Call for EOIs: Strengthening the Protection Environment for Forcibly Displaced Persons and Host Communities (Burkina Faso)

On Sep 2, 2026

Deadline: 27-Sep-2026

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is inviting organizations to submit proposals for projects that strengthen the protection, inclusion, and empowerment of forcibly displaced persons, people at risk of statelessness, and host communities in Burkina Faso. The partnership focuses on protection monitoring, community empowerment, social cohesion, durable solutions, gender-based violence prevention and response, child protection, access to health and education, and stronger community protection mechanisms.

Eligible organizations should demonstrate expertise in protection monitoring, mixed migration, community protection, case management, gender-based violence, and community engagement. Applicants must also have strong project and financial management systems, local presence, established relationships with authorities and communities, accountability mechanisms, resource-contribution capacity, and the ability to operate safely in complex and hard-to-reach areas.

About the UNHCR Partnership Opportunity

The UNHCR partnership opportunity aims to strengthen protection systems and promote greater inclusion and empowerment for communities affected by forced displacement and statelessness risks in Burkina Faso.

The proposed interventions are built around several strategic priorities:

Enhancing the protection environment.
Empowering affected communities.
Promoting social cohesion.
Supporting peaceful coexistence.
Strengthening community leadership.
Promoting durable solutions.
Building the institutional and technical capacity of local organizations.

The approach recognizes affected people and local organizations as important participants in developing and delivering protection solutions.

Who Will Benefit?

The partnership is intended to support:

Forcibly displaced persons.
People at risk of statelessness.
Refugees.
Displaced youth.
Host communities.
Children with specific protection needs.
Individuals requiring specialized protection services.
Communities and organizations led by forcibly displaced or stateless persons.

Special attention will be given to people with specific needs and to ensuring that affected communities can participate meaningfully in protection and decision-making processes.

Strategic Priorities of the Partnership

The program is structured around several interconnected priorities.

Strengthening the Protection Environment

Protection monitoring and response systems will be strengthened to identify risks and connect vulnerable people with appropriate services.

Community Empowerment

The partnership aims to increase the ability of communities to participate in protection mechanisms and take leadership roles in addressing local challenges.

Social Cohesion

Activities will promote peaceful coexistence and stronger relationships between displaced populations and host communities.

Durable Solutions

The program will support approaches that contribute to sustainable solutions for affected people, particularly where these solutions are in the best interests of children and communities.

Protection Monitoring at Entry Points and Migration Routes

Protection monitoring is a key component of the partnership.

Activities will strengthen monitoring at:

Entry points.
Migration routes.
Areas affected by mixed migration.
Other locations where people on the move may face protection risks.

Improved monitoring can help identify emerging risks and ensure that people with specific needs are identified and referred safely.

Identification and Referral of People at Risk

The partnership will strengthen mechanisms for the early identification of individuals facing protection concerns.

Organizations will support systems that enable:

Early identification of specific needs.
Safe referral to appropriate services.
Case management.
Follow-up of vulnerable individuals.
Improved access to protection and social services.

Effective referral systems are important for ensuring that identified protection risks lead to appropriate responses.

Community-Based Protection

Community protection mechanisms will be strengthened through greater participation and local leadership.

Community-based protection can help affected populations:

Identify protection risks.
Participate in decision-making.
Strengthen local response mechanisms.
Improve access to services.
Develop community-led solutions.
Promote peaceful coexistence.

The program also seeks to build the capacity of organizations led by forcibly displaced or stateless persons.

Empowering Local and Displaced-Led Organizations

An important feature of the partnership is its focus on institutional and technical capacity building.

Local organizations, including those led by forcibly displaced or stateless people, can receive support to strengthen their ability to participate in protection responses.

Capacity-building efforts may focus on:

Institutional development.
Technical skills.
Project management.
Community engagement.
Accountability.
Protection programming.
Organizational sustainability.

This approach can increase local ownership of protection interventions.

Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response

The partnership includes activities to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV).

Organizations should have relevant expertise to identify risks, support affected individuals, and strengthen referral and response systems.

GBV interventions should be integrated into broader protection mechanisms so that people can access appropriate support safely and confidentially.

Child Protection

Child protection is another central area of the partnership.

Activities will contribute to:

Identifying children with specific needs.
Strengthening referral mechanisms.
Improving access to protection services.
Supporting family reunification.
Promoting durable solutions.
Ensuring that solutions are in the best interests of affected children.

The emphasis on children’s best interests is particularly important when developing durable solutions or responding to family separation.

Access to Health and Education

The partnership seeks to improve access to essential social services for refugees and displaced populations.

Health Services

Activities will contribute to improved access to health services for affected communities.

Inclusive access is particularly important for people who may face additional barriers because of displacement or specific vulnerabilities.

Education for Refugees and Displaced Youth

The program also aims to increase access to education for refugees and displaced youth.

Improving access to education can support inclusion, community participation, and longer-term opportunities for young people affected by displacement.

Social Cohesion and Peaceful Coexistence

The partnership seeks to strengthen social cohesion between displaced populations and host communities.

Activities can promote:

Peaceful coexistence.
Community dialogue.
Community participation.
Local leadership.
Collaboration between communities.
Mutual understanding.

Community-led approaches can help address tensions and strengthen relationships between different population groups.

Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

The program will strengthen mechanisms for preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA).

Organizations should have mechanisms that allow communities to safely raise concerns and provide feedback.

Effective systems should promote:

Safe reporting.
Accessible complaint channels.
Confidentiality.
Accountability.
Appropriate response to reported concerns.

Family Reunification

The partnership will support family reunification for people affected by displacement and separation.

Family reunification is particularly relevant to child protection and cases where displacement or migration has separated family members.

Organizations should be able to identify relevant cases and connect affected individuals with appropriate referral and protection mechanisms.

Durable Solutions

The program promotes durable solutions for affected populations.

The approach emphasizes solutions that are appropriate to the needs and circumstances of displaced people and communities.

For children, durable solutions should be pursued in accordance with their best interests.

Community Participation and Accountability

Community participation is an important expected outcome of the partnership.

Organizations should establish mechanisms that enable affected people to:

Provide feedback.
Raise concerns.
Participate in program activities.
Contribute to decision-making.
Report protection risks.
Hold service providers accountable.

Strong accountability mechanisms can make interventions more responsive to the actual needs of affected communities.

Institutional and Technical Capacity Building

The partnership aims to strengthen the capacity of local organizations and actors.

Capacity building may support improvements in:

Technical protection expertise.
Project management.
Financial management.
Risk management.
Community engagement.
Accountability systems.
Organizational capacity.

Building local capacity can help ensure that protection interventions remain sustainable and locally owned.

Who Can Apply?

Eligible organizations should have demonstrated technical expertise and operational capacity relevant to the partnership.

Applicants should demonstrate experience in:

Protection monitoring.
Mixed migration.
Community protection.
Case management.
Gender-based violence.
Community engagement.
Protection response.

Technical expertise should be supported by strong organizational systems and local operational experience.

Project Management Requirements

Applicants must demonstrate proven project management capacity.

Organizations should be able to show that they can:

Plan and implement complex projects.
Manage resources effectively.
Monitor project progress.
Maintain accountability.
Manage operational risks.
Coordinate with relevant stakeholders.
Deliver activities in challenging environments.

Local Presence and Partnerships

Local presence is an important requirement.

Applicants should have established partnerships and relationships with:

Local authorities.
Local communities.
Relevant community structures.
Other relevant actors.

Strong local relationships can improve access, coordination, community acceptance, and sustainability.

Financial and Risk Management

Organizations should have robust financial and risk management systems.

Applicants should demonstrate their ability to:

Manage project finances responsibly.
Control operational risks.
Maintain appropriate financial procedures.
Monitor resource use.
Manage security and implementation risks.

Strong financial and risk-management capacity is particularly important for projects implemented in complex environments.

Resource Contribution

Applicants should have the ability to contribute resources to the proposed intervention.

Contributions may be provided:

Organizations should clearly identify the resources and capacities they can contribute to the project.

Security and Safety Requirements

The ability to operate safely in complex and hard-to-reach areas is essential.

Applicants must demonstrate the ability to protect:

Staff.
Beneficiaries.
Project assets.
Program operations.

Organizations should have appropriate systems for security risk management and should demonstrate experience operating in challenging environments.

How to Prepare a Strong Proposal

A strong proposal should clearly connect the protection needs of affected populations with practical activities and measurable outcomes.

Applicants should explain:

Protection context: Describe the main protection risks in the proposed area.
Target groups: Identify the people and communities who will benefit.
Monitoring: Explain how protection risks will be monitored at entry points and migration routes.
Identification: Describe how people with specific needs will be identified.
Referral: Explain how vulnerable individuals will be safely referred to appropriate services.
Community protection: Describe community-based protection mechanisms.
GBV response: Explain relevant prevention and response activities.
Child protection: Describe mechanisms for identifying and supporting children at risk.
Social cohesion: Explain how peaceful coexistence will be promoted.
Health and education: Describe how access to essential services will be strengthened.
Accountability: Explain how communities will provide feedback and report concerns.
Local partnerships: Demonstrate relationships with authorities and communities.
Capacity: Explain organizational and technical strengths.
Security: Describe approaches to operating safely in hard-to-reach areas.
Resources: Identify cash or in-kind contributions.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid proposals that focus only on individual activities without explaining how they contribute to broader protection and inclusion outcomes.

Common weaknesses include:

Limited evidence of protection-monitoring experience.
Failing to address mixed migration.
Weak community-based protection mechanisms.
Insufficient case-management experience.
Limited GBV expertise.
Failing to explain child protection measures.
Ignoring social cohesion and peaceful coexistence.
Weak community feedback systems.
Limited evidence of local presence.
Failing to demonstrate relationships with local authorities.
Weak financial or risk-management systems.
Not explaining resource contributions.
Insufficient security planning.
Failing to address prevention and response to sexual exploitation and abuse.
Not considering family reunification or durable solutions.

Application Preparation Checklist

Before submitting a proposal, organizations should confirm that they can demonstrate:

Protection monitoring expertise.
Mixed-migration experience.
Community protection expertise.
Case-management capacity.
GBV expertise.
Community engagement experience.
Project management capacity.
Local presence.
Partnerships with local authorities.
Strong community relationships.
Financial management systems.
Risk management systems.
Community feedback and accountability mechanisms.
Cash or in-kind resource contributions.
Security risk-management capacity.
Ability to operate in complex and hard-to-reach areas.
Capacity to protect staff and beneficiaries.

Key Facts About the UNHCR Burkina Faso Partnership

Organization: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Country: Burkina Faso
Focus: Protection, inclusion, and empowerment
Target groups: Forcibly displaced persons, people at risk of statelessness, refugees, displaced youth, and host communities
Core areas: Protection monitoring, community protection, case management, GBV, child protection, health, education, social cohesion, and durable solutions
Special focus: Mixed migration and migration routes
Community priorities: Participation, accountability, leadership, peaceful coexistence, and local empowerment
Capacity building: Institutional and technical strengthening of local organizations, including displaced- and stateless-led organizations
Operational requirements: Local presence, strong management systems, resource contribution, accountability, and security risk management

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the UNHCR partnership opportunity in Burkina Faso?

It is a partnership opportunity for organizations to implement projects that strengthen protection, inclusion, and empowerment for forcibly displaced people, people at risk of statelessness, and host communities in Burkina Faso.

What are the main areas of the partnership?

The partnership covers protection monitoring, community protection, case management, gender-based violence, child protection, health, education, social cohesion, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, family reunification, and durable solutions.

Who are the target beneficiaries?

The program targets forcibly displaced persons, refugees, people at risk of statelessness, displaced youth, and host communities. It also focuses on individuals with specific protection needs and affected children.

What expertise should applicants have?

Applicants should demonstrate expertise in protection monitoring, mixed migration, community protection, case management, gender-based violence, and community engagement.

Is local presence required?

Yes. Applicants should demonstrate local presence and established relationships with local authorities and communities.

Can organizations led by displaced or stateless people participate?

The partnership specifically seeks to strengthen the institutional and technical capacities of local organizations, including organizations led by forcibly displaced or stateless persons.

What financial and operational capacity is required?

Organizations should have proven project management capacity, robust financial and risk management systems, the ability to contribute resources in cash or in kind, and the capacity to operate safely in complex and hard-to-reach areas.

Why are community feedback mechanisms important?

Community feedback and accountability mechanisms allow affected people to participate, raise concerns, report protection risks, and provide feedback on services. They are an important part of an inclusive protection response.

Does the partnership support education and health?

Yes. The initiative seeks to improve access to health and education services, including education opportunities for refugees and displaced youth.

Does the program support family reunification?

Yes. Family reunification is included among the interventions intended to address protection needs and support durable solutions, particularly for affected children and families.

Conclusion

The UNHCR partnership opportunity in Burkina Faso provides a framework for strengthening protection, inclusion, community empowerment, and durable solutions for people affected by forced displacement and statelessness risks.

The partnership brings together protection monitoring, community-based protection, GBV prevention and response, child protection, health and education access, social cohesion, family reunification, SEA prevention, and capacity building for local organizations.

Organizations seeking to participate should demonstrate strong technical protection expertise, local relationships, project and financial management capacity, community accountability, resource contributions, and the ability to operate safely in complex and hard-to-reach areas. A strong proposal should clearly demonstrate how local capacities and community participation will contribute to a more effective, inclusive, and sustainable protection response.

For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.

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