81292123-Third-party monitoring in the Liptako-Gourma Region (Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali)

Description

Since 2015, the Liptako-Gourma region comprising of the border triangle of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, has increasingly become the epicenter of the escalating violence in the wider Sahel. In Burkina Faso alone, more than one million people have been displaced from their homes due to the complex compound of political grievances, competition over natural resources, organized crime, inter and intra-communal conflicts and a growing influence of jihadi ideology and de facto control over territory by non-state actors. Years of national and international efforts to curb the underlying factors such as poverty, historical marginalization of the peripheries, and the exacerbating effects of climate change, have been undermined and access to the most vulnerable populations for humanitarian actors have grown increasingly difficult. Additionally, national security actors have repeatedly accused humanitarian actors of supporting terrorists, while human rights organizations have blamed security actors of indiscriminate killing of civilians. With regard to the situation described above, the Federal Foreign Office (FFO) has strengthened its stabilization engagement in the Liptako-Gourma region in recent years through a variety of instruments. In particular, the stabilization facility by UNDP, launched in 2021, in close cooperation with the Liptako-Gourma Authority (LGA) is a promising tool for bringing together key players from important political, security and social fields on the ground. However, due to the tense security situation, the presence as well as on-site visits of FFO staff or staff of implementing organizations in project regions is often not possible. Therefore, the overall objective of the consultancy is to provide a monitoring system on socio economic situation as well as conflict trends with a geographical focus on (but not exclusively limited to) (1) Burkina Faso, Sahel region and (2) Niger, Tahoua and Tillaberi regions as well as border adjacent communities in Mali that allows FFO to: 1) Better manage/ monitor the implementation of its projects. 2) Identify relevant conflict dynamics and risks at an early stage in order to take appropriate action. The monitoring of dynamics relevant to foreign policy is not a standard TPM service that is limited, for example, to the review of aid deliveries or individual project activities. Rather, the focus is on monitoring factors to provide for nuanced answers on FFO questions. This means that TPM data, surveys, and reports must be focused on the needs and issues of the FFO, not on individual projects. This type of monitoring or reporting requires a strong expertise and ability to critically evaluate, analyze, and prepare data in a way that can be used for operational decision making in FFO project work. Lot 1: In recent years, the Federal Foreign Office (FFO) has strengthened its stabilization engagement in the Liptako-Gourma region through a variety of instruments. In particular, the stabilization facility by UNDP, launched in 2021, in close cooperation with the Liptako-Gourma Authority (LGA) is a promising tool for bringing together key players from important political, security and social fields on the ground. Due to the tense security situation, the presence as well as on-site visits of FFO staff or staff of implementing organizations in project regions is often not possible. Therefore, the overall objective of the consultancy is to provide a monitoring system on socio economic situation as well as conflict trends in Liptako-Gourma, with a geographical focus on (but not exclusively limited to) (1) Burkina Faso, Sahel region and (2) Niger, Tahoua and Tillabéri regions as well as border adjacent communities in Mali. The following deliverables and analyses are expected for all the above-mentioned regions: - Community perception surveys of the general security situation for the above-mentioned areas under review. Two surveys per calendar year are envisaged. The questions to be investigated relate to community perceptions of the overall security situation, the presence and behavior of various actors, influence/ control over the population, access to goods and services, international interventions, and perceptions of political participation. - Monthly status report and availability for follow-up discussions for up to six locations/communities where activities are implemented, planned, or considered. The questions to be investigated relate to government security control, status of local administration, space for civil society. The locations to be monitored may change every month. - Up to four of the reports listed below are required in total per month. However, these may vary in composition and may differ from month to month, according to FFO requirements. o Up to two conflict trends analysis on developments related to violent extremist organizations in the regions, focusing on JNIM and ISSP and their respective affiliates or other VEO in the regions as per result of monthly discussions between contractor and authority. o Up to two delivery reports from Burkina Faso/ Niger /Mali border crossings to destination concerning the observation of movement of people and goods (e.g., payment of fees or bribes or seizure of goods). o Up to two sector-specific reports (e.g., Education, Health, Trade, Goods, etc.) on degree of ISSP/JNIM-influence/control/benefit. o Up to one media round-up for each region of project implementation (Burkina Faso, Niger, and the border-region with Mali) o Other specific reports as required by the authority to be discussed with contractor such as for e.g., a Network Analysis/ Actors Mapping - Pro-active ad-hoc briefings/ reports and availability to discuss via video conference developments significant for project implementation (such as large-scale military operations, fundamental power shifts or important developments in monitored locations). - In case of need and in line with the service provider's capabilities, deliverables mentioned above can be substituted with related tasks.