International Consultant to Support the Continental Stocktaking Consultation

FOR THE CONSULTANCY CONTRACT OF: Consultant to Support the Continental Stocktaking Consultation on the Implementation of the 2012 Global African Diaspora Summit Declaration

- Duty Station of the Consultancy: Home-Based
- Duration of Consultancy: The consultant will be engaged over an approximate three-month period, with an estimated level of effort of 6 to 8 weeks.
- Category: Category B
- Nature of the Consultancy: Consultant to Support the Continental Stocktaking Consultation on the Implementation of the 2012 Global African Diaspora Summit Declaration. The assignment will include some preparatory engagement ahead of the virtual Continental Stocktaking Consultation, with the majority of the level of effort dedicated to post-Consultation information gathering, analysis, validation and finalization of the stocktaking and Consultation reports.

5. Project Context and Scope:

Background : The Global African Diaspora Summit (GADS), held in Sandton, Johannesburg, on Africa Day, 25 May 2012, adopted the GADS Declaration and Programme of Action, which remains a foundational framework for Africa’s engagement with its global diaspora. The Declaration set out commitments across three broad pillars of cooperation—political, economic and social—together with implementation and follow-up mechanisms. It also identified five legacy projects: the Skills Database of African Professionals; the African Diaspora Volunteer Corps; the African Diaspora Finance Corporation (ADFC) formerly the (African Diaspora Investment Fund) ; the Development Marketplace for the Diaspora (ADIMDMADA); and the African Institute for Remittances (AIR). More than a decade after the adoption of the Declaration, Africa’s role in the continental and global landscape has evolved significantly.

The African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063 is being accelerated through its Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is operational, the African Union (AU) has taken its seat in the G20, and has entered a renewed phase of continental dialogue on reparatory justice. At the same time, the Declaration itself called for a rotational review every three or four years, supported by monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and adequate resourcing.

Accordingly, there is a need to take stock of progress made in implementing the commitments of the 2012 GADS Declaration, identify what has been achieved and what remains outstanding, and consider how the implementation agenda can be taken forward in light of the evolving continental and global geo-political context. The proposed virtual continental stocktaking consultation on the implementation of the 2012 GADS Declaration, which is tentatively planned to be conducted on the 23rd to 25 th November 2026, therefore responds to this need in addition to reviewing the mechanism envisaged in the Declaration. It will provide an opportunity for AU Member States and other relevant stakeholders to take an honest and evidence-based stock of implementation progress, exchange experiences, identify good practices and lessons learned, and discuss practical and affordable approaches for strengthening diaspora engagement. The Consultation will also help prepare the ground for the 15-year commemoration of the GADS in 2027.

The Consultation builds on the processes that preceded and followed the 2012 Summit, including the three African Diaspora Ministerial Conferences held in Sandton in 2007, New York in 2011 and Pretoria in 2012; Technical Experts meetings; the Conferences of Intellectuals of Africa and the Diaspora; regional consultative conferences; and the biannual meetings of diaspora focal points. It also builds on ongoing programming and partnerships, including the AUC–IOM–AfDB joint diaspora-engagement initiative in eight transition states—The Gambia, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, Togo and Zimbabwe. The stocktaking will further take into account relevant global and continental initiatives that have contributed to advancing diaspora engagement. These include the International Conference on the Future Agenda of Action for Global Diaspora Engagement: Concrete Steps, Impactful Solutions, which supported the formalization and operationalization of the Global Diaspora Alliance, endorsed by several AU Member States as an outcome of the Dublin Declaration with the support of the African Union. The exercise will also build on the Trans-Continental Comparative Review of African Diaspora and Migrant Communities, undertaken in Djibouti in 2025.

Against this background, the African Union Commission, through AU-CIDO and the International Organization for Migration, Special Liaison Office (IOM-SLO) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is preparing to jointly organize a Three- Day Continental Stocktaking Consultation. The Consultation will seek to:

- Conduct a comprehensive stocktaking of the implementation status of the 2012 GADS Declaration and Programme of Action, including an assessment of progress under each of the three pillars and the status of the identified legacy projects.
- Exchange experiences and review national and regional diaspora-engagement plans and approaches.
- Identify good practices, lessons learned and innovative, affordable approaches that can inform future diaspora engagement efforts.
- Contribute to harmonizing the continental approach to diaspora engagement, while respecting nationally owned strategies, policies and priorities in line with the principle of subsidiarity; and
- Agree on preliminary outcomes and a forward-looking roadmap to sustain dialogue, follow-up and future consultations on the implementation of the GADS Declaration.

To support this process, AU-CIDO and IOM SLO intend to engage a consultant for approximately 6–8 weeks , over an approximate three-month period, to undertake the stocktaking exercise and a report outlining the achievements, bottlenecks and proposed way forward. Beyond documenting progress in implementing the 2012 Global African Diaspora Summit Declaration and Programme of Action, the assignment will identify strategic priorities, actionable recommendations, and opportunities for translating the stocktaking findings into future programming and policy interventions. This will include identifying gaps that require further attention, areas for strengthened collaboration among the African Union, Member States, and relevant stakeholders, and potential entry points for advancing the Declaration’s objectives.

In this regard, the consultant will be responsible for gathering and analyzing information from Member States and relevant stakeholders, documenting implementation progress and experiences, identifying good practices and lessons learned, and outstanding challenges; formulating practical, forward-looking recommendations to inform future initiatives and programming; preparing and presenting the stocktaking report, supporting the facilitation of the virtual Consultation, and incorporating feedback from the Consultation into the final stocktaking report. The Consultant will submit both the final revised stocktaking and workshop reports.

The Consultation is also expected to facilitate the Three-Day Stocktaking Consultations by leading the discussions, using agreed probing questions to guide the sessions in accordance with the identified themes and keeping the interventions focused on the subject matter.

10 . Education, Experience and/or skills required

The consultant should have:

- Master’s in social sciences, development studies, international relations, migration studies, public policy, African studies, or a related field, from an accredited academic institution with at least five years of relevant professional experience; or
- Bachelor's degree in the above fields with seven years of relevant professional experience.
- Demonstrated experience in conducting stocktaking exercises, assessments, reviews, research or similar analytical assignments.
- Experience in conducting consultations and gathering information from government institutions and other stakeholders, preferably across multiple African countries.
- Strong analytical and report-writing skills, with demonstrated ability to synthesize information from diverse sources into clear and concise reports.
- Experience in facilitating workshops, consultations or multi-stakeholder meetings.
- Knowledge and understanding of African Union structures, policies and frameworks, particularly those relating to diaspora engagement, migration and development, would be an advantage.
- Familiarity with the 2012 Global African Diaspora Summit and/or the GADS Declaration and the Migration Policy Framework and Action Plan would be an advantage.
- Experience working with the African Union, Regional Economic Communities, Member States, UN agencies or other regional/international organizations would be desirable.
- Expertise and/or professional experience in the African context, preferably with experience engaging African governments and diaspora institutions, is strongly desirable.

11. Travel required

The assignment will primarily be conducted remotely, and the consultation will take place virtually. However, subject to the availability of resources and the relevance and added value of in-person engagement, the possibility of bringing the consultant in person either before or after the Consultation may be explored, in consultation with AU-CIDO and IOM SLO.

12. Competencies

Values

- Inclusion and respect for diversity: respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.
- Integrity and transparency: maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
- Professionalism: demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent, and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.
- Courage: demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.
- Empathy: shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected, and fairly treated.

Core Competencies-behavioral indicators

- Strong research and analytical skills;
- Excellent report-writing and communication skills;
- Strong stakeholder consultation and facilitation skills;
- Ability to synthesize information from multiple sources;
- Ability to work independently and deliver within tight timelines;
- Good interpersonal and diplomatic skills;
- Ability to work effectively with AU, IOM and Member State counterparts; and
- Good understanding of the African institutional and policy context, particularly in relation to diaspora engagement and the roles of the AU, Member States and regional institutions.