The Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) Information, Counselling, and Legal Assistance (ICLA) program is a flagship initiative and one of its core areas of expertise. This specialized legal protection program supports displaced and conflict-affected people by providing legal aid, including information, counselling, and direct legal assistance. ICLA also focuses on building local capacity and advocating for systemic change, helping individuals claim their rights and seek justice for violations. Currently, ICLA operates in all 40 NRC country offices worldwide.
Each year, ICLA supports over 1.5 million people across seven key areas:
- Housing, Land, and Property (HLP) rights
- Legal Identity (LID)
- Legal Stay (LS)
- Employment Law and Procedures (ELP)
- Internally Displaced Persons Registration (IDPR)
- Access to Essential Services (AES)
- Collaborative Dispute Resolution (CDR)
In 2024, NRC commissioned IRMA to conduct a strategic review of the ICLA program. The review aimed to ensure ICLA remains a leading provider of legal aid and access to justice, while adapting to emerging trends in the humanitarian sector, including the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus.
The review focused on identifying ICLA’s strengths, opportunities, and challenges. It analyzed program results, evidence of impact, funding trends, and ICLA’s positioning among potential partners and competitors. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining interviews with 32 stakeholders (18 external and 14 internal) and a review of over 140 documents and online data sources.
IRMA’s team for this assignment included Marilise Turnbull, Lezlie Morinière, Italo Andrés Velasquez, José Luis Barreiro, Nathan Ferguson and Charlotte Gendre.
