Armenia Crisis Response Plan 2024

Last updated: November 25 2023
$11,530,000
Funding required
75,150
People Targeted

IOM Vision

IOM Armenia’s vision is to work towards ensuring that the over 100,000 refugees who arrived in Armenia in September and October 2023 have the opportunity to integrate fully into Armenian society, should they wish to do so. Working closely with the Armenian government, which is leading the emergency and post-crisis response, IOM plans to continue delivering life-saving assistance and improving the resilience of refugees and local communities, engaging in targeted interventions to support durable solutions, and contributing to evidence-based programming across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus (HDPN).

Key Operating Modalities
Participation and empowerment Conflict sensitivity Integrated Programming Collaboration and partnership Localization
Cross-cutting priorities
Data and evidence Protection Mainstreaming Gender Equality Prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse Disaster Risk Climate Change

Objective 1 - Saving lives and protecting people on the move
Objective
Saving lives and protecting people on the move

$4,900,000
Funding required
25,030
People Targeted
2
Entities Targeted
Local population / community, Refugee
Primary target groups
Description of People and Entities Targeted

IOM will support refugees, with a focus on those accommodated in government collective shelters and those in smaller settlements and rural locations through the repair and winterization of shelters, non-food items, health services, MHPSS, and protection assistance. IOM will provide services to all refugees, and by way of ensuring that no one is left behind, will make particular efforts to ensure services can reach persons living with disabilities. Vulnerable members of the local community will additionally be able to access emergency support, such as health and protection services. 

In addition, government institutions, for example, such as the Migration and Citizenship Service, will benefit from technical assistance to bolster the registration system, as well as ensuring accurate documentation of the refugees’ needs and vulnerabilities. Local government and non-governmental organization (NGO) staff will be targeted with training on cross-cutting issues. 

An awareness campaign on the risks of trafficking in persons will target refugees and is likely to reach members of the receiving communities as well.

IOM will also support national authorities (Ministry of Internal Affairs, including the Rescue Services and the Migration and Citizenship Service) and municipalities in enhancing their capacity to prepare for and manage crises, pandemics, and natural hazards and plan emergency responses in such events. Displacement tracking data will be shared with key stakeholders, including government institutions, such as the Migration and Citizenship Service and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Certain assessments and analyses will be shared with the broader national and international humanitarian and development community.

Funding confirmed 7%
93% Funding gap

Shelter and settlements

IOM will provide shelter for refugees, improve conditions of existing shelters, and work closely with municipalities and community-based organizations to distribute NFIs. IOM will:  

  • Support access to basic household items including but not limited to winterization support such as electric heaters and solid fuel, procured locally where possible.  
  • Assist the government with shelter repairs, particularly relevant to collective shelters where refugees are accommodated, by providing, where possible, construction materials, rehabilitation and technical services and technical support through information. 
  • Enable access to affordable, safe, healthy, and dignified mid-term shelter accommodation solutions as needed for the people who are not able to access a more long-lasting solution.
Funding required
$800,000
Plan types

Direct health support

IOM will increase access to primary health care services to refugee populations and vulnerable members of the local communities, particularly in areas with difficult access to health facilities. IOM will: 

  • Provide primary health care services through mobile clinics, deployed to locations where they are most needed, predominantly where there is a large concentration of people and lack of easy access to hospitals and health centres. The teams include a general physician, paediatrician, sonographer and laboratory technician and can engage specialists from different areas such as neurology, cardiology, infectious diseases, and others, based on the needs highlighted by the communities. 
  • Support referral for complex cases to private care if the necessary treatment is not available through the national health system and in alignment with the Government’s process for such cases. 
  • Conduct in-person fora for the affected populations to feed into the design, implementation, and review of ongoing activities in the Health Sector, which IOM co-leads.
Funding required
$700,000
Funding confirmed
$385,814
Last updated: 01 May 2024
Plan types
55%
Funding confirmed
45%
Funding gap

Mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian response

The MHPSS activities aim to increase resilience, support refugees and vulnerable members of the local communities in overcoming their distress, reduce suffering and promote psychosocial well-being. IOM will:

  • Provide MHPSS services – individual and group counselling and group sessions. Cases will be referred by the primary health care mobile teams, who have MHPSS screening experience and will refer to focused and/or specialized support.  
  • Capitalizing on the Organization's vast experience, implement a community-based MHPSS programme, in line with the IOM Manual on Community-Based MHPSS in Emergencies and Displacement, particularly in locations with high percentages of refugees. The programme is specifically designed to improve mental health and well-being in situations of emergencies and displacement.  
  • Conduct an awareness-raising campaign that will accompany the MHPSS programming, aiming to raise awareness about the importance of accessing services, to counter stigma and to provide information about available services.
Funding required
$300,000
Plan types

Protection

Working towards the application of IOM’s Approach to Protection, IOM will: 

  • Build capacity through training, information-sharing, and supporting outreach to government officials, local NGOs, and IOM staff on protection principles and best practices, including the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), specialized protection for victims of trafficking, GBV survivors, persons with disabilities and children.  
  • Support local NGOs to provide legal and other forms of tailored assistance (e.g. registration, NFIs, referrals) to refugees with a view to decreasing vulnerability to violence, exploitation, or abuse.  
  • Through the implementation of a Communication with Communities Programme, enhance accountability to affected populations and ensure any protection or other concerns are taken into account and the programming is adequately adapted. 
  • Implement an awareness campaign, particularly among refugees, to counter trafficking in persons, with a focus on trafficking for labour purposes. 
  • To contribute to ensuring that refugees can fully access their rights, provide technical assistance to the Migration and Citizenship Services and/or the Unified Social Services. This support aims to bolster the registration system, ensuring accurate documentation of the refugees’ needs and vulnerabilities. This effort may encompass integrating refugees into the legal identity management system, which includes issuing pertinent identity and civil documents. This enhancement will equip the relevant services to deliver administrative services more effectively. These measures could involve providing technical support, data analysis and visualization, system upgrades, and training.
Funding required
$2,400,000
Plan types

Emergency preparedness

IOM will aim to enhance the Governments’ capacities to manage the mobility aspect of emergencies. IOM will: 

  • Build capacity and provide technical assistance with regard to the national mechanism for response in case of internal displacement caused by disasters (earthquakes, climate change-induced movements, etc). These efforts may encompass activities such as tabletop or full-scale simulation exercises, the provision of equipment and specialized training in emergency response and shelter management, and the establishment of temporary accommodation facilities, among other relevant measures. The specific areas of intervention will be defined based on a needs assessment of the Rescue Service.  
Funding required
$200,000
Plan types

Displacement tracking

Through its information management and DTM capacity, IOM Armenia has been supporting the authorities in Armenia to process, analyze and visualize refugees’ registration data as well as data on the initial needs of the displaced population. Furthermore, IOM has contributed proactively and significantly to the UN/Inter-Agency Rapid Needs Assessment led by UNHCR. IOM will further work with the Government to support evidence-based decision-making. IOM will:  

  • Continue and scale up its support to the government in data collection, processing and analysis systems. The Government of Armenia acquires population data, which IOM receives, analyses and produces information products from to support in informing decision-making. IOM’s DTM capacities are employed in this area. 
  • Support the government in designing and implementing a labour force assessment among the refugees. IOM has already received a request for partnership from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs along with the private sector, i.e. Chamber of Commerce at the national and subnational levels, for a comprehensive labour force study focusing on new arrivals in Armenia with informed recommendations for designing effective response interventions. The survey will gather data on the skills, qualifications, and employment status of displaced persons who have arrived in Armenia. 
  • Conduct community-level assessments with various focuses, to use as an evidence base. These assessments will be limited to assessing a community or a municipality with a high density of refugees and may focus on needs, capacities, cohesion, integration, economy or other aspects of the community’s status.  
  • Undertake thematic assessments to inform concrete interventions, such as research on climate change and internal mobility patterns, or analysis of the value the refugees can bring to the Armenian labour market, etc.
Funding required
$500,000
Plan types
An IOM mobile clinic providing primary health care services and MHPSS in Lichk, Gegharkunik. © IOM 2023
An IOM mobile clinic providing primary health care services and MHPSS in Lichk, Gegharkunik. © IOM 2023

Objective 2 - Driving solutions to displacement
Objective
Driving solutions to displacement

$6,630,000
Funding required
50,120
People Targeted
16
Entities Targeted
Local population / community, Refugee
Primary target groups
Description of People and Entities Targeted

IOM will target both refugees and receiving communities with social cohesion activities and work at the community level. Income generation support will be available mainly for refugees, although whilst applying a do-no-harm approach, IOM will also aim to benefit entire communities.

IOM will support national authorities, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Rescue Services and the Migration and Citizenship Service, and municipalities in enhancing their capacity to prevent, prepare for and manage crises, pandemics, and natural hazards and plan emergency responses in such events. 

Livelihoods and economic recovery

In support of refugees’ self-reliance and socioeconomic integration into their communities of displacement, IOM will undertake various livelihood assistance and income generation-related programming. These activities will be informed by the labour market assessment described under the activity area for Support Services for Response Actors. As such, IOM will: 

  • Support vocational and on-the-job trainings as well as employment-seeking and financial literacy services. 
  • Coordinate a business grants mechanism for micro and small businesses, whereby refugees and community members will be supported to develop joint small businesses. 
  • In support of employment and large economic benefits for both refugees and community members, launch the Enterprise Development Fund (EDF) in Armenia, with prioritization for agriculture, women-led businesses, and climate-smart, green growth. EDF is a flagship IOM programme, which supports existing medium-sized enterprises to scale up, thereby creating employment and contributing to the development of the local economy.  
  • Conduct trainings and consultation services, provide business planning support to people on how to access funding that is made available by government institutions, local banks, and similar funding mechanisms, and provide financial literacy courses and business counselling, as well as design supporting information materials.  
Funding required
$4,000,000
Plan types

Community stabilization

IOM will seek to assist stability and solidarity in communities with a high density of refugees and support to lay the foundations for durable solutions and sustainable development. By way of maintaining a robust social fabric in communities where displaced persons are integrating and mitigating potential future tensions into the mid and longer term, IOM will: 

  • Promote social cohesion through capacity-building of civil society organizations on how to plan and manage inclusive community-based projects that are in support of inter- and intra-community cohesion. Activities will utilize IOM’s Community-Based Planning methodology, resulting in Community Action Plans.
  • Provide small grants to the NGOs for the implementation of their Community Action Plans. While each Community Action Plan will be specifically tailored to the different communities, it is anticipated that activities may include, inter alia: social gatherings for cultural, sports, and arts activities; dialogues or civic consultations; in-kind or technical support for local social institutions such as community or youth centres; and similar actions prioritized by the communities. IOM will strive to engage specifically with women-led organizations to promote women’s and girls’ voices and participation.
Funding required
$1,500,000
Plan types

Health system strengthening

IOM will continue working with the Government to strengthen the health system in Armenia to facilitate access to quality essential care, with a focus on health facilities serving a high number of refugee populations. IOM will: 

  • Provide medical equipment and implement rehabilitation works.
  • Strengthen health staff's capacities on cross-cutting issues such as GBV, protection and counter-trafficking, with the objective to capacitate health staff to recognize and handle cases with increased vulnerability, and refer cases as needed. 
  • Enhance coordination with various stakeholders as a co-lead of the Health Sector.
Funding required
$1,000,000
Plan types

Adaptation and disaster risk reduction

IOM will strengthen resilience and reduce the harm of natural hazards by investing in understanding and adaptation to new and existing risks, in alignment with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030. IOM will: 

  • Contribute to supporting the Government of Armenia’s National Adaptation Plan by integrating human mobility into climate change decision-making by developing a climate change adaptation decision-support tool and building the evidence base for improved understanding of the migration, environment and climate change nexus in the context of Armenia.
Funding required
$130,000
Plan types
Operational presence in

Armenia

4
International staff and affiliated work force
37
National staff and affiliated work force
1
IOM field office

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.

With thanks to our current donors