Attachments
On 6 February 2023, Türkiye was struck by two major earthquakes in its southeastern region. According to authorities, around 51,000 people lost their lives, of which at least 7,300 were foreign nationals. UNHCR’s tracking of population movements following the earthquakes indicates that, as of 28 July 2024, over 226,500 refugees had arrived in 63 provinces, while approximately 41,950 had returned to their provinces within the earthquake zone.
Overview
This document highlights good practices and lessons learnt from UNHCR’s 2023 earthquake emergency response in Türkiye. The response aligned with the “why not cash” approach in UNHCR’s [Policy on Cash-Based Interventions 2022-2026](https://www.unhcr.org/media/2022-2026-unhcr-policy-cash-based-interventions), which puts renewed emphasis on cash assistance as a modality to meet basic needs in emergency responses for refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs) and others of concern. In 2023, UNHCR delivered more than $6 million to nearly 74,000 refugees1 as part of its earthquake emergency response. UNHCR implemented cash modality under the Specific Needs Funds Earthquake Response (SNF) and Winterization programmes. The assistance was disbursed without restrictions, allowing refugees to decide themselves how to utilize funds to meet their essential needs.