Press release on the launch of the EUR 40 million project to support Turkey in response to the Syrian refugee crisis

24 February 2017, Ankara - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM), with the financial assistance of the European Union (EU) and the Government of Turkey, launch today the project “Supporting the National Institutions in Turkey to Mitigate the Impact of the Syrian Refugee Crisis”.
Turkey hosts over 2.9 million Syrian refugees, 90 per cent of whom live together with host communities across the country’s 81 provinces. Since the beginning of the crisis, the Government of Turkey and State Institutions have been at the forefront of the response. The EUR 40 million three year project launched today will support Turkey in its efforts to respond to the needs of Syrian refugees and the communities hosting them.
Atilla Toros, Director General of the Directorate General for Migration Management states, that, “DGMM, since its establishment, has been present in any positive action to provide support to the response to the Syrian crisis and will continue to do so. We have experienced and know that partnerships and cooperation play a great importance in the field of migration, and we place great value to any effort in that matter”. Director General added “This project which is coordinated by DGMM, implemented by UNHCR and financed by the EU, will have many stakeholders and will work in many different areas from providing scholarships to students to promoting entrepreneurship. The project will bring us forward in improving the services provided to Syrians by increasing the capacity of DGMM, along with other related national institutions”.
The project adopts a multi-sectoral approach, aiming at increasing the economic and social resilience of host communities and facilitating harmonisation of refugees to the society. Through a wide range of interventions, the project will respond to the special needs of women and children by supporting women shelters, women health centres and child friendly spaces. It will enhance access to tertiary education, and livelihoods and self-reliance opportunities for Syrian refugees. At the same time, the project will support UNHCR resettlement work as a mechanism for refugee protection, a durable solution and an element of responsibility sharing with refugee-hosting countries.
Pascale Moreau, UNHCR Representative in Turkey, said “This project we launch today represents a very good example of a strong partnership between the EU, DGMM and UNHCR and the collective commitment to support Turkey in providing protection and assistance to refugees”.
Having a cross-cutting approach, UNHCR will implement the project in close cooperation with national frontline institutions and ministries, including DGMM, the Ministry of Family and Social Policies, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the Prime Ministry’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), and the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB).
Ambassador Christian Berger, Head of the EU Delegation to Turkey, stated that “The project that we are launching today is a good example of such EU engagement and solidarity with Turkey, showing our commitment to mobilise various EU instruments to respond to the ongoing needs in a changing environment.”
Hosting the largest number of refugees in the world, Turkey is shouldering a great responsibility in this international humanitarian crisis. With the important financial support of the European Union, such multi-faceted partnerships between UNHCR and the Turkish Government will continue to be key in responding to the needs of Syrian refugees and the communities hosting them in Turkey.
For media queries, please contact:
UNHCR
Selin Ünal,
Communications Officer & Spokesperson, Ankara
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 90.530.2827862