Regional Study Consultant on Syrian Returns & Gender

Contexte

The question of Syrian return has gained renewed prominence across the region following shifts in the political and security landscape since late 2024. After more than a decade of protracted displacement, the Syria crisis remains one of the largest globally, with over 6.1 million Syrian refugees hosted primarily in neighboring countries, including approximately 2.9 million in Türkiye, 755,000 in Lebanon, and 611,000 in Jordan.

Since December 2024, there has been a significant increase in return movements, largely spontaneous and occurring under evolving and often uncertain conditions. As of early 2026, estimates indicate that over 1.5 million Syrians have returned to Syria from neighboring countries, primarily from Türkiye, Lebanon, and Jordan.

Despite these movements, returns are taking place in a context where 16.7 million people inside Syria still require humanitarian assistance, and where infrastructure, services, and protection systems remain severely strained. Evidence indicates that many returns are not necessarily driven by improved conditions in Syria alone, but also by increasing pressures in host countries, including economic hardship, restrictive policies, reduced assistance, and rising social tensions.

While the scale of return is growing, there remains a critical gap in understanding the gendered dimensions of return decision-making, experiences, and outcomes. This study, covering Jordan, Lebanon, Türkiye, and Syria, aims to fill this gap by generating evidence on the gendered drivers, risks, decision-making processes, and reintegration outcomes of return.

Missions et responsabilités

As part of the assignment, the consultant/team will be responsible for:

• Refining the research framework: Further develop and refine the research questions, ensuring they capture gendered drivers, decision-making processes, risks, and reintegration outcomes across contexts.
• Designing a context-appropriate methodology: Propose and apply a mixed-methods, gender-sensitive, and protection-informed research approach, combining desk review, qualitative methods, and quantitative data collection or analysis.
• Defining sampling and geographic coverage: Identify feasible and relevant locations and participant groups in each country, ensuring inclusion of diverse profiles (e.g. women, men, youth, persons with disabilities, and female-headed households).
• Conducting data collection and analysis: Collect and analyze primary and secondary data to generate evidence on gendered return intentions and pressures, protection risks, access to services and livelihoods, reintegration experiences, and changes in gender norms.
• Producing actionable outputs: Deliver a set of analytical outputs, including a regional report and practical recommendations to inform policy, advocacy, and programming.

Profil recherché

Required expertise:

• Proven experience in gender analysis and feminist research approaches
• Strong knowledge of Syria displacement, return dynamics, and regional contexts (Jordan, Lebanon, Türkiye, Syria)
• Demonstrated expertise in qualitative and/or mixed-methods research
• Experience working on protection, GBV, or humanitarian programming
• Strong analytical and report-writing skills in English
• Fluency in Arabic is required

Desirable:

• Experience working with women-led, refugee-led, or local civil society organizations
• Experience translating research into policy and advocacy outputs

Conditions et avantages

• Duration: The assignment is expected to be completed within 10–14 weeks.
• Fees and Tax: The consultant is fully responsible for all taxes, and similar costs linked to this assignment. The agreed fee is inclusive of all taxes, including income tax. ActionAid will not pay any tax or similar cost on top of the agreed fee.

Dossier de candidature

• Technical Proposal: Understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology, workplan and timeline, team composition, and approach to ethics and safeguarding.
• Financial Proposal: Detailed budget including daily rates, estimated number of working days, and breakdown of key cost categories, quoted inclusive of all taxes.
• Curriculum Vitae (CVs): CV(s) of the lead consultant and key team members.
• Relevant Work Samples: At least 1–2 examples of similar research or analytical work.
• References: Contact details for at least two professional referees.

Comment postuler

The consultant shall submit the required documents (attached templates) to this email [email protected] by October 17, 2026.

Reference: Regional Study on Gender Dynamics, Risks, and Decision-Making Related to Syrian Returns