverse set of refugee/host community
identities and a lack of published statistics on areas of high return in Afghanistan are further study
and research challenges.
As such proposed sample frames and data collection methods/tools should reflect these constraints
and proposed methodology should seek to provide a solid and robust evidenced-based baseline for
informing programme responses for Afghan refugees in displacement and also upon return. A
mixed quantitative and qualitative research method is, accordingly, expected by NRC and close
attention will be paid to the presentation of a clear, understandable and appropriate methodology
in the consideration of all applications.
Detailed mixed methodology, including the design of data-collection tools and formulation of
research tools will be the responsibility of the research team. Development of a practicable and
theoretically informed methodology, with an accompanying evaluation action plan, will be the initial
task of the cross-border study.
6. Expected Research Final Outputs/Deliverables
1. The production of an external research report providing a concise presentation of data
collected through narrative analysis. The report should include a set of evidenced-based
recommendations directed at relevant national and international policy actors and promoting
improved responses to Afghan refugees in displacement and also for returnees. Maximum 35
pages, excluding executive summary and annexes.
2. The provision of a post-research presentation of research findings to NRC in Kabul focusing on
specific cross-border programming learning relevant to NRC’s response portfolio and including
recommendations on affecting positive change through programming among target
communities in Iran and Afghanistan.
3. The provision of a post-research presentation of study analysis, results and findings and
recommendations to key regional external stakeholders at a special seminar to be hosted in
Kabul and attended by key institutional stakeholders, including UNHCR, government
representatives, donors and NGOs.
7. Timeframe and Duration
The Study will commence from July 2013. The research organization will include following specific
activities in the study and will indicate in their proposal number of days they propose for each
activity to be discussed and agreed with NRC.
Activities
Desk Review and initial NRC meeting
Production of inception report
Research tools preparation
Fieldwork
Draft external report
Finalization of draft
Presentation of findings to NRC and external stakeholders
Total Number of Days
Number of Days
8. Management of the task and fieldwork
The study will be overseen by the NRC Iran and Afghanistan Country Programmes, with coordinating
support provided by the Regional Adviser, Afghan Refugee Response. NRC Iran and Afghanistan Country
Programmes will jointly responsible for recruiting the consultants, reviewing the evaluation
methodology, and reviewing the analysis draft and final reports.
Fieldwork locations in Afghanistan will be determined in following consultation with researcher and on
consideration of research proposal. Close collaboration with NRC’s partners, particularly UNHCR, is
expected at all stages of the research.
The study will also have in-country research support from NRC programme staff, and also oversight from
an internal NRC study support team which will include staff from HQ offices and the Country Programme
offices. This small team will act as the overall management team, with special responsibility to check the
methodology proposed by the consultants and to provide timely input and advice during the process of
reviewing the analysis’ results and report.
9. Experience and Qualifications
The cross-border study will be carried out by a consultancy or research organisation comprising a team
of displacement/migration experts, with specialist knowledge and research expertise in displacement
and protection, as well as experience of humanitarian policy and practice. The consultants will have the
following experience and qualifications:
 Significant experience of conducting displacement and protection research in Afghanistan
and/or the region
 Sound theoretical knowledge of displacement dynamics and / or experience of project
management for an NGO or UN agency in delivering humanitarian assistance to displaced
populations;
 Practiced in the use of participatory methods for conducting research and planning;
 Considerable professional experience of working in Afghanistan and/or the region at the
community level – village and district - with a clear understanding of traditional forms of social
organisation and systems of local governance, as well as official systems of local administration;
 High level of competence in the English language – particularly in writing - as well Dari/Farsi;
 Strong communication skills, with the ability to communicate detailed concepts clearly and
concisely both in writing and verbally.
10. Dates of the analysis and schedule of work
Indications of appropriate timeframes and number of research days are invited.
11. Submission of Expression of Interest
Consulting companies/organisations that meet the above requirements should submit expression of
interest, which should include the following:
 Cover letter including the individual resource person’s/firm’s suitability for the assignment
and current contact information
 Documents supporting evidence of required qualification including name of reports,
relevant experience, CV of the resource person who will lead directly this study
 Narrative proposal (including proposed methodology) and accompanying work-plan including
the tasks described above in section 7.
 A proposed lump sum fee for the Study (with accompanying detailed summary budget outline)
Please Note: local tax law may be applicable for the proposed amount
All applications clearly marked as ‘Consultant for Cross-Border Study’ should be sent by email latest 11th
July 2013 to roberto.vs@iran.nrc.no