Overview

A number of guidance documents and tools are available to support the implementation of Transport Assistance initiatives. Below is a brief description of documents are available in this handbook.

Guidance Note on the inclusion of protection considerations when planning and implementing international humanitarian evacuations: An internal guidance note is available that provides parameters for integrating humanitarian protection principles in humanitarian evacuations. The guidance note focuses on international humanitarian evacuations – transfer and transport by air, land or sea to a safe haven in another country – of migrants stranded in countries facing armed conflict and risks of and/or being the target of violence and harm.

Standard Operating Procedures for South Sudan Onward Transportation Assistance (OTA) for Returnees (2012): IOM implemented movement operations to facilitate the arrival of South Sudanese national who were returning from Sudan into South Sudan in the lead up to and immediately following the country's independence in 2011. Operations consisted of a combination of air, water and land movements. This document provides detailed information on the movement procedures as well as the templates used for this programme.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) on IOM Humanitarian Evacuation Assistance to Migrants: Developed based on movements carried out between 2003 and 2010, this internal document provides an overview to some of the most common questions with regard to providing movement support to migrants in crisis situations. The document includes information on how to arrange an evacuation, what factors to consider and what other stakeholders need to be engaged in the operation.

The Comprehensive Guide for Planning Mass Evacuations in Natural Disasters (MEND Guide): The document aims to provide guidance in planning and carrying out large scale evacuations within a country. The purpose of evacuations is to save the lives of people exposed to actual or imminent danger through their timely and rapid movement to safer locations. Effective planning is critical to ensuring the safe and timely evacuation of all persons at risk, to meet emergency needs for shelter and assistance, and to ensure evacuees and other affected people are able to recover from the disruption and risks created by their displacement as safely and quickly as possible. This document can be found in the Guidance Documents and Tools for CCCM entry.

IOM Travel Health assistance: Information for MHD Focal Points: This document provides an overview of the objectives and basic guidelines for providing health assistance in movement operations.

IOM Travel Health Assistance For Crisis Affected Populations: This series of checklists has been designed to provide IOM Health Staff with a practical guide for planning and implementation of migration health assistance for crisis affected populations. The guidance outlined in this document is meant to be flexible and responsive (not prescriptive), allowing a tailored approach at the country level, and recognizing that no two countries are exactly alike nor do they face the same challenges.

IASC non-binding guidelines on the use of armed escorts for humanitarian convoys: These guidelines are intended to assist humanitarian actors to consider the implications of using armed escorts to facilitate humanitarian operations. They provide humanitarian organizations with a framework for determining if and when to use armed escorts and, secondly, how to do so effectively. These guidelines do not seek to promote the use of armed escorts for humanitarian convoys and clearly prioritize the need to consider alternatives in the first instance.

IOM Data Protection Manual: This publication provides practical guidance for protecting personal data in the context of migrant assistance. It consists of three parts: Part I outlines the thirteen IOM data protection principles; Part II provides comprehensive data protection guidelines structured according to the principles; and Part III consists of IOM operational templates and checklists.

Movement Tracking Sheet: This is a template created to assist Country Offices in consolidating all information on movements to facilitate reporting. This sheet can be modified as needed.

IOM Fitness to Travel Form and Information Questionnaire: This standard from was developed to assist health staff in carrying fitness to travel evaluations for movements. Passenger Manifest Template: This template was developed to assist Country Offices in developing manifests for any type movements (air, water or road/national or international) and to standardize the manner in which manifests are created for movement operations. The template includes required fields from MIMOSA ensuring that the data can be uploaded to the system when needed.

Escort Duty Report Form: This is a sample template to assist escorts in reporting on movement operations.

Voluntary Movement Declaration and Authorization for Collection of Personal Data (sample consent form): This template was developed for voluntary returns; the text can be adapted based on the type of movement operation being implemented. When finalizing a consent form for use in a movement operation, it is advisable to contact LEG for guidance.

Special Measures for the Evacuation of Migrant Children: A Reference Checklist: This operational tool can help States and international organizations take a child protection approach to humanitarian evacuations by remaining aware of the unique conditions of vulnerability of migrant children and responding to their needs before, during and after evacuations. The Checklist is organized by phase of evacuation (1 - Planning; 2 - Pre-Departure; 3 - Departure and Transit; 4 - Arrival; 5 - Post Arrival) and includes recommended actions to address migrant children's conditions of vulnerability at each phase.

IOM Movements Booklet: Provides an overview of IOM's movement operations.

IN/238 GN on Humanitarian Evacuations: This Guidance Note provides general and specific parameters integrating protection principles to guide IOM staff during international humanitarian evacuations for migrants caught in armed conflict settings. This Guidance Note is an internal IOM tool that is intended to help all IOM staff involved in planning and implementing international humanitarian evacuations for migrants caught in armed conflict settings to apply the appropriate standards of the Organization in performance of their functions. In case IOM staff need to deviate from this Guidance Note the Department of Emergencies and Operations must be consulted.

Contacts

For more information on movements by air and for additional guidance on use of the operations templates provided in this chapter contact the Resettlement and Movement Management (RRM): RMM@iom.int.

For more information on movements by land and water contact the Preparedness and Response Division (PRD): prdcore@iom.int.

For guidance on protection issues contact the Department of Operations and Emergencies (DOE) Protection team: DOEProtection@iom.int.

For information on pre-departure health checks and other health related concerns contact the Migration Health Division (MHD): mhddpt@iom.int.

For more information on legal agreements and beneficiary consent contact the Legal Department: LEG@iom.int.