Consultant

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS – 21854

Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants. 

Context: 

The Kingdom of Cambodia originates 1.3 million migrant workers who are mostly working across seven countries, including Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia. Before the border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand, Thailand was the top country of destination for Cambodian migrant workers hosting approximately 1.22 million Cambodian workers given the close geographical distance and similarity of language and culture. Labour migration and Cambodian migrant workers per se contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of Cambodia through transferability of knowledge, skills and remittances. It is estimated that Cambodian migrant workers oversea sent home 2.7 billion USD annually, which equates to approximately 4 percent of GDP (MLVT). To maximize the potential of labour migration for the socioeconomic development of Cambodia, as set in objective 3 of the Labour Migration Policy for Cambodia 2019-2023, protection and empowerment for migrant workers are required throughout the whole cycle of their labour migration journey, from pre-departure, during deployment abroad, to return and reintegration. To that end, return and reintegration should be given a stronger focus to make return and reintegration sustainable, maximizing potentials of migration for migrant workers, their families, communities and society as a whole.

In the context of international migration, return refers to the movement of persons returning to their country of origin after having moved away from their place of habitual residence and crossed an international border. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) defines sustainable reintegration as when (a) returnees reaching levels of economic self-sufficiency, social stability within their communities, and psychosocial wellbeing that allow them to cope with (re)migration drivers; and (b) the ability of returnees to make further migration decisions as a matter of choice, rather than necessity. Reintegration, therefore, is sustainable when an individual is successfully reintegrated in the everyday life, the labour market and the social environment of their origin country and has the resilience to deal with the forces that initially drove their migration.

Sustainable reintegration requires holistic and multidimensional approaches that address a range of economic, social, psychosocial and environmental factors and enhance synergies between different interventions in the areas of humanitarian assistance, community stabilization, sustainable development, migration management, broader policy coherence and development cooperation. 

The reintegration of returning Cambodian migrant workers has specifically come to the forefront since mid-2025. Since then, the border tensions between Cambodia and Thailand have triggered the return of 950,000 of Cambodians, many arriving without documentation, savings, or coordinated support, raising risks of irregular re‑migration, trafficking and exploitation, and straining services in border and high‑return areas. 

To that end, in 2025, IOM supported the government of Cambodia, particularly the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MLVT) to develop guidelines on sustainable reintegration of returning migrant workers to guide and enable facilitation of reintegration of Cambodian migrant workers. 

Available as a draft document as of now, the Guidelines has not yet been finalized yet and needs a comprehensive update in line with the MLVT feedback as well as the latest developments in Cambodia and the region. As per the MLVT request, it is planned to update and finalize the draft Guidelines; develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to operationalize the Guidelines by clearly defining the roles, responsibilities, and coordination mechanisms among relevant stakeholders involved in the reintegration process.  Finally, to support and Guidelines and SOPs roll-out, it is envisioned to develop a tailored training curriculum and deliver four training sessions to relevant in-country stakeholders. 

Through the regional project “Ship to Shore Rights in South-East Asia: Safe Migration and Decent Work in the Blue Economy” (S2SR SEA), funded by the European Union (EU), IOM Cambodia will engage a qualified consultant to lead this initiative.

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission, direct supervision of the Program Officer, and in close coordination with the Senior Program Assistant at IOM Cambodia, the Consultant will be entrusted with: