Consultant(e) international(e) – Recherche sur la mobilité climatique des femmes, des jeunes et des personnes en situation de handicap, Hodh El Chargui, Mauritanie

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

Mauritania's territory is largely arid or semi-arid, and the country faces dune encroachment, desertification, recurrent drought, seasonal flooding and the degradation of natural resources. These dynamics are associated with population movements taking the form of internal migration, temporary displacement, forced relocation and international migration.

The Climate Vulnerability Assessment (CVA) conducted by IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix between December 2025 and January 2026 covered 196 localities across six moughataas of Hodh El Chargui and Guidimakha, representing 81,777 families. It recorded drought in 86 per cent of the localities assessed, sand and dust storms in 81 per cent, abnormally heavy rainfall in 46 per cent, rising temperatures in 45 per cent, desertification in 41 per cent and flooding in 39 per cent. It found that 30 per cent of localities had experienced climate-induced mobility over the previous two years, with marked territorial disparities ranging from 8 to 56 per cent depending on the moughataa. The CVA documented the scale and structural drivers of vulnerability at locality level through key informants. It does not capture the differentiated experiences of women, youth and persons with disabilities, whose adaptation capacities and mobility options are shaped by gender norms, age and disability-related barriers.

This consultancy fills that gap through qualitative, participatory and action-oriented research, in direct complementarity with the CVA. Fieldwork takes place in two moughataas of Hodh El Chargui: Bassiknou, where a high proportion of affected localities, 53 per cent, rests on a robust sample and a significant demographic weight, and Adel Bagrou, which offers a contrasting pattern at 19 per cent, spread across the largest number of communities in the area.

The consultant personally conducts all data collection: 16 in-depth individual interviews, of which 11 in person and 5 remote, 8 focus group discussions disaggregated by gender and target group, and 3 life stories. IOM identifies and convenes the participants, and provides interpretation, logistical coordination and advance scheduling of all appointments prior to the field mission.

The consultancy produces three deliverables over two months: an inception report, a findings note submitted to IOM for comment, and a final research report of 30 pages maximum excluding annexes, written in French. The research is expected to inform adaptation and protection policies, strategies and programmes, and to guide the targeting of subsequent interventions in the wilaya. It applies gender-responsive and disability-inclusive methods throughout, with documented informed consent, systematic anonymisation and an agreed referral pathway for participants disclosing protection needs.

Migration, Data and Research Unit (Displacement Tracking Matrix), IOM Mauritania,

Project: NC0161, Climate Change and Migration Data Programme (CCMD), funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.