Türkiye Assistance Overview, July 2024

ReliefWeb: Updates by Country 06.07.2024 04:00 Countries: Syrian Arab Republic, Türkiye, United States of America, World Source: US Agency for International Development Please refer to the attached file. CONTEXT Türkiye hosted the largest refugee population globally—approximately 3.7 million refugees, including 3.1 million Syrian refugees—as of May, according to the UN. Although the Government of Türkiye grants Syrian refugees —approximately 60 percent of whom reside in Türkiye— temporary protection status, permitting lawful residency in the country and access to basic services and livelihood opportunities, many refugees continue to face obstacles in entering the labor market, heightening humanitarian needs within the population, according to USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance partner the UN World Food Program . Language barriers, a lack of recognition of refugees' educational credentials, and employers’ unwillingness to provide work permits increase refugees’ exposure to informal labor and their likelihood of accepting lower wages, resulting in reduced purchasing power and exacerbated reliance on humanitarian assistance for refugee households. On February 6, 2023, two earthquakes—each at least magnitude 7.5—struck central-southern Türkiye resulting in the deaths of an estimated 50,783 people, injury to approximately 107,000 people, and the displacement of up to 3.3 million individuals, according to the GoT. In total, the earthquakes directly adversely affected 9.1 million people and damaged or destroyed an estimated 710,000 buildings, of which, approximately 280,000 collapsed or sustained severe damage, according to the GoT. Further, more than 30,000 aftershocks and heavy rainfall in the wake of the earthquakes resulted in flooding and approximately 2,800 landslides, collectively causing the deaths of at least 112 individuals, according to local media and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees . Although the GoT had rebuilt 46,000 new houses as of January 2024, shelter support remains a critical need among earthquake-affected households, in addition to livelihood and psychosocial support services, according to relief actors and international media. Reduced purchasing power due to rising food prices and annual inflation has increased vulnerability to food insecurity among the approximately 60,000 refugees who were residing across eight camps in earthquake-affected areas of southeastern Türkiye as of May, according to WFP. Approximately 23 percent of refugee households residing in the camps were food insecure and 74 percent of refugee households residing in camps were vulnerable to food insecurity in early 2024, according to an in-camp post-distribution monitoring report by the UN agency covering January to March. As a result of refugees’ persistent economic vulnerability and challenges accessing food, an estimated 84 percent of households living in camps reported adopting one or more negative coping mechanisms, such as borrowing money to buy food, limiting adult food consumption to allow children to eat, reducing quantity or portion size of meals, and relying on less preferred or cheaper food, WFP reports. ASSISTANCE In response to a GoT request for international assistance following the February earthquakes, USAID/BHA activated a Washington, D.C.-based Response Management Team and deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team and an Urban Search and Rescue Team in early February 2023 to respond to critical humanitarian needs in Türkiye through late March 2023. USAID/BHA provided more than $72 million in earthquake response funding to support humanitarian partners in Türkiye providing food, health, shelter, and water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance. WFP has provided more than $11.2 million in multipurpose cash assistance and livelihoods support, reached 1.6 million people with food assistance, and distributed nearly $1.6 million in cash assistance to affected populations since the onset of the earthquake emergency response in February 2023. During the month, USAID/BHA partner the International Organization for Migration distributed nearly 845 metric tons of USAID/BHA relief commodities, including hygiene kits, kitchen sets, plastic sheeting, thermal blankets, and water buckets, to support shelter and WASH needs in earthquake-affected areas of Türkiye. In addition, USAID/BHA partner the UN Children’s Fund reached more than 387,000 caregivers and children with mental health and psychosocial support in February 2023 and approximately 2.7 million children and women with gender-based violence mitigation and service-provision awareness-raising messaging through social media. UNICEF had provided hygiene supplies to more than 440,000 people, safe drinking water to 355,000 people, and improved access to sanitation services to nearly 8,700 people as of June 2023. The WASH sector—led by UNICEF and comprising 18 partners—had reached nearly 3.5 million people across 11 provinces with assistance as of the same date. Syrian refugees residing in camps and container cities in earthquake-affected areas of southeastern Türkiye continue to experience increased food insecurity and reduced purchasing power. In response, USAID/BHA has provided $6.2 million in FY 2024 funding to WFP to provide multipurpose cash assistance to 13,000 earthquake-affected refugees in temporary container cities, helping them meet critical food and non-food needs. WFP also continues to prioritize emergency food assistance for vulnerable and food-insecure camp-based refugees in Türkiye, including the approximately 34,000 most at-risk refugees who reside in six camps in southeast Türkiye. USAID/BHA has supported the provision of emergency food assistance to camp-based refugees, primarily Syrians fleeing civil war, in Türkiye since 2012.

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