Supporting Return Preparedness Through Livelihood Study

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long-term impact.

Mercy Corps has developed a Crisis Analysis function to support our programming in the most complex contexts, including Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Ukraine, and others. The Crisis Analysis supports Mercy Corps’ in-country programming as well as the wider humanitarian response in the region through the provision of quality, timely and relevant analytical products. This analysis is grounded in Mercy Corps’ position as an operational NGO, keeping our products constructive and relevant for humanitarian, early recovery, and development responders and donors within a given crisis.

Context

The Syria crisis, now in its fifteenth year, remains one of the most protracted displacement crises globally. While large-scale returns remain limited, most Syrian refugees in neighboring countries continue to express an intention to return under the right conditions.

Access to sustainable livelihoods is a central factor shaping return intentions, preparedness, and broader displacement trajectories for both refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

This study, conducted in partnership with UNDP and UNHCR, examines the relationship between livelihood opportunities and durable solutions. It aims to assess how current livelihood interventions respond to existing and future needs, and how this influences return-related decision-making.

Project Description

Funded by Regional Development and Protection Program (RDPP), the ‘Strengthening Regional Policy Dialogue and Partnerships on Solutions’ project seeks to promote adaptive solutions for Syrian refugees through evidence-based policy dialogue, advocacy, and strategic alliance-building. Implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Mercy Corps, the project leverages Mercy Corps’ Crisis Analysis to support ongoing and emerging policy and advocacy efforts underpinned by a bespoke body of evidence and grounded in contextual realities. As a multi-donor platform managed by the Kingdom of Denmark, RDPP was first initiated in 2014 as a multi-donor response to address the humanitarian and development needs of refugees and displacement-affected communities in the countries neighbouring Syria.

This study directly serves RDPP audience and aligns with the advocacy priority of driving progress in improving the socio-economic conditions of Syrian refugees and host communities through inclusion and self-reliance. This study will generate a descriptive, explanatory, and interpretive analysis of how livelihood interventions shape returns preparedness and durable solutions pathways. It will provide actionable recommendations to inform the work of practitioners, including NGO and UN partners, as well as the Livelihoods Working Groups and the Regional Durable Solutions Working Group (RDSWG). It will also inform the design of the intended UNDP workshop on Designing Interventions in Protracted Displacement Contexts and will enrich the workshop content.

Research Objectives and Questions

Overall Objective:

To generate robust evidence base on the role of livelihoods in shaping return preparedness and durable solutions for Syrian refugees and IDPs.

Key Research Questions:

• How do current livelihood conditions and support influence return intentions and preparedness among refugees?

• How have Lebanon’s successive and compounding crises since 2019 — including the financial and banking collapse, COVID-19 pandemic, Beirut Port explosion, the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah war, and the 2026 war — shaped livelihoods programming targeting displaced Syrians, including donor priorities, targeting approaches, perceptions and preparedness for return, and the balance between stabilization-oriented and emergency response modalities?

• To what extent are livelihoods interventions aligned with economic opportunities inside Syria (e.g., skilling, MSME support etc.)?

• What constraints do returnees and IDPs face in accessing sustainable livelihoods inside Syria?

• What livelihoods-related factors influence displacement trajectories and return decisions (e.g., timing, areas of return, who returns etc.)?

• How have the assumptions, findings, and recommendations of the 3RP “Livelihood Preparedness for Syrian Refugee Returns” study evolved in light of the socio-economic, political, and security transformations observed in Syria and host countries since 2022?

• How do these dynamics differ across demographic groups, including women, youth and persons with disabilities (PwDs)?

• How can (country-specific and regional) livelihoods programming in host countries and areas of return better prepare refugees for eventual return while simultaneously supporting resilience and social cohesion in host communities?

Consultant Activities:

The Consultant will:

• Provide overall project management and technical oversight for the study

• Ensuring compliance with Mercy Corps’ research standards, methodological requirements, and agreed deliverables and timelines.

• Lead on qualitative research methodology and design.

• Develop the inception report and lead the review and revision process through to finalization, incorporating feedback provided by Mercy Corps and UNDP.

• Liaise with the CA team for external stakeholder engagement, to conduct key informant interviews (KIIs), and to validate analytical findings.

• Conduct KIIs with an agreed list of stakeholders.

• Lead the research analysis, in coordination with the Crisis Analysis regional team.

• Produce KIIs transcripts and ensure they are anonymized and imported into a qualitative coding structure.

• Lead the production of the thematic report.

• Present the initial findings internally to Mercy Corps and UNDP.

• Lead review and revision process with multiple iterations of feedback, ultimately leading to a high-quality final product.

• As relevant, produce and present findings within external events (briefings, workshops, panels, roundtables, etc).

Consultant Deliverables:

The consultant will deliver:

• Inception Report: Methodology, analytical framework, data collection tools, detailed workplan

• Data Collection Outputs: KII summaries/transcripts and coded qualitative data, Draft Analytical Report (Approximately 15–20 pages, including clear findings and recommendations)

• Final Analytical Report (Incorporating feedback from Mercy Corps and partners)

• Presentation Materials (Slide deck and summary outputs for dissemination)

Timeframe / Schedule:

Estimated duration: 12–14 weeks, structured as follows:

Inception phase: 2–3 weeks

Data collection: 4–5 weeks

Analysis and drafting: 3–4 weeks

Review and finalization: 2-3 weeks

Consultant Fees

The consultancy is expected to require up to 25 working days. Proposed fees will be commensurate with the consultant’s level of experience and expertise.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law.

Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.