IOM Vision
Working in close collaboration with the Government, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, and civil society, IOM seeks to respond to immediate protection and assistance needs of persons impacted by crises and address the drivers of, and build solutions to, displacement in the Republic of Madagascar, while strengthening resilience to future shocks.
| INFORM Risk Index (August 2023) | High (27/191) |
| Human Development Index (2023/4) | Low |
| Fragility Index (2022) | Fragile |
The Republic of Madagascar (hereinafter Madagascar) remains in a precarious situation, facing a series of complex, interlocking challenges resulting in a multi-faceted humanitarian crisis. The main areas of concern are due to weather-related disasters and other adverse effects of climate change that continue to cause significant damage to homes, livelihoods, and infrastructure, and lead to significant population displacement. The combined effects of a drought and floods have also aggravated prolonged food insecurity affecting large areas of the country, also resulting in major protection challenges and causing public health emergencies. These issues are closely interconnected and represent cascading forms of risk that increase the population's vulnerability.
Madagascar is struggling with the consequences of the worst drought the country has faced in the past 40 years, as well as multiple back-to-back climatic shocks. In 2022, Madagascar was the second hardest hit country by disasters in the Southern Africa region, where the combined effects of the drought and cyclone-related flooding aggravated the overall food insecurity situation in the country, and led to 291,000 internal displacements, the highest figure ever recorded for the country. In addition, assessments following tropical Cyclones Cheneso and Freddy in early 2023 found that 90,000 people were directly impacted by Cheneso and 187,400 by Freddy, including 88,000 people displaced by these events. In April 2024, Tropical Cyclone Gamane struck northeast Madagascar, leaving 220,000 people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, including 22,000 internally displaced persons.
The combination of severe weather-related disasters with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and international conflicts has erased the progress made in the fight against poverty and has had long lasting effects on both coping capacities of affected communities and on the development of the country. With the majority of Madagascar’s population employed in agriculture, there are significant concerns over the coming impacts of climate change including rising temperatures, reduced water availability through changing precipitation patterns, and more extreme weather events. The eastern and northeast coasts of Madagascar have been particularly affected by the devastating impacts of natural hazards, where recurrent disasters have led to significant loss and damages, including homes, livelihoods, and public infrastructure. This is profoundly altering the landscape of Madagascar and increasing the likelihood of mass population displacements.
The capacity of affected communities to cope with the impact of disaster displacement has been seriously eroded, with populations displaced remaining with host families for extended periods of time. The combined effects of a sustained drought and floods have aggravated the overall food insecurity situation, and the impacts of natural hazards have been exacerbated by widespread environmental degradation, with a third of the island’s land resources now affected by erosion, with severe effects on livelihoods, agriculture and food security. The lack of livelihoods opportunities has forced many, including internally displaced persons (IDPs), to rely on negative coping strategies to survive, such as selling remaining assets or decreasing food intake. Different forms of gender-based violence (GBV), including early marriage and school dropout rates, have also increased as people look for ways to cope. Some affected households choose to leave the region and migrate to northern districts. In 2019, IOM estimated that over 100,000 people migrated yearly from rural to urban areas, especially to the capital of Antananarivo, where 60-70 per cent of new constructions are in slum-like conditions. As a result, massive challenges are occurring due to unplanned urbanization and increasing vulnerabilities of populations living in these settlements, including vulnerability to natural hazards and epidemics given limited access to basic services and financial constraints in extending public infrastructure.
While Madagascar remains relatively safe, violence is present in sometimes very brutal forms, as manifested by the rise of the Dahalo phenomenon (rural banditry), criminality, and kidnapping, attributed to high levels of poverty and lack of employment opportunities. These forms of violence are triggering small scale internal displacement and threaten to weaken social cohesion within the Malagasy society. Human trafficking is also a significant challenge in Madagascar, exacerbated by the economic challenges the country is facing, with victims of trafficking facing situations of sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, and exploitation in the textile and fishing industries.
Madagascar needs urgent assistance across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus (HDPN) to address the multiple crises the country is currently facing, including significant support for populations to attain longer term solutions and strengthen their resilience and adaptive capacity, including to the devastating effects of climate change. Authorities, civil society organizations, and communities also need adequate support to tackle other mobility dimensions of crises and to address vulnerabilities of migrants, including to human trafficking.
Objective
Saving lives and protecting people on the move
IOM will work together with the Malagasy government to provide lifesaving multi-sectoral assistance to vulnerable individuals and communities affected by crises, including:
- Vulnerable communities affected by natural hazards (including rapid and slow onset disasters, epidemics and other public health emergencies), inter-communal and gender-based violence;
- Persons exposed to specific vulnerabilities, including due to their mobility status, such as internally displaced persons, vulnerable international migrants, refugees and victims of smuggling and trafficking.
IOM will work in close collaboration with key partners supporting communities impacted by crises by addressing data and knowledge gaps at the policy and operational levels and building awareness on human mobility dimensions of crises to ensure more timely, evidence based and efficient responses, including:
- National and local authorities working to address mobility dimensions of crises;
- Communities affected by crises
- UN agencies, NGOs, donors, and other key stakeholders.
Displacement tracking
IOM will utilize the Displacement Tracking Matrix tools and processes to:
- Regularly capture and analyze population displacement data at various levels and disseminate this data to authorities and the humanitarian community for various scenarios such as preparedness, crisis response, recovery and civil society, disaster risk reduction, and climate change adaptation;
- Deploy additional DTM tools such as the Stability Mobility Index, Climate Vulnerability Assessments and city/settlement level IDP registration and mapping as appropriate.
Protection
IOM will ensure that protection principles are mainstreamed across interventions to ensure safety and dignity, avoid causing harm, and guarantee meaningful access to assistance for all persons in need, without discrimination. To achieve this, the following specific measures and activities will be undertaken:
- Mainstream gender by promoting gender equality;
- Conduct GBV risk mitigation activities, in line with IOM's Institutional Framework for Addressing GBV in Crises;
- Ensure protection against sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (PSEAH) by enforcing strict codes of conduct, providing comprehensive PSEAH training for all staff and partners and establishing confidential reporting mechanisms. These actions are aligned with the IOM Accountability to Affected Populations Framework, ensuring the effective implementation of accountability to affected populations approaches. Further, IOM will ensure that staff and implementing partners have an appropriate PSEA response in place and are duly trained on how to prevent, respond to, and report SEA incidents while populations are aware of SEA policies, reporting channels, and services available for victims. This will be achieved through the development of an action plan including capacity-building and awareness-raising.
IOM will implement specialized protection activities through prevention and protection assistance to persons who are victims or at risk. This will include to:
- Advance the anti-trafficking agenda and strengthen prevention and protection efforts with the Government and partners involved in this area, building on the existing National Action Plan;
- Provide assistance to victims of trafficking according the needs identified through referral to services such as medical assistance, MHPSS and other required services as well as the provision of cash for protection, transportation and reintegration assistance for return into the community of origin;
- Strengthen disability inclusion by ensuring accessible facilities and services, by providing tailored support for persons with disabilities throughout the programme cycle.
Camp coordination and camp management
As the co-lead of the CCCM sector in Madagascar, IOM will support national, regional, and local stakeholders to respond to population displacement situations, including to:
- Coordinate and manage camps or temporary shelter sites, ensuring they meet safety and protection standards;
- Support the sectoral response to displacement, providing coordination, strategic guidance and technical support to all stakeholders involved;
- Support the coordination and monitoring of the provision of assistance and protection in temporary sites hosting displaced populations, ensuring the meaningful participation of affected populations by supporting the creation of committees that represent the population, and organizing regular feedback and consultation sessions with displaced communities to gather their input and addressing their concerns in a timely manner;
- Monitor mobility trends, including displacement and returns, contributing to the identification of needs for assistance, including to support solutions to displacement;
- Strengthen the capacities of authorities, local organizations and communities, and other key stakeholders to better prepare for and respond to displacement, supporting the integration of human mobility aspects into disaster preparedness, response, and disaster risk reduction policies and response frameworks and delivering trainings on displacement management.
Shelter and settlements
IOM will provide populations impacted by disasters with access to shelter and non-food items assistance, contributing to the safety, health, privacy and dignity of all affected populations, enabling their recovery. IOM will:
- Provide emergency shelter assistance and non-food items (NFI) by using modalities relevant to the context, including cash-based interventions, in kind distributions and rental support, among others. Delivery modality will consider, for example, the range and evolving needs of affected populations, accessibility and availability of materials in local markets, in line with sectoral priorities and relevant standards;
- Provide technical assistance to multisectoral and sectoral needs assessments, and contribute to other assessments to identify the relevant response strategy and priority actions to address the immediate and longer-term needs of affected populations;
- Work with the government of Madagascar and local, national and international organizations to provide recovery shelter assistance to speed up recovery and build the resilience of affected populations, based on sectoral recommendations;
- Work with local communities and authorities to develop sustainable and climate-resilient housing solutions for displaced persons and communities at risk of displacement, integrating local knowledge, skills and practices.
Provision of water, sanitation and hygiene in emergencies
IOM interventions are designed to provide immediate WASH services to meet the urgent needs of vulnerable populations and safeguard public health and the dignity and well-being of affected populations. IOM will:
- Establish clean, secure and inclusive latrines and sanitation blocks;
- Construct and rehabilitate water supply systems by installing or repairing boreholes and water distribution systems to ensure access to clean and safe drinking water for vulnerable populations;
- Distribute hygiene kits containing culturally appropriate essential items such as soap, hand sanitizer, sanitary pads, and other hygiene products in line with National WASH Cluster guidelines to displaced persons and communities in need to prevent the spread of disease;
- Support community hygiene promotion and education by conducting awareness campaigns and training sessions on proper hygiene practices, such as handwashing and safe water storage, to reduce health risks and promote improved hygiene behaviors within affected communities.
Direct health support
To provide immediate and continuous access to essential healthcare for persons affected by crises, IOM will:
- Conduct health needs assessments including conducting a rapid assessment of the health needs in crisis-affected areas, identifying vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, children, older people, people with disabilities;
- Establish and deploy mobile clinic units equipped to provide basic healthcare, medical consultations, and essential medicines, ensuring the presence of qualified medical personnel (doctors, nurses, midwives);
- Organize vaccination campaigns against preventable diseases such as measles, polio and cholera;
- Distribute disease prevention kits including insecticide-treated mosquito nets and hygiene kits.
Mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian response
To support the mental health and psychosocial needs of people in need, IOM will:
- Establish clear communication pathways and referral procedures with partners to facilitate access to medical and mental health and psychosocial support services for IDPs and host communities in need of direct support;
- Implement mental health awareness campaigns and community-based support groups to provide psychological first aid and promote mental well-being among displaced individuals and host communities.
Emergency preparedness
IOM will work with national and local authorities and communities to enhance their capacity to avert, minimize and address disaster displacement. IOM will:
- Work with government stakeholders and key sectors to enhance the coordination mechanism for emergency response and to support the drafting, updating and implementation of local contingency plans, inclusive of disaster displacement;
- Strengthen engagements with international and national partners, including with diaspora and private sector platforms in view of identifying and mobilizing viable, additional resources to complement the government’s efforts on emergency preparedness and response efforts;
- Strengthen the overall capacities of authorities, communities, and other key stakeholders’ on disaster displacement preparedness and response, including on CCCM, Mass Evacuations in Natural Disasters (MEND) Guidance, shelter, MHPSS, and other relevant areas.
Objective
Driving solutions to displacement
IOM will work to enable communities affected by displacement to attain solutions, while building their resilience and adaptive capacities to future shocks. IOM will work closely with:
- Displaced populations and their host communities;
- Communities highly vulnerable to displacement risks due to the adverse effects of climate change, environmental degradation, and other mobility drivers;
- National and local disaster management authorities, community disaster management committees and village committees;
- National and local authorities; international, national and local organizations supporting solutions and crisis prevention; as well as other relevant line ministries (Ministry of Environment, health authorities, border management, civil protection, etc.) and stakeholders (UN agencies, NGOs, community-based organizations, etc.).
Adaptation and disaster risk reduction
Given IOM's leadership and active engagement on the recently completed CADRI and risk-informed planning work with UNDRR and UN partner agencies on the Early Warnings for All Initiative (EW4ALL), IOM will work to reduce disaster-induced displacement arising from natural hazards such as cyclones, floods and wildfires through improved disaster risk management, preparedness and response inclusive of the implementation of early warning systems.
IOM will also support communities and authorities to strengthen resilience to disasters and other adverse effects of climate change, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and other relevant global and regional frameworks. IOM will:
- Support the development and strengthening of policies and strategies on disaster displacement and promote the mainstreaming of human mobility in disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate change adaptation (CCA) policies and frameworks and EW4ALL;
- Conduct research related to human mobility and to inform the government’s policies and programmes;
- Conduct advocacy work for policies and research related to CCA;
- Adopt a co-creation approach, supporting the development, revision and updating of local disaster risk reduction and risk management policies, as well as local climate change adaptation planning;
- Conduct social activities that seek to prepare communities for potential emergencies including through the mapping of available local markets and service providers and orientation sessions on access to and proper usage of available assistance, services and resources during emergencies;
- Support the assessment and mapping of local disaster risks and the conduct of contextualized, community-based emergency preparedness management simulation exercises.
Peacebuilding and peace preservation
IOM Madagascar will implement activities to support the prevention and resolution of tensions, supporting sustainable peace between displaced persons and displacement-affected communities. Key interventions in this area will include:
- Support initiatives aimed at building trust with the communities of the Andriry mountain range through the implementation of joint "general police" rounds including key actors such as State representatives, communal leaders, Defence and Security Forces (DSF), and Decentralised Technical Services, among others;
- Support the implementation of civil-military activities including in relation to medical, education and agriculture activities, and the community policing approach;
- Facilitate the deployment of social and administrative services by setting up infrastructure and improving the mobility of DSF agents, which will also contribute to the creation of local jobs and improved access to essential services;
- Conduct a study to identify potential income-generating activities, in order to propose sustainable economic solutions for the affected populations and for effective professional integration.
Community stabilization
To enhance stability within communities most vulnerable to, or impacted by, drought-induced internal migration, IOM will undertake community stabilization initiatives that promote and enable local adaptation and resilience, including:
- Promote social cohesion through supporting community practices aimed at enhancing peace and reconciliation notably through women’s committees;
- Create neutral, inclusive, open spaces through community peace committees and other platforms in partnership with law enforcement to identify and resolve safety and security issues.
Provision of water, sanitation and hygiene in transitional and post-crisis situations
Working closely with the government and other key partners to support affected populations and enable inclusive and gender-sensitive access to WASH services through hygiene promotion, operation, and maintenance, IOM will:
- Contribute to the efforts of the Government of Madagascar to fill the gaps in WASH facility management;
- Establish community cohesion activities through the joint management of WASH facilities between IDPs and host communities;
- Conduct hygiene awareness campaigns in schools, including hygiene promotion activities to support improved public health through handwashing, solid waste management and safe water chain.
Madagascar
The map used here is for illustration purposes only. Names and boundaries do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by IOM.
Figures are as of 31 December 2023. For more details of IOM's operational capacity in country, please see the IOM Capacity section.
