Consultant for External Endline Evaluation of the Project “ENHANCING BORDER MANAGEMENT CAPACITY”
- Location
- Islamabad
- Workplace
- On-site
About this role
The International Organization for Migration, with financial support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Japan, implemented the project “Enhancing Border Management Capacity” from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2026.
The project is aimed to strengthen the operational and institutional capacities of Pakistan’s immigration and border management authorities. Its overall objective was to contribute to the Government of Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate safe, orderly and regular migration through more efficient and effective border and migration management practices.
The project was implemented in close collaboration with relevant government institutions, principally the Federal Investigation Agency, the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control, Police authorities and selected civil society organizations.
The project included, among others, the following interventions:
delivery of Training of Trainers programmes and specialized capacity-building activities for immigration and border management officials;
participation of government officials in international training activities, technical exchanges and events to increase exposure to international standards and good practices;
refurbishment and institutional strengthening of the FIA Training Academy;
provision of vehicles and logistical support for the transportation and management of migrants in irregular situations;
infrastructure, equipment and technology support for land border crossing points, international airports and Anti-Human Trafficking Circles;
capacity-building on victim identification, screening, referral, trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling; and
engagement with civil society organizations and relevant government stakeholders on protection-sensitive immigration and border management practices.
The project covered locations across Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh and Islamabad Capital Territory.
Contextual Environment
Pakistan has a complex migration landscape and functions as a country of origin, transit and destination. Regional geopolitical developments, particularly developments in Afghanistan, have influenced cross-border movements and placed additional operational pressure on Pakistan’s immigration and border management institutions.
During the implementation period, the project operated within an evolving policy, security and operational environment. Government priorities and institutional requirements changed over time, while some initially planned interventions were affected by procedural requirements, feasibility considerations, security constraints, government austerity measures and the need for multi-stakeholder approvals.
Government counterparts increasingly prioritized interventions capable of generating immediate and practical operational improvements at border crossing points, airports and Anti-Human Trafficking Circles. Consequently, the project adapted its intervention mix and placed increased emphasis on infrastructure, equipment, logistical support and practical capacity-building.
The evaluation will examine the relevance and effectiveness of these adaptations and assess project performance in light of the operational and policy context prevailing during implementation.
Purpose of the Evaluation
The primary purpose of the evaluation is to support organizational learning and future programme development by independently assessing the performance of the project and identifying good practices, lessons learned and actionable recommendations.
The evaluation will also provide accountability to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Japan, Government of Pakistan counterparts, IOM Pakistan senior management, the IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and other relevant institutional stakeholders.
Evaluation Objectives
The evaluation will:
assess the achievement of planned outputs and outcomes against the approved Results Matrix and available project monitoring information;
examine the relevance of the project design, intervention mix and implementation strategies to the needs and priorities of government border management institutions;
assess the effectiveness of the project in strengthening operational, technical and institutional border management capacities;
assess the efficiency of project implementation, delivery modalities, management arrangements, partnerships and use of financial, human and technical resources;
examine the project’s contribution to improved border management, management of irregular migration, border security and protection-sensitive migration governance;
assess the coherence of the project with relevant Government of Pakistan priorities, IOM strategic frameworks, the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, Sustainable Development Goals, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and other related interventions;
assess the prospects for sustainability, institutional ownership, continued use and possible scaling of project-supported systems, infrastructure, equipment and capacity-building interventions;
assess the extent to which gender, protection, disability inclusion, human rights, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse and do-no-harm principles were integrated into project design and implementation;
analyze the project’s adaptability and responsiveness to changes in the implementation context; and
generate evidence-based findings, conclusions, lessons learned and practical recommendations for future immigration and border governance programming.
Evaluation Scope
Temporal Scope
The evaluation will cover the complete project implementation period from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2026.
Geographical Scope
The evaluation will cover project-supported interventions across Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh and Islamabad Capital Territory.
Field data collection will be undertaken at a representative selection of locations, which may include:
the FIA Training Academy;
FIA Headquarters and zonal offices;
international airports;
selected land border crossing points;
Anti-Human Trafficking Circles; and
offices or operational sites of relevant government and civil society stakeholders.
The final geographic coverage and fieldwork modality will be determined during the inception phase in consultation with IOM, taking into account security, access, operational sensitivity, representativeness, available resources and the application of conflict-sensitive and do-no-harm principles.
Thematic Scope
The evaluation will assess performance under the project’s three outcomes:
Border management agencies effectively manage borders and prevent irregular migration.
Immigration and border management agencies demonstrate improved technological capacities to efficiently manage borders and curb irregular migration.
Immigration and border management authorities support migrants in irregular situations through improved facilities, procedures and knowledge.
Evaluation Criteria and Indicative Questions
The evaluation will be guided by the OECD-DAC evaluation criteria. The indicative evaluation questions will be refined through the evaluation matrix during the inception phase.
Relevance
To what extent were project interventions relevant to the needs and priorities of the Federal Investigation Agency, Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control and other stakeholders?
To what extent did the project remain relevant in light of changes in the policy, institutional and operational context?
To what extent was the project aligned with relevant Government of Pakistan policies and action plans, IOM’s Strategic Results Framework, the UNSDCF, Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Compact for Migration?
Coherence
To what extent was the project coherent with other immigration and border governance interventions in Pakistan?
To what extent did the project complement, duplicate or overlap with interventions implemented by government institutions, United Nations agencies, international organizations or civil society actors?
Effectiveness
To what extent did the project achieve its planned outputs and outcomes?
What internal and external factors supported or constrained the achievement of results?
To what extent did adaptations in implementation strategy contribute to the achievement of results?
To what extent did the project strengthen the knowledge, skills, systems and operational capacities of immigration and border management institutions?
Efficiency
To what extent were financial, human and technical resources used efficiently?
To what extent were project management, implementation arrangements, procurement processes and partnership modalities appropriate and timely?
Were project results achieved within reasonable costs and timeframes, taking into account the prevailing operational context?
Impact
What evidence exists of the project’s contribution to strengthening border management capacity in Pakistan?
To what extent did the project contribute to improved management of irregular migration and enhanced border security?
Were there any intended or unintended positive or negative effects arising from project interventions?
Sustainability
To what extent are project benefits likely to continue beyond project closure?
To what extent have government counterparts assumed ownership of project-supported infrastructure, equipment, systems and capacity-building interventions?
What institutional, financial, operational or policy risks may affect the sustainability of project results?
Cross-Cutting Considerations
To what extent were gender, disability, protection and human rights considerations integrated into project design and implementation?
To what extent did the project contribute to protection-sensitive treatment of migrants in vulnerable or irregular situations?
To what extent were stakeholder participation, institutional ownership and partnership principles integrated into implementation?
To what extent did project adaptations maintain consistency with do-no-harm, safeguarding and conflict-sensitivity principles?
Evaluation Methodology
The consultant will apply a mixed-methods, theory-based, utilization-focused and participatory evaluation approach.
The methodology will be finalized during the inception phase and will include, at a minimum:
Desk Review
Review of relevant documentation, including:
project proposal and approved revisions;
Results Matrix and monitoring frameworks;
interim, final, narrative and financial reports;
project workplans and implementation records;
training reports, pre- and post-training assessments and participant information;
procurement, infrastructure and equipment records;
relevant government strategies, policies and action plans;
donor agreements and reporting documentation;
IOM strategic and policy documents; and
relevant assessments, reviews and evaluations.
Quantitative Analysis
Analysis of available project monitoring and results data, including progress against output and outcome indicators, training assessment results, infrastructure and equipment records and other relevant quantitative evidence.
The evaluation is not expected to undertake an impact survey where adequate sampling frames or baseline data are unavailable. The consultant will assess data availability during the inception phase and propose realistic quantitative methods.
Qualitative Data Collection
Qualitative methods may include:
key informant interviews with representatives of FIA, the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control, Police, civil society organizations, IOM staff, and other relevant stakeholders;
case studies illustrating institutional change, good practices, implementation adaptations or operational improvements; and
structured field observations at selected project-supported sites.
Triangulation
The consultant will systematically triangulate findings across documentary, quantitative, qualitative and observational evidence.
All findings, conclusions and recommendations must be traceable to credible evidence and clearly linked to the evaluation questions.
Ethics and Data Protection
The evaluation will comply with UNEG Ethical Guidelines, IOM Data Protection Principles and the IOM Code of Conduct for Evaluations.
The consultant will ensure:
informed and voluntary consent;
confidentiality and anonymity of respondents;
secure collection, storage, processing and transfer of evaluation data;
culturally appropriate and gender-responsive data collection;
protection-sensitive engagement with migrants and vulnerable respondents;
application of do-no-harm and conflict-sensitivity principles;
prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment;
disclosure and management of actual or perceived conflicts of interest; and
referral and escalation of any safeguarding or protection concerns in accordance with IOM-approved procedures.
No personally identifiable information may be included in the evaluation report or annexes without explicit authorization.
Anticipated Limitations
The consultant will consider and propose mitigation measures for limitations including:
access restrictions affecting government documentation, project sites or stakeholders;
political and operational sensitivity surrounding border management and irregular migration;
security and logistical constraints affecting field travel;
limited accessibility or traceability of migrants who may have benefited from project-supported services;
attribution challenges resulting from the contribution of other actors and external contextual factors;
partial or adapted implementation of originally planned activities; and
geographic dispersion of project-supported locations.
The evaluation will focus on contribution rather than direct attribution where causal attribution is not methodologically feasible.
Intended Users
Primary users of the evaluation include:
IOM Pakistan Immigration and Border Governance programme team;
IOM Pakistan Programme Support Unit;
IOM Pakistan senior management;
IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific;
IOM Headquarters Evaluation Unit; and
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Japan.
Secondary users include the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control, Federal Investigation Agency, other government partners, civil society organizations and relevant project stakeholders.
Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is Contributing:
Organizational Unit: Migration Management Division - Immigration and Border Governance Unit, IOM Pakistan
Project Name: Enhancing Border Management Capacity
Commissioned by: IOM Pakistan
The consultancy will be managed by the Senior Programme Manager, Immigration and Border Governance, IOM Pakistan, under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission, IOM Pakistan.
Technical support and quality assurance will be provided by the National Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Programme Support Unit, IOM Pakistan, and the Regional Monitoring and Evaluation function of the IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok.
IOM will facilitate reasonable access to relevant project documents, monitoring information and stakeholders. The consultant will remain responsible for the independent design, implementation, analysis and reporting of the evaluation.
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