MoDM IDP monitoring training . MoDM field staff and central personnel recieve monitoring training (both practical and theoretical) from IDP programme staff as well as IOM’s monitoring partners in-country.

Introduction
The Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MoDM) was created in 2003 to manage large and diverse populations of concern, both within its own borders and internationally. It is estimated that there are more than 1.5 million internally Displaced Persons in Iraq today and perhaps 2-3 million Iraqis living abroad. The task ahead for the Ministry called for a well structured, well trained and well equipped institution. The then Minister of Displacement and Migration made a request to the IOM for assistance in establishing and building the capacity of this newly created Ministry. As a result, IOM, in coordination with UNHCR, launched a program designed to build the fundamental organizational foundations of MoDM, provide training for its staff, and support its offices in the different Governorates. Initially designed to last one year, the programme then evolved to a multifaceted multi-year capacity building programme.

What we do
The programme aims to enable MoDM to become a self-sufficient organization with an increased capacity to fulfill its mandate to protect and assist refugees, IDPs and other populations of concern through the provision of meaningful capacity-building assistance. The programme seeks to assist the ministry in developing its institutional framework as well as providing the tools for day to day functions through strengthening the fundamental bureaucratic foundations of the MoDM, and providing training for its staff.

The programme has been implemented since October 2004 and is expected to end in mid 2007.

To better direct technical support to the Ministry, IOM and UNHCR created the Coordination Group for Capacity Building for MoDM (CGCB). Over the past two years of the programme existence, the CGCB developed and implemented a number of capacity-building activities with a focus on the development of Ministry’s organisational mandate and structures, and clarification of departmental functional statements, job functions and individual job descriptions. In addition to these efforts, IOM has been engaged in delivering training programmes for the selected staff of the Ministry.

With direct involvement of MoDM, the IOM/UNHCR partnership has co-funded a team of external consultants and experts that have facilitated the re-drafting of the institutional mandate or basic law of the Ministry which is currently up for review by Iraqi Government. The programme has also supported the development of recommendations on the organizational structure of the Ministry and drafted functional statements and individual job descriptions for all Ministry departments. The programme continues working with MoDM to ensure the practical application of proposed structures and departmental functional statements.

The programme started also to support the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in main functional areas of the Ministry. This process is currently going on for the Departments of Information and Branches. SOPs are being developed for three main information related systems thought to comprise the basis of these two departments’ activities; namely customer relation management, website management and data management systems. In addition to these information related SOPs, the programme considers also the possibility of developing policy related SOPs in order to increase MoDM’s capacity in the field of policy development and advocacy related to its populations of concern.

Increased focus on building operational capacities
While in comparison with October 2004 MoDM is now much better prepared to respond to the needs of its populations of concern, it still requires significant international support. Apart from the need to further strengthen MoDM’s existing institutional capacities, the main focus of the continued MoDM CBP is to augment MoDM’s operational capacities and strengthen its coordination role in providing humanitarian assistance to displaced persons, refugees, stateless persons and returnees. The new Minister of MoDM has repeatedly emphasized the importance of skills development trainings for his staff and expressed his readiness to support business and managerial development trainings. Consequently, the programme plans to conduct a series of business and managerial development trainings by contracting local service provider/s in Baghdad or utilizing IOM’s in-house capacities. Inter-alia, trainings will be developed and implemented on communication and negotiation skills, reporting, presentation and briefing, management of change, staff motivation and leadership, office management, etc. The programme will also facilitate UNHCR-led trainings on topics such as IDPs (Guiding Principles), refugee protection, return and reintegration (principles of voluntary repatriation/return in safety and dignity), protection of stateless persons, human rights and humanitarian assistance standards (including the SPHERE standards).

Partners
MoDM - Ministry of Displacement and Migration
UNHCR – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
PRM – Bureau of population, Refugees and Migration, US Government
IRMO – Iraq Reconstruction Management Office, US Government