Attachments
IOM Vision
IOM Türkiye's vision consists of responding to persistent acute needs while addressing longer-term recovery and reconstruction exigencies by leveraging existing programmes and engagement in the early recovery sector, expanding durable solutions and enhancing disaster preparedness. IOM will also prioritize its ongoing assistance to Syrians under Temporary Protection (SuTPs), in line with the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP). Moreover, IOM intends to leverage its extensive knowledge of mobility trends and leadership position in regional coordination mechanisms and the Temporary Settlement Support sector to provide an evidence base for its interventions.
Context analysis
On 6 February 2023, the Republic of Türkiye was struck by two major earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6, occurring approximately nine hours apart. These earthquakes had a significant impact on a total of 11 provinces, including Kahramanmaraş, Malatya, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Hatay, Kilis, Adana, Osmaniye, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, and Elazığ. Tragically, the earthquakes resulted in more than 50,000 casualties. The 11 hardest-hit provinces, which also host 1.7 million Syrians under Temporary Protection (SuTPs), had over 9 million people directly affected by these devastating events.
Nine months after the earthquakes first struck, a minimum of 800,000 individuals continue to reside in tents and containers, with the majority having access only to basic services. Many have ongoing basic needs such as food, drinkable water, clothes and accommodation, and require access to healthcare and education. While humanitarian needs remain, the earthquakes have had significant negative impacts on livelihoods, employment, and the labour market, destroying hundreds of thousands of jobs and enterprises. Thus, there is a significant need to improve the living conditions of displaced populations, providing safe and secure housing solutions while enabling a safe and decent living and working environment as well as facilitating employment conditions necessary for the resumption of economic activities.
At the same time, the risk of large-scale earthquakes in the Republic of Türkiye remains high due to its geographical location, with a 9.7 rating for earthquake exposure under the INFORM Risk Index. Similarly, the country is prone to flooding and extreme weather events, with the Republic of Türkiye acknowledging that climate change is already impacting the region. In light of this and following requests for disaster risk management support received from local municipalities, IOM will work with central government actors, provinces and municipalities to improve their capacity to assess disaster and displacement and to promptly and efficiently provide emergency support to migrants and communities at risk.
Since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis in 2014, the Republic of Türkiye has been hosting the world's largest population of refugees. The number of SuTPs is more than 3.26 million, almost half of whom are children and around 46 per cent of whom are women and girls. Gender-based violence (GBV) remains prevalent among women and girls in the form of domestic violence and early and forced marriages, according to the Inter-Agency Protection Sector Needs Assessment (IAPNA) Round 6. Currently, nearly 99 per cent of Syrians under temporary protection live in urban and rural areas across the Republic of Türkiye's 81 provinces. The majority reside in the southeast provinces of the Republic of Türkiye, as well as metropolitan cities such as İstanbul, Bursa, İzmir and Konya, living among host communities that often face similar needs and challenges, including those related to the rising costs of living. Despite the efforts of the Government of Türkiye, many migrants and refugees, especially those who are unregistered, continue to face issues in accessing basic services due to language barriers, mobility, lack of documentation, and insufficient financial resources. IOM Türkiye plays a crucial role in a coordinated effort alongside UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and government partners, providing assistance along the humanitarian-development-peace nexus (HDPN) to SuTPs, in line with the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP). This assistance encompasses addressing basic needs, ensuring protection, and fostering economic empowerment, all aimed at helping migrants, refugees, and the host community lead more stable and improved lives.