IOM will provide assistance through the provision of emergency and transitional shelters in line with cluster standards and non-food items (NFIs) to the most vulnerable population affected by the consequences of armed conflict in the region Lake Chad Basin, that has consequently led to insecurity and forced displacement in Niger. Target groups will be IDPs, refugees, returnees and vulnerable host communities since displaced persons seek refuge in host communities that were already vulnerable before the additional pressures of insecurity and forced displacement in the region. Humanitarian assistance is based on a vulnerability index in which all affected populations are rated for prioritisation of humanitarian assistance. In the region of Diffa, assistance will be in the form of emergency shelter kits and NFI kits, whilst in Maradi, assistance will be in the form of a combination of both composed kits and cash assistance through vouchers, given market availability in the region.

IOM will also provide shelter and NFI assistance to affected populations by the Liptako Gourma crisis in the border between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. 

IOM will provide assistance to vulnerable, armed crisis-affected populations with household-level latrines, that will be in line with the WASH cluster strategy, for all beneficiaries that have been assisted with emergency shelters in the regions of Diffa and Maradi. In the regions of Tillabery and Tahoua, IOM will assist with community emergency latrines in sites that will be targeted for assistance with e-shelters. IOM will also conduct hygiene awareness for all the targeted sites and provide hand washing posts in the sites assisted with e-shelters in all affected regions. 

IOM started the implementation of its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) in Niger in 2016 with the introduction of the flow monitoring component, which helps in tracking migratory trends, movements and flows passing through Niger in both northbound and southbound directions, particularly on the migratory routes heading from/to Libya and Algeria. The roll-out of the DTM in armed conflict settings in Niger allows to identify and track the movement trends and provide a humanitarian needs snapshot of the affected populations in the regions of Tahoua and Tillabéry. It is considered as an expansion of existing flow monitoring exercises already operational in Niger under IOM's Migrant Resource and Response Mechanism (MRRM) program to help better understanding migration trends and patterns of irregular migration.

IOM aims to ensure that conflict-affected vulnerable households have access to adequate medical assistance. IOM plans to support local health facilities in providing services to the affected populations or in providing direct support through the provision of long-lasting insecticide mosquito nets, included in NFI kits, to meet the specific needs of the conflict-affected population in the regions of Diffa and Maradi.

IOM aims to implement community stabilisation initiatives in order to support the Government of Niger and Nigerienne civil society to increase communities’ resilience and integration, as well as to reduce the push factors for irregular and forced migration, but also the integration of displaced population within host communities in a protracted crisis situation. As a result, community stabilisation initiatives will aim to improve access to basic services through the rehabilitation and construction of infrastructures, revitalising local economies, providing trainings on good governance, improving food security, promoting social cohesion through cultural events, and creating spaces for dialogue among and between civil society actors, local authorities, displaced population and host communities whilst taking into consideration the needs of marginalised communities and displaced communities. Community stabilisation also aims at coping with desertification and inundation challenges observed in desert areas which are a source of conflict between pastoral communities and cultivators. In this regard, activities to prevent further desertification and to support water management will be implemented with the full involvement of the concerned communities. Community stabilisation may also include the recuperation of land, planting of trees, construction of protective fences and harnessing of natural water sources for the benefit and ownership of the affected communities.

In transitional, post-crisis and return and reintegration situations, IOM’s migration health activities seek to support the recovery and strengthening of resilient health systems with the aim to move from the provision of essential to comprehensive health services. IOM will assist crisis-affected populations, the government and host communities to promote health equity by strengthening health care systems and health referrals networks. IOM’s efforts under this objective aim to contribute to collective outcomes for Sustainable Development Goal 3, to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages, and the achievement of Universal Health Coverage.

IOM aims to support displaced populations and promote local integration in host communities in the region of Diffa and Maradi, by providing durable solutions to their shelter needs through transitional shelters and livelihood support in the form of income-generating activities.