IOM DRC will continue implementing context-specific shelter interventions in displacement sites, host communities and areas of return/resettlement to support a minimum standard of dignified and safe living conditions, minimize health-related risks, and reduce protection risks, including gender-based violence (GBV). Based on community-based needs assessments, in 2023, IOM will continue targeting the most vulnerable IDPs residing in sites and in host communities in eastern DRC and affected provinces to provide them with emergency and transitional shelter solutions and non-food items (NFI) kits through various modalities, including in-kind and/or cash-based assistance. IOM will:

• Using an inclusive approach, continue engaging beneficiaries in the design, implementation and evaluation of interventions to ensure context-specific shelter solutions (e.g. emergency shelter, transitional shelter, cash-based modalities) are provided.
• Constructing communal emergency shelters (hangars) as a last resort to host displaced populations who must vacate collective centres (schools, churches) or while household shelters are under construction, as applicable.  
• Distribute shelter construction materials or cash assistance for shelter while ensuring that materials used are adapted to the local context and quality standards and aligned with the Shelter Cluster guidelines and support construction, through engagement and active participation of the targeted populations, by providing technical training on safe construction to community members and ensuring that housing, land, and property issues are duly addressed.
• Provide tailored assistance to vulnerable households (including persons with special needs, people with disabilities, women heads of households, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people at risk) including support for labour costs to ensure that their shelter needs are met.
• Distribute standard NFI kits (in-kind or in cash) to displaced households most in need, as per Sub-Cluster kit composition and guidelines.
• Ensure protection mainstreaming including mitigation of GBV risks and accessibility throughout all shelter and NFI interventions.

IOM will provide community-based mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services to conflict-affected communities with a focus on services which ensure a strengthened protection environment. All activities will be in line with the IASC MHPSS Guidelines in Emergency Settings (2007) and the IOM Manual on Community-Based MHPSS in Emergencies and Displacement (2021). Interventions will include:

• Deployment of interdisciplinary psychosocial mobile teams (PMTs) to deliver psychosocial services (counselling, mediation, psychoeducation, creative and art-based activities, sports and cultural activities, sensitization, and informational activities) and promote an environment that can contribute to individual and community psychosocial wellbeing, as well as to support dialogue, mutual support, and social cohesion in divided and violence-torn communities.
• Establishment of MHPSS hubs (temporary centres) in IDPs camps and host communities, engaging local resources and existing groups such as community focal points, volunteers, social and cultural activists, sports clubs and theatre ensembles, religious congregations and media networks (including community radios and social media).
• Provide focused psychological services (such as individual and group counselling) to people with pre-existing and/or emerging forms of severe stress, behavioural and relational problems, and mental conditions and to survivors of violence.
• Ensure referrals to specialized services and follow-up (case management) to individuals in need of mental health assistance that require psychiatric consultations and solution-based psychotherapies.
• Strengthen the capacity of IOM personnel, civil society, and government partners in the field of MHPSS, including the promotion of a survivor-centred approach in the case of gender-based violence.
• Strengthen the coordination capacities of MHPSS Technical Working Groups at national and provincial levels, providing technical assistance to institutional partners and engaging UN agencies and international NGOs in joint initiatives, particularly as far as capacity building, referral systems and advocacy initiatives are concerned.

IOM's community stabilization programme will continue to employ a coordinated and holistic approach including democratic dialogue, strengthening state authority, return, reintegration, and economic recovery, as well as responsible minerals trade.

In complement to the peacebuilding and peace preservation programming, this programme will be implemented in line with the strategy of the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Recovery, Community and Stabilization Programme (P-DDRCS) of the DRC government.

Strategic components of the programme include:

• Promoting social cohesion through intra- and inter-community events and working towards common goals benefitting the whole of the community such as community infrastructure rehabilitation or livelihood cooperatives, in coordination with peacebuilding initiatives.
• Increasing access to livelihoods and promoting economic recovery through interventions including cash-for-work, vocational training, reinforcing local markets and value chains and access to micro-credit.
• Strengthening government capacities to perform core functions and deliver basic services through basic and senior training on police professionalization, local security diagnostics and inclusive and participatory governance principles (gender- and youth-sensitive).
• Enabling communities to manage local conflicts by building their capacities for democratic dialogue, mediation, conflict sensitivity, early warning, prevention, and resolution.
• Increasing confidence and mutual trust between the government authorities and the Congolese population through the promotion of inclusive and participatory governance processes, access to justice and the (re)establishment of the rule of law.
• Promoting the rule of law through police professionalization and inclusive and participatory local security management.
• Strengthening government capacities to ensure responsible minerals trade and promoting mutual sharing and protection of natural resources.

IOM will continue to support the achievement of durable solutions for IDPs and conflict-affected communities through the provision of immediate and longer-term support, in line with relevant frameworks on displacement, durable solutions, and the humanitarian-development peace nexus approach in the DRC. IOM will implement interventions in line with its Progressive Resolution of Displacement Situations (PRDS) framework for a broader and more inclusive approach. Interventions will be built upon the PRDS pillars: (1) protection, safety, and security; (2) an adequate standard of living (access to adequate food, water, sanitation and hygiene, housing, health services and education); (3) access to sustainable livelihoods; and (4) inclusive governance. These initiatives will include:

• Support voluntary return, relocation, and reintegration for the displaced population through the provision of transportation assistance, multipurpose cash assistance, transitional shelter, and WASH assistance in the return/relocation area.
• Advocate at various fora (e.g. UNCT, clusters, etc.), to donors, and local authorities for coordinated efforts and programming across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus.
• Provide (re)integration support activities such as public information campaigns and activities, strengthening community social cohesion (in coordination with the peace-building component).
• Strengthen early economic recovery and value chains in order to reinforce livelihood opportunities by selecting adequate modalities such as in-kind or cash and vouchers (in coordination with the community stabilization component).
• Establish an exchange platform for inclusive participation in the decision-making process.
• Raise awareness of the government and humanitarian partners on international protection and assistance principles, including a module on site closure and durable solutions.
• Use a data-driven approach in coordination with DTM to map out the durable solutions needs in communities of return and inform a holistic and sustainable (re)integration approach through the HDPN framework.

IOM will develop a MHPSS strategy to complement the transition and recovery programme in post-crisis communities. Initiatives will include:

• Strengthen and implement community-based psychosocial support aiming at mending social fabrics and promoting social cohesion, including socio-relational and cultural activities built on existing practices in the targeted communities.
• Support capacity-building of health professionals, local police, and security actors on mental health issues and skills such as the psychological first aid (PFA) approach, basic MHPSS concepts, stress management, communication skills, and so forth.
• Provide MHPSS for former combatants, including supporting facility-based and community-based approaches that aim at addressing mental health disorders as well as accompanying the reintegration of combatants within the family and wider community circles, to protect and promote the well-being of both the individual and the community, and address stigma and isolation.

IOM will support the implementation of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) to prevent or mitigate the impact of outbreaks and public health hazards, rapidly detect and report outbreaks when they occur, and employ an interconnected global network that can respond effectively to limit the spread of infectious disease outbreaks in humans and animals, mitigate human suffering and the loss of human life, and reduce economic impact. This will include efforts to:

• Strengthen capacities of PoE frontline workers on integrated disease surveillance and response along mobility corridors and IDP host communities through training to build International Health Regulations (IHR) capacities at designated PoEs;
• Provide technical support to facilitate coordination and information sharing data between DRC and neighbouring countries;
• Strengthen partnerships between PoE and health structures through the establishment of SOP and partnership agreements;
• Provide technical support to facilitate coordination and information sharing data between DRC and neighbouring countries;
• Support a well-functioning health information system that ensures the production, analysis, and dissemination of information for PoEs and health facilities, including integration data into the District Health Information Software (DHIS) platform along the mobility corridors and IDP host communities;
• Provide permanent water sources and independent sources of energy in the health facilities along mobility corridors and IDP host communities;
• Enable access to routine vaccines and technologies for migrants, IDPs and host communities to ensure quality, safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness;
• Improve access to public health services to migrants and mobile populations through technical support (development of strategies and standard operating procedures), strengthening the capacity of health services in migrant-dense areas/IDP host communities via training health personnel, rehabilitating health facilities andproviding necessary supplies and equipment.

IOM will support the Ministry of Health to develop emergency preparedness plans, including identifying emergency public health risk reduction and prevention measures, and foster a migration-sensitive approach to preparedness and risk reduction in line with and based on the IOM Health Border and Mobility Management (HBMM) Framework. The intervention will include:

• Improve data collection and evidence on the links between mobility and public health emergencies through population mobility mapping exercises, studies, and flow monitoring.
• Strengthen epidemiological surveillance at points of entry and along mobility corridors to prevent, detect and respond to disease outbreaks.
• Support COVID-19, Ebola virus disease, cholera and other communicable disease preparedness and response with a focus on preventing and monitoring risks of epidemic spread across borders and along major mobility routes in the country.
• Support the development of strategies and mechanisms to improve community event-based surveillance (CEBS) in border, host and migrant-dense communities.
• Support the implementation of public health measures such as COVID-19 vaccination at points of entry and IDP camps.
• Support outbreak preparedness and response through strengthening infection prevention and control, disease surveillance among displaced populations, and vaccinations in the most affected health zones, and reinforce event surveillance capacity for early case detection of communicable diseases (such as cholera and other waterborne diseases, measles, COVID-19, and malaria).  
• Identification of points of congregation through population mobility mapping exercises in areas at risk of outbreaks, i.e., markets, as well as areas of high concentration of displaced people in host families, to implement: Risk communication and community engagement to inform public health interventions.  
• Support the establishment of Rapid Response Teams (RRT) in the most affected health zones through the provision of training for first-line responders in first aid and psychological first aid (PFA).  
• In addition, where gaps exist, procure and distribute essential medical commodities as well as build capacity in the most affected health zones with a high concentration of displaced populations to improve the quality of essential primary healthcare (including sexual and reproductive health). 

IOM provides support in participating in the development of the preparedness capacity of government and non-government partners in humanitarian response and assisting vulnerable populations who are likely to be severely affected by the impact of disasters and crises. IOM’s initiatives will include:

• Providing training on disaster risk reduction (DRR) to crisis-affected communities in line with CCCM and evacuation, shelter response and recovery programmes including Mass Evacuation in Natural Disasters (MEND) training.
• Strengthening the capacity of government officials at the national and sub-national levels on disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation.
• Supporting the drafting, reviewing and updating of local policies on disaster risk reduction and management and climate change adaptation plans taking into account mobility dimensions through the provision of training, equipment and tools.
• Conducting awareness and advocacy work on policies and research findings related to climate change adaptation in DRC.
• Conducting consultations with communities vulnerable to climate risk and mobility to develop community action plans that identify localized climate adaptation strategies and provide technical assistance to implement these plans. 

In 2023, IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) will continue tracking and monitoring populations’ movements across DRC. The DTM response will focus on providing mobility tracking, event tracking, site assessment, flow monitoring and registration activities to support IOM’s internal emergency intervention as well as in response to partner requests for data, especially for humanitarian and early recovery planning and programming, positioning DTM in DRC as the main or only provider/source of mobility and displacement data in the country.  Information products including beneficiary lists, maps, population data and information on needs and gaps in service provision, in accordance with IOM’s data protection principles will be shared timely with humanitarian actors via the DTM mailing list and the Information Management Working Group, as well as uploaded on the DTM webpage. IOM aims to continue expanding different components of its DTM, focusing on mobility tracking, registration of IDPs including biometrically when required, surveys and assessments, including on intentions vis-a-vis durable solutions and vulnerability assessments, in close coordination with the CCCM Cluster, flow monitoring, and emergency tracking. Interventions will include:

• Regularly monitor populations’ movements and provide the humanitarian community with a comprehensive picture of the figures, profiles, and needs of displaced populations and returnees including information regarding areas hosting displaced populations.
• Following alerts on new populations’ movements, carry-out emergency tracking surveys to rapidly collect information on the numbers of newly displaced persons, areas of origin, locations of displacement and humanitarian assistance required and triangulate information from surveys conducted by other partners to update the overall IDPs’ database and regularly provide accurate information on overall displacements.. In Goma and other territories receiving or hosting IDPs, regularly capture essential information on displaced populations seeking refuge in collective centres, spontaneous sites, and host communities through the development of crisis analysis.
• Produce and update maps of IDP sites and return/relocation villages and share them with the humanitarian community.
• Conduct registration of internally displaced populations in sites and collective centres to enable an understanding of vulnerabilities faced and to inform humanitarian assistance and the transfer of IDPs to new sites, when applicable, as well as intention surveys on durable solutions and ad hoc thematic assessments, when required, such as on accountability. 
• Conduct village assessment surveys (VAS) to collect data on returning IDPs, returned migrants and host community members as part of the durable solutions strategy to improve access to services and livelihoods and facilitate reintegration.
• Conduct Multi-Sectoral Location Assessments (MSLA) to provide in-depth and cross-sectoral information on populations’ needs in priority locations (in areas of displacement or return), including areas that may not be accessible to partners, as the situation evolves.  
• Continue to support preparedness and response to health emergencies including Ebola virus disease (EVD), COVID-19, cholera and other emerging epidemics. This includes the assessment at the village level of the availability of health facilities and COVID-19 awareness among the surveyed communities.