IOM provides site management support to local governments operating emergency response efforts for populations displaced by disasters and crises. It seeks to enhance national and local policies, build capacities of the government and community stakeholders, and provide relevant resources to ensure minimum humanitarian standards are promptly met in camps and camp-like settings. IOM’s initiatives include:

• Building capacities of government actors, camp managers and local community leaders through orientations based on the National CCCM Operational Guidance including strategies on early decampment, Gender-based Violence (GBV) and health risk mitigation, and provision of CCCM resources such as basic CCCM toolkits, modular tents and tarps, Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) kits.
• Improving living conditions in camps through maintenance and critical upgrades, including technical assistance, in-kind support such as materials and kits to repair or enhance key facilities, and Cash-for-Work as an assistance modality to facilitate site repairs and upgrades.
• Conducting safety audits with a focus on protection mainstreaming and risk mitigation.
• Supporting the set-up of and reinforcing existing CCCM committees, including those for vulnerable groups such as committees of People with Disabilities, and Women committees, among others.
• Promoting localized and contextualized information campaigns amongst IDP communities on CCCM, including referral pathways for GBV and health cases, and basic IPC measures, and supporting local Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) efforts on building vaccination confidence.
• Facilitating inclusive community participation through regular and frequent consultation forums and feedback mechanisms to ensure effective responses to the identified needs of vulnerable, marginalized populations as well as accountability to affected populations in the camps.
• Coordinating closely with other humanitarian actors and partners in the field to ensure efficient and timely delivery of basic services and items in camps.

IOM provides displaced populations and those impacted by disasters with prompt access to emergency and more durable shelters that ensure safety, health, privacy and dignity. Shelter activities mainstream early decampment and recovery strategies, maximizing community-driven approaches and considerations to affected populations with increased socioeconomic vulnerabilities. IOM's initiatives include:

• Providing shelter materials based on the local context, needs, and Cluster recommendations, including Shelter Strengthening Kits (SSK), Shelter Repair Kits (SRK) and emergency shelter kits.  
• Providing support through cash-based interventions, including cash grants and vouchers, to augment basic needs such as the purchase of shelter materials, and household items, hiring skilled labours to support shelter repair or construction, debris removal, renting of accommodation, etc.
• Providing technical assistance, including damage assessments, building performance, research, evaluations, designs, specifications, promotion of indigenous practices, affordable and replicable construction systems, market assessment, labour and supply chain assessment, technical training, IEC materials development and dissemination, analysis of community-based disaster risk management through settlements approach.
• Conducting technical audits on shelters repaired by communities to ensure compliance with SPHERE standards and other safety protocols. 

IOM’s health programmes in the context of emergencies and displacements seek to ensure affected populations have access to primary health care services, basic medical kits and medicines. The initiatives are delivered in line with IOM’s Migration Crisis Operational Framework and include:

• Deployment of health experts and mobile health clinics to displacement sites and affected communities to conduct health check-ups, provide prescriptions and basic medicines, and conduct referrals to appropriate, specialized services.
• Health promotion activities including awareness raising on health risks, proper health-seeking behaviour, and available services based on the local context.
• Supporting IDPs and affected population access to testing services through the distribution of kits and deployment of mobile testing clinics.

IOM provides mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) with a focus to improving access to relevant services, building local capacity to respond to PSS needs in emergencies and promoting positive coping strategies amongst affected populations during crises. All MHPSS activities are in line with the IOM Manual on Community-Based Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies and Displacement and are tailored to the specific context. IOM intends to mainstream MHPSS activities in all emergency response projects in any location, to the extent possible. IOM's initiatives include:

• Conducting MHPSS sessions, such as community-based socio-relational and cultural activities for vulnerable adults and children in affected communities in order to (re-) establish interpersonal exchange during crises and strengthen supportive networks.
• Providing MHPSS kits, including recreational and informal learning kits, to support psychosocial well-being of displaced children.
• Supporting local government authorities, frontline health, security and social welfare responders through the use of a psychological first aid (PFA) approach to ensure the mental health and well-being of duty-bearers responding to crises.
• Strengthening community safety network through capacitating IDPs and local community leaders on peer support techniques and as first focal points to identify people with psychosocial needs, provide basic emotional and practical support, and facilitate timely referrals to adequate services.  
• Setting up free and widely available MHPSS hotline stations in coordination with local duty-bearers in displacement sites and at-risk host communities.  
• Facilitating referrals to appropriate services (including specialized mental health services) and reporting moderate or severe psychological cases to other relevant agencies within the MHPSS network and cluster.

IOM provides essential WASH services to displaced and affected populations, at scale, based on assessed needs and priorities. The initiatives seek to address the lifesaving basic WASH needs, encourage improved hygiene practices, and ensure good WASH governance amongst the affected communities. The overall aim of the WASH interventions is to reduce health risks, including risks pertaining to outbreaks of infectious diseases. Cross-cutting themes such as protection and GBV, vulnerable group inclusion (PwD, elderly, those with chronic illnesses, pregnant women, etc) and environment and climate change, will be mainstreamed across all WASH programming. IOM’sinitiatives include:

• Providing appropriate hygiene kits, inclusive of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) items, water and sanitary items and replenishments through in-kind, cash or vouchers, based on local contexts, market assessments and Cluster recommendations.
• Installing or improving WASH facilities, such as handwashing stations sex-disaggregated bathing and latrine spaces, through in-kind materials support and Cash-for-Work as assistance modality to facilitate construction and upgrade using qualified contractors and with technical oversight by IOM.
• Supporting culturally and linguistically appropriate hygiene promotion that is aligned with the Cluster recommendations amongst affected populations.

IOM ensures basic services and commodities are accessible to displaced and affected populations based on assessed needs and priorities. The initiatives seek to address the urgent resource needs and to encourage other sectoral assistance are efficiently utilized for their own intended purposes. IOM’s initiatives include:

• Provision of food, NFI and other assistance through in-kind, cash and voucher modalities.
• Strengthening coordination with and referrals to responding government and humanitarian partners to address the basic needs of the displaced or the affected population.

IOM contributes to facilitating safe, humane and dignified migration, especially for migrants and returnees, by providing support pre-departure, at key points of entry (transit and exit) and upon return through:

• Working with governments to conduct pre-departure health assessments for migrants to meet governments’ requirements for overseas employment and responding to cases that need medical attention upon return.  
• Providing movement assistance both for international and domestic travel, of stranded migrants and returnees including operational and logistical support to local authorities related to coordination.
• Supporting the development and roll-out of pre-departure training and information materials to enhance awareness raising amongst migrant communities on safe migration pathways, available government services and assistance, and potential risks along alternative precarious migration routes.

IOM mainstreams protection in humanitarian responses to crisis-affected populations to alleviate threats to their lives, dignity and well-being. In line with this frame, it is committed to the Centrality of Protection, IOM’s Institutional Framework for Addressing GBV in crises and the IASC Protection Policy. IOM’s initiatives include:

• Supporting government stakeholders, camp managers and community leaders in mainstreaming protection strategies, including for mitigating GBV and Trafficking-in-Person (TiP), to their CCCM, Shelter and WASH policies, programmes and services through, enhanced information provision, community-based protection networks, training of relevant actors, and the development of materials. 
• Supporting government stakeholders and civil society organizations to strengthen coordination and referral pathways for CP, GBV and TiP cases through facilitation of multi-stakeholder consultations on referral mechanisms, training to referral points, and advocacy on the adoption of the mechanisms.
• Establishing help desks and capacitating/revitalizing local focal points or mechanisms on providing first basic responses and referrals of GBV, CP and TiP cases to specialized, appropriate services.
• Training frontline staff in responding to disclosures of GBV incidents in a survivor-centred manner.
• Supporting the development of informed, localized anti-TiP messages and conducting community-based information campaigns on safe migration.
• Providing support to enhance the resilience of individuals at risk of trafficking through awareness raising and provision of socioeconomic assistance via livelihood, health, referral and others.   
• Strengthening the reintegration services of vulnerable returned Filipinos through the provision of socioeconomic assistance via transportation, livelihood, health and referral support.

IOM serves to establish stability and security, restore trust among community members, vulnerable populations and local authorities and lay the foundations for durable solutions, lasting peace and sustainable development. Initiatives focus on inclusive governance and social cohesion, inclusive economic recovery, and access to essential services, which include:

• Improving local governance, especially in conflict-affected, fragmented societies in BARMM, by establishing, strengthening, and maintaining community accountability and decision-making mechanisms that engage with and drive needs-based allocation of resources to vulnerable social groups including women, elders, youths, indigenous peoples and PWDs.
• Providing trainings to build local capacities for inclusive and stronger governance, including on inclusivity and conflict-sensitivity, accountability to affected populations, and organizational development, as decided based on needs assessments.
• Providing support for community-driven social cohesion activities such as barangay clean-up events and youth-led cultural and sports recreation.
• Supporting vulnerable groups and individuals, such as indigenous peoples (IPs) and IDPs, with sustainable socio-economic initiatives including in-kind, cash-based and technical assistance to livelihood, business entrepreneurship and development, and referrals to relevant services, to ensure their active participation in income-generating activities.
• Providing technical assistance and in-kind support for rehabilitation/reconstruction of community infrastructures such as barangay halls, community safe spaces, water and waste management systems, and others identified through community consultations as needed to improve their access to socio-economic opportunities and services.
• Establishing help desks and supporting government initiatives on one-stop shops at points of entries to facilitate referrals to available reintegration services.
• Improving the capacity of government institutions to deliver inclusive and responsive socio-economic services accessible to remote and fragile communities through technical assistance, facilitation of cross-ministries and multi-stakeholder consultations, evidence generation on community needs and gaps in current policies and services, policy enhancement and development, and in-kind support with equipment, tools and technologies.
• Supporting existing or creating new neutral, inclusive, open spaces where the community can work with law enforcement actors to identify and resolve safety and security issues through a community engagement and policing (CEP) approach.

Through its assistance to government partners and response to the affected population, IOM mainstreams innovative and sustainable approaches that effectively promote durable solutions including safe and dignified return and reintegration, local integration and relocations to safe places. IOM’s work on durable solutions is firmly rooted in IOM’s overall effort to prevent, better respond, and solve displacement. This includes:

• Enhancing national and local development plans, including on Climate Change Adaptation, DRR, Shelter, CCCM, and Peace and Order and Public Safety, to mainstream incremental approaches to durable solutions.
• Supporting local shelter planning and implementation through technical assistance to the development of plans and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in line with the National Shelter Framework, mapping and identification of safe and legally accessible lands for relocation, and relevant trainings for local shelter agencies.
• Strengthening coordination with local government units to ensure land safety and to address issues of land ownership or leasing agreements for sustainable, equal access to services for durable solutions.
• Improving access to durable solutions for the affected communities, especially those expected to be in protracted displacement situations, through in-kind and cash grant support for longer-term, climate-resilient shelters, WASH and social infrastructures, and sustainable livelihood.
• Supporting the development and adaption of a sustainable and replicable model to durable solutions to displacement to guide wider affected communities through facilitation of knowledge and information sharing amongst government, CSOs and private sector stakeholders.

IOM’s health interventions aim to support governments’ efforts in recovering and strengthening key functions of health authorities and facilities affected by disasters. At the community level, it seeks to strengthen sustainable, inclusive access to primary healthcare for all affected populations. IOM’s initiatives include:

• Providing medical equipment, tools and kits and relevant Operations & Maintenance trainings.
• Supporting integration and implementation of local sustainability mechanisms to maintain and enhance assisted health facilities through provision of data and monitoring analysis of services delivery accessibility and efficiency and technical assistance to drafting of plans and set up of relevant committees.
• Enhancing community-level network of referral and health seeking behaviour of affected populations through support to the establishment and/or revitalization of referral mechanisms, strengthening government’s information provision capacity, and awareness-raising on proper health actions.
• Providing support to strengthen communities’ access to required documents to access necessary health services.

IOM seeks to build the capacities of local stakeholders and to deliver responsive MHPSS services, especially to conflict and disaster-affected communities. IOM’s MHPSS initiatives, especially in BARMM, aim to promote dialogue, social cohesion and community healing towards recovery and crisis prevention and include:

• Capacity building on MHPSS in the context of conflict prevention, recovery, and resolution for government stakeholders, local community leaders, traditional leaders and IDPs through trainings on peer support, psychosocial support (PSS), PFA, and referral pathways to enable the affected communities themselves to properly respond to, report, and refer MHPSS cases to the appropriate, specialized service providers or organizations in a safe and ethical manner.
• Improving PSS referral mechanisms in coordination with local authorities and service providers to streamline existing referral pathways and to make referral processes more efficient and accessible to all relevant actors through establishing/strengthening MHPSS hotlines attended by dedicated social workers and psychologists, disseminating information materials to the target communities to raise awareness of the available referral mechanisms.
• Supporting the creation of safe spaces in communities through in-kind and technical assistance for vulnerable groups, especially for conflict-affected communities including youths, women and indigenous peoples, to be more engaged in structured psychosocial activities such as sharing of experiences, referral, and sociorelational, recreational and informal learning activities.
• Supporting accreditation and recognition of the referral and reporting system by local government units and government health agencies to strengthen and ensure its sustainability.

IOM actively supports efforts at the national, regional and community level, to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts in BARMM. It seeks to address the structural drivers of displacement and obstacles to the return and reintegration of conflict-affected populations including former combatants, indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups underserved by the government’s peace and socio-economic initiatives. IOM works to strengthen local capacities to promote the peaceful resolution of conflicts for communities to enjoy the dividends of peace through:

• Strengthening community-based conflict prevention and peace promotion mechanisms, such as the local Peace and Order Councils, local Development Councils and the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams (BPATs), to enhance their capacity to promote peace and provide responsive services through trainings and in-kind support.
• Supporting organizations such as Bangsamoro Islamic Women Auxiliary Brigade (BWAB) and other associations/cooperatives of former combatants with sustainable socio-economic initiatives, including through in-kind, cash-based and technical assistance to livelihood, business entrepreneurship and development, and referral to relevant services, to ensure their active participation in income-generating activities.
• Supporting at-risk individuals, such as youths and unemployed former combatants, with sustainable socio-economic initiatives to build their resilience and reduce their risks to radicalization, recruitment and violent extremism.
• Supporting members of community-based governance structures and people’s organizations to engage in conflict-sensitive field studies, ideation, and knowledge exchanges to promote inter- and intra- community cohesion and best practices on local governance, community-driven development, and peace initiatives.
• Building the capacity of former women combatants, youths and community leaders as active agents of peace through trainings on conflict resolution and peace promotion, and providing technical assistance and in-kind support, such as the creation of safe spaces for these groups to hold community-based peace dialogues.
• Preventing violent extremism through RCCE campaigns with localized peace promotion messages.

IOM works with governments partners and contributes to transitional and post-crisis recovery of WASH facilities and services in conflict and disaster-affected communities through:

• Building capacity of local government officials and service providers on WASH, including the operation and maintenance of refurbished or newly installed WASH facilities, as well as on techniques of hygiene promotion and information campaigns on proper sanitation and hygiene practices.
• Refurbishing and constructing WASH facilities, such as water supply and wastewater management systems to ensure sustainable access to WASH amongst the affected population.
• Enhancing awareness of the most vulnerable and at-risk communities on proper hygiene and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC).
• Providing technical assistance for establishing community-based mechanisms and measures to sustain WASH facilities in coordination with local duty-bearers and communities.

IOM supports the national and regional government’s effort on improving the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation (TJR) mechanisms in a consultative, transparent, and community-based manner. The initiatives work to assist governments and communities to resolve victim reparations in BARMM through the following:

• Supporting the establishment of inclusive TJR mechanisms and the facilitation of participatory fact-finding and formal listening processes with affected communities.
• Providing technical assistance to government partners on the developing legal frameworks and policies on TJR
• Conducting workshops to develop locally suitable policies and raise community awareness on TJR.

IOM provides support to address land issues in BARMM, which has been a persistent driver of conflict in the region. The decades of long conflict in the region stems from historical injustices and human rights violations involving the unjust dispossession of land and property rights and customary land tenure. IOM’s initiatives include:

• Providing technical assistance for government partners to facilitate participatory fact-finding and formal listening processes on land and property rights.
• Providing technical assistance to government partners in developing legal frameworks and policies on land rights, including through research on existing policies and laws on land tenure and their implications on land ownership and possession.
• Providing support to enhance evidence-based, data-driven policy development and strong community engagement on issues related to land, including through the provision of technologies, technical assistance and tranings for mapping and digitalization of public and private land and accountability to affected populations.
• Conducting workshops to develop locally suitable policies and raise community awareness on land rights and relevant policies.

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

• Providing trainings to crisis-affected communities on disaster risk reduction (DRR) in line with Migrant in Countries in Crisis (MICIC) Guidelines and other internationally recognized standards, including on Guidelines to Protect Migrants in Countries Experiencing Conflict or Natural Disaster.
• Supporting the development of CCCM and evacuation, shelter response and recovery programmes to mainstream protection principles and durable solutions.
• Supporting the draft, review and update of local policies on disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) and local climate change adaptation plan (LCCAP) and strengthening the implementation capacities of local DRRM and LCCAP through the provision of training, equipment and tools.
• Conducting research and actions related to Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and contributing to the generation of relevant science-based evidence and utilization of local knowledge to inform the government’s policies and programmes, and multi-sectoral programmes (i.e. food security-WASH-climate change, DTM-community stabilization) with other development partners including UN agencies and CSO partners. 
• Conducting advocacy work for policies and research related to CCA in the Philippines.
• Conducting consultation with communities vulnerable to climate risk to develop community action plans that identify localized climate adaptation strategies, and provide technical assistance to implement these plans.
• Supporting at-risk communities and individuals to mainstream climate-smart, green livelihood strategies, including through the set-up of community-based climate risk monitoring and early warning systems.

IOM works with national, regional and local authorities and communities to enhance the speed, volume and quality of the emergency response in coordination with relevant partners, which will contribute to their improved capacity in anticipating, responding to, and recovering from an emergency. IOM’s initiatives in emergency preparedness include:

• Working with government stakeholders and partners in multiple sectors to enhance the coordination mechanism for emergency response and to support the review, draft, upgrade and implement their local contingency plans.
• Strengthening engagements with international and national partners, including with Filipino diaspora, in view of identifying and mobilizing viable, additional resources to complement government efforts on emergency response and preparedness.
• Capacitating government stakeholders on the Comprehensive Guide for Planning Mass Evacuations in Natural Disasters, National CCCM Guidelines and National Shelter Frameworks and supporting their operationalization at the local level.
• Conducting social activities that aim at preparing communities for potential emergencies including through mapping of available local markets and service providers, informing relevant Clusters on the development of appropriate CBI packages, orientations on access to and proper usage of CBI and other available assistance, services and resources during emergencies.
• Supporting the assessment and mapping of local hazard risks and the conduct of contextualized, community-based emergency preparedness management simulation exercises.
• Contributing to improved understanding and awareness of local communities and authorities on climate risks, including their interrelations with conflict and other causes that influence their vulnerabilities.
• Supporting government efforts on data management and pre-registration of households vulnerable to climate and disaster risks, including through IOM’s Biometric Registration and Verification system, to ensure effective delivery of services and assistance during emergencies.
• Prepositioning of lifesaving and humanitarian relief goods in strategic, disaster-prone areas, which are ready for deployment at the time of disasters, including key shelter, hygiene and NFI materials.

IOM will continue to support health systems strengthening efforts in the Philippines and enhance the preparedness and response capacity of the national and local health systems in line with the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR). The Organization seeks to build inclusive health systems to ensure services are readily available to migrants, IDPs and other vulnerable groups and build resilient health systems to combat public emergencies such as to COVID-19, Tuberculosis (TB), tropical diseases and other health threats prevalent in the country. IOM’s initiatives include:

• Providing critical medical equipment and relevant trainings to improve disease prevention and response efforts, including the detection, referral and treatment capacity of local health facilities.
• Establishing and strengthening molecular laboratories to expand testing and diagnostic services of infectious diseases, including support for accreditation by the DOH.
• Providing capacity-building training for local health personnel on laboratory biosafety and biosecurity, laboratory quality and safe management, including infection prevention and control, molecular diagnostics, and specimen collection and handling.
• Strengthening referral systems for emergency transport and transfer of cases of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
• Facilitating collaboration and sharing of best practices amongst the international, national, regional and local government health officials and experts to ensure alignment of local policies and practices with key standards such as IHR and Philippine Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response.
• Strengthening vaccination programs including through technical assistance to improve vaccine confidence. 
• Supporting needs and capacity assessment of key POEs and health facilities and addressing their gaps in the provision of healthcare services including IPC, health screening, testing, referral and mobility monitoring, through the provision of technical assistance, training and equipment.  
• Supporting the evidence generation and data-driven delivery of health services through the provision of technical assistance, technologies and training for improving coordination and enhancing local management, collection, analysis and reporting on health data in line with national standards and in consideration to data protection policies.

IOM will contribute to mainstreaming and institutionalizing MHPSS in the government’s public health policies, services and programmes, especially in conflict-affected areas in BARMM through:

• Facilitating the engagement with international, national, regional and local experts and sharing of knowledge and best practices on MHPSS initiatives amongst stakeholders.
• Raising awareness on localized/contextualized MHPSS referral mechanism, through community-based working groups and local duty bearers to improve access of communities to available services.
• Supporting local governments on the institutionalization and mainstreaming of an MHPSS approach to overall public health programmes, including the identification of regular focal points for MHPSS to establish and/or revitalize referral mechanisms.
• Building the capacity of government frontline healthcare responders in coping with the long-term psychosocial impacts of conflict and other public emergencies.

IOM will enhance preparedness building local capacities on infection, prevention and control (IPC) measures. Initiatives will include:

• Building capacity of local government officials and service providers on WASH, including operations and maintenance (O&M) of refurbished or newly installed WASH facilities, as well as on techniques of hygiene promotion and information campaigns on proper sanitation and hygiene practices.
• Refurbishing and constructing WASH facilities, such as handwashing stations in order to promote proper hygiene practices among the target communities.
• Enhancing awareness of the most vulnerable and at-risk communities on proper hygiene and IPC measures.

IOM collects, analyses and disseminates critical multi-layered information on the mobility, vulnerability, and needs of displaced and mobile populations in the Philippines. The following activities will be considered for implementation in any relevant setting and will inform IOM’s advocacy to governments and responses to crises. The geographical areas, demographic groups, and components of the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) will be determined depending on the context and needs, taking into consideration the existing available data at that point. Initiatives will include:

• Implementing rapid needs assessment, including joint assessment with other UN agencies and government stakeholders, and DTM at the onset of mass displacement due to disasters and upon mass returns or deportations of Filipino migrants.
• Conducting survey research on profiles, migration patterns, social and labour risks and needs for mobile populations especially migrants and returnees taking at-risk migration corridors and those affected by the pandemic or other crises.