Job Description

Introduction

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations and the leading UN agency in the field of migration. Working closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners, IOM promotes humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It saves lives and protects people on the move, drives solutions to displacement, and facilitates pathways for regular migration, while providing services and advice to governments and migrants. 

IOM is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive and supportive workplace where all employees can thrive professionally and feel valued. By creating such an environment, IOM aims to better harness the full potential of migration and strengthen its support to people on the move.

IOM invites candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply and provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process when required. Learn more about IOM’s workplace culture at IOM workplace culture | International Organization for Migration

Project Context and Scope

Nepal faces increasing climate-induced migration and significant health risks among both internally displaced populations and foreign labour migrants. Climate change affects livelihoods, agriculture, water security and employment opportunities, and can indirectly contribute to foreign labour migration as an adaptive livelihood strategy. At the same time, many Nepali labour migrants, particularly those working in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Malaysia, are exposed to extreme heat, harsh occupational conditions, limited rest, dehydration, unsafe working environments and other health risks.

Evidence and policy discussions in Nepal have highlighted growing health concerns among foreign labour migrants, including heat-related illness, cardiovascular diseases, kidney disease, diabetes, respiratory conditions, injuries, mental health and psychosocial problems, communicable diseases, and other occupational and climate-related health vulnerabilities. These conditions may have serious implications for migrants' health, safety, productivity, household welfare, and may also create long-term pressure on Nepal's health and social protection systems.

The Foreign Employment Board (FEB) conducts Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDOT) for outbound Nepali labour migrants working in overseas. The current PDOT package includes important information on rights, responsibilities, travel preparation, occupational safety and emergency contacts. However, recent recommendations and stakeholder consultations have emphasized the need to revise the package to better incorporate health-related topics, particularly climate-health vulnerabilities, non-communicable diseases, mental health and psychosocial well-being, occupational health and safety, communicable disease prevention, and practical self-care measures in destination countries.

Under the CMHN project, MoHFS, with support from the IOM-IDF and in coordination with the FEB, and other relevant stakeholders, will support the revision of the existing pre-departure health orientation package. During a consultation with FEB, it was further recommended that the consultant conduct a basic country-specific data analysis to make concrete recommendations for revising the PDOT package.

The consultant will play a key technical role in reviewing the existing package, conducting desk review and country-specific analysis, facilitating consultations, identifying gaps, drafting the revised health orientation package, and developing practical, tailored PDOT materials for use by orientation providers and relevant government entities.

Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing

Migration Health Division (MHD), IOM Nepal, under the overall supervision of the Project Manager/Chief Migration Health Officer (CMHO) and the project team, with direct coordination with FEB’s PDOT focal point and coordination with the Project Implementation Committee (PIC) and Technical Working Group/Task Force (TWG/TF).

Under the direct supervision of CMHO and in close coordination with the PIC/TF, IOM Nepal project team and relevant government counterparts including MoYLE, FEB, MoHFS, NHEICC the Consultant will:

Responsibilities

Tasks to be performed under this contract

A. Conduct desk review and situation analysis

• Review the existing PDOT curricula, training package, orientation manuals, IEC materials, facilitator guides, audio-visual materials and available orientation delivery modality.

• Review relevant national policies, laws, guidelines and institutional arrangements related to foreign employment, migrant health, occupational health and safety, health promotion, public health, climate change and health, migrant’s rights and safe migration.

• Review available national and international evidence, good practices and guidance from relevant agencies, including IOM, World Health Organization (WHO) and International Labour Organization (ILO), on migrant health and rights, occupational health, pre-departure orientation, climate-health risks and health promotion for migrants.

• Review draft migrant Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and service package currently being drafted by MoHFS, and other available relevant literature as appropriate.

B. Conduct country-specific and occupation-specific analysis

• Conduct a concise country-specific analysis using available data and information from Ministry of Youth, Labour and Employment (MoYLE), FEB, and other relevant sources, focusing on major destination countries such as GCC countries, Malaysia and other priority destinations.

• Analyze available information on migrant volume and profile by destination country, sex, age group, occupation/sector, employment type and other relevant variables, subject to data availability.

• Analyze country-specific and occupation-specific health and safety risks, including climate induced health risks such as heat exposure, dehydration, other heat related illness and associated kidney and cardiovascular risks;  workplace injuries, mental health stressors, communicable disease risks, access to health care, insurance and emergency support mechanisms.

• Identify practical country-specific and occupation-specific preventive messages including appropriate health-seeking behavior, key health risks and information on when and where to seek health care, etc. for integration into the revised PDOT package and related materials.

C. Facilitate stakeholder consultations and technical discussions

• Conduct key informant interviews and expert consultations (at least six) with migration health, occupational health, climate-health, mental health, health promotion, labour migration and other relevant experts to incorporate diverse perspectives.

D. Consult selected orientation providers (at least three) and, where feasible, returnee migrants (at least seven) to ensure that the revised content is practical, understandable and relevant to migrants.

• Document and synthesize consultation feedback and incorporate relevant inputs into the revised PDOT package.

E. Produce a report with gaps and technical recommendations based on all the desk reviews, analysis and consultations done under activity A, B and C 

• Incorporate all the findings from desk reviews and situational analysis, country-specific and disease-specific analysis of the data of the FEB, and technical consultations and meetings with different stakeholders

• Based on the above findings, identify the strengths, gaps and opportunities in the existing PDOT health content and delivery modality.

• Prepare a concise report with technical recommendations for revision of the existing PDOT package highlighting priority concerns, proposed session structure, key messages, learning methods, digital integration options, and implementation considerations.

F. Support drafting the revised pre-departure health orientation package

• Support drafting and finalization of the revised health component of the PDOT package, incorporating evidence-based, practical and destination-relevant information on climate-related health risks, occupational health and safety, communicable and non-communicable diseases, mental health and psychosocial well-being, sexual and reproductive health, nutrition, health insurance, access to health services, emergency preparedness, and appropriate preventive and help-seeking measures for outbound Nepali labour migrants.

• Develop practical, migrant-friendly health orientation content and key messages tailored, as appropriate, to migrants’ destination, occupation and vulnerability profile, with due consideration to gender, age, disability, literacy and language, including information on preventive practices, emergency contacts, documentation and pathways for accessing health services in Nepal and destination countries.

• Review and technically harmonize the revised health content of the PDOT package with relevant national policies, guidelines and migrant-health initiatives.

G. Develop technical content for PDOT materials

• Prepare technical content for PDOT materials, including key IEC messages, and draft script/storyboard inputs for short audio-visual content, as agreed with FEB and PIC.

• Ensure that all materials use simple, clear, practical, culturally appropriate and easily understandable language suitable for outbound migrant workers with diverse literacy levels.

• Provide guidance on how the materials can be used in classroom-based, online or blended PDOT modalities to ensure wider access, flexibility and better understanding among migrant workers considering their diverse literacy levels.

H. Support validation, finalization and handover

• Present draft outputs during meetings and validation.

• Incorporate feedback from technical meetings, consultations and finalization workshop.

• Prepare the final version of the revised PDOT health orientation package and related materials for handover to relevant government entities.

• Prepare a brief completion report summarizing tasks completed, consultations conducted, key decisions, final outputs, limitations and recommendations for implementation and future updates.

Performance indicators for the evaluation of results