Attachments
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The earthquake disaster that hit Kahramanmaraş and affected 11 provinces on 6 February 2023 devastated the region at a scale never seen before. The humanitarian impact was such that the disaster mobilized the entire country in solidarity with the affected population in the region. Civil society was particularly activated with many civic groups responding in their own capacities, mobilizing their networks and resources. Government, civil society and private sector were extremely responsive in meeting the immediate acute needs. The collaboration between civil society and the private sector was unprecedented, while multinational agencies and international humanitarian actors complemeted the earthquake response.
Even though the epicenter of the two deadly earthquakes was Kahramanmaraş, Hatay was the most heavily affected. Given Antakya’s popularity for its regional cuisine and its rich religious and cultural heritage, the city gained a lot of attention in terms of aid and support in response to the disaster. The fact that Hatay was the main entry point for Syrians fleeing the war had made it a hub for the humanitarian response to the crisis in Syria. Civil society mobilized for refugee support turned their capacities and resources to support the province most heavily affected on 6 February. Kahramanmaraş, Adıyaman and Malayta as the other most affected provinces became the hub for the relief and recovery effort. Civil society and community groups in the affected provinces as well as those coming in to provide support led the earthquake response over several months.
Civil society activity in Kahramanmaraş, Adıyaman and Malayta was relatively weaker compared to Hatay, which was already a hub for the Syrian refugee response prior to the 6 February disaster. The high proportion of refugees in Hatay had attracted international aid agencies over a decade prior to the earthquake. While institutional donor funding was channeled mostly to Hatay, philanthropy at the national and community level made a relatively greater impact in Kahramanmaraş, Adıyaman and Malatya in meeting the acute humanitarian needs over the initial weeks and months where donor funding was less prominent. The speed and flexibility of philantrophy funding had a huge impact on the success of the earthquake relief effort all over the affected area.
As the initial volunteer support and philanthropy waned, local civil society continued to respond to the enormous needs on the ground using their local resources and networks, also establishing their domestic coordination mechanisms. Some linked up with the international humanitarian community to continue providing assistance over a longer period of time, while others established stronger relations with public authorities. By the end of the year, we see a wide variety of civil society organizations, civic initiatives and local community groups that are active in helping the affected region recover from the severe impact of the earthquake disaster.
When the Flash Appeal was published shortly after the devastation caused by the earthquakes became clear, UN OCHA mobilized its staff to set up a formal coordination mechanism. National NGOs, most of whom were UN partners in relation to the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan, had establised the Localization Advocacy Group (LAG) in an effort to make visible the strength of civil society in Türkiye. LAG members that became operational in the earthquake relief effort quickly mobilized themselves under the name of Local Humanitarian Forum (LHF). The purpose was to ensure the active participation of local and national NGOs in the OCHA coordination mechanism.
Since its inception in mid-February, LHF has promoted the co-leadership of national NGOs in sector coordination meetings at the strategic, operational and hub level. Through its membership as well as its mapping of local civil society, LHF has introduced local and national NGOs to donors, UN agencies and international NGOs for potential partnerships and advocacy. LHF has been a critical platform for local and national NGOs to make themselves and their capacities visible, advocate for a more inclusive coordination mechanism, access humanitarian funding, and establish quality partnerships.
While working with local and national NGOs, LHF has also supported a hub-based network of community-led actions. Through its representation in all of the four main earthquake hubs, LHF has facilitated the channeling of funding to community groups and local solidarity initiatives mobilized in response to the earthquake. While 48 community projects have been supported, many more will be funded in 2024.
In response to their participation in the OCHA coordination mechanism and the subsequent Area Based Coordination team, LHF members and local actors at the hub level convened to discuss alternatives ways for more effective coordination that would be genuinely inclusive of civil society. A contextualized model for locally-led, area-based coordination was developed and named ‘Local Coordination and Development Centers’ to be operationalized in each of the four hubs. The plan is to develop and fund these LCD centers as a truly locally-led solution to coordination, recovery and development. The Centers will also pilot an alternative pooled fund mechanism in which local civil society and community initiatives will be able to continue creating impact.
For 2024 and beyond, LHF has the plan to strengthen its mission and mandate for the purpose of improving coordination for inclusiveness, better investments in capacities of local organizations, increased funding and better quality partnerships, as well as improved scope and coverage to ensure the interaction of earthquake response with refugee resilience building and social cohesion that has been ongoing in the region. Another expansion of its scope will be for LHF to work on better preparedness for emergencies, risk reduction, and planning for anticipatory action.
LHF is interested in evidence creation and research on the role and complementarity of philanthropy and humanitarian funding for initiating and sustaining locally-led responses at times of crises and for better preparedness. Case studies to demonstrate the impact of strategic and innovative partnerships as well as new ways of funding local organizations will continue to be on LHF’s agenda in the upcoming period.