The EU Response to the Refugee Crisis in Türkiye
What are the needs?
Türkiye's geographical position makes it the first reception and transit country for many refugees and migrants. As the result of an unprecedented influx of people seeking refuge, the country currently hosts almost 4 million registered refugees (out of which nearly 3.6 million are Syrians) and is making commendable efforts to provide them with humanitarian aid and support. Other registered refugees are mainly from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia. Regarding the numbers of registered refugees, Türkiye is the country bearing the most responsibility in the refugee crisis. This has had a significant impact on the host communities and the national budget resources.
How are we helping?
The European Union is committed to assist Türkiye in dealing with this challenge. The European Union is the leading donor in the international response to the Syrian crisis, with an overall total of € 10.9 billion from the EU budget and Member States collectively allocated in humanitarian and development assistance since the start of the conflict in 2011.
The European Commission is providing assistance to support vulnerable refugees who have fled violence in their country, in particular those living outside of camps and in need of immediate aid, and those requiring health assistance and access to education. The European Commission alone has provided more than €5.3 billion of assistance to support civilians inside Syria as well as vulnerable Syrian refugees and host communities in the region.
Recognizing the need for a coordinating mechanism to financially assist Türkiye in its remarkable efforts, the Facility for Refugees in Türkiye entered into force in March 2016. The Facility for Refugees in Türkiye is the response to the EU Member States’ call for significant additional funding to support refugees in the country. The Facility is designed to ensure that the needs of both refugees and host communities are addressed in a comprehensive and coordinated manner. The Facility is active in six priority areas: humanitarian assistance, education, health, municipal infrastructure, socio-economic support, and migration management.
The implementation of actions financed from the Facility is being carried out by ECHO (European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department) for humanitarian assistance, IPA (Instrument for Pre-Accession), IcSP (Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace), and the EUTF (EU Regional Trust Fund for Syrian Refugees) for non-humanitarian assistance.
The EU Facility for Refugees in Türkiye (FRIT) Projects
Türkiye currently hosts over 4 million refugees and the EU is committed to assist Türkiye in dealing with this challenge. The EU Facility for Refugees in Türkiye, managing a total of €6 billion in two tranches, provides for a joint coordination mechanism, designed to ensure that the needs of refugees and host communities in Türkiye are addressed in a comprehensive and coordinated manner. The Facility focuses on humanitarian assistance, education, migration management, health, municipal infrastructure, and socio-economic support.
Education
Facility I - IPA
- Promoting Integration of Syrian Children into Turkish Education System
- Education for All in Times of Crisis II
- Education Infrastructure for Resilience Activities in Türkiye
Facility I – EUTF
- Support "For Every Child of Syria":’ EU Syria Trust Fund-UNICEF Regional Partnership for Education
- HOPES - Higher and Further Education Opportunities and Perspectives for Syrians
- Qudra – Resilience for Syrian Refugees, IDPs and Host Communities in Response to the Syrian and Iraqi Crises
- Access to Higher Education for Syrian Refugees and Internally Displaced People to Prepare for Post-conflict Reconstruction of Syria and Integration in Host Communities
- Yarını Kurmak / Building Tomorrow - Quality Education and Livelihoods Support for Syrian under Temporary Protection in Türkiye
- Higher Education for Syrians under Temporary Protection and disadvantaged host communities in Türkiye
- Education and protection programme for vulnerable Syrian and host community children, in Lebanon, Jordan and Türkiye
- Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Measures for host communities in Türkiye with Syrians under Temporary Protection
Facility II – IPA
- Promoting Integration of Syrian Kids into the Education System (PIKTES) II
- Education for All in Times of Crisis III
- Social and Economic Cohesion through Vocational Education in Turkey –II
Post FRIT – NDICI
- Conditional Cash Transfer for Education (CCTE) IV
- Promoting Inclusive Education for Kids in the Turkish Education System+
- EU Scholarships for Perspective Students (ESPS)
- European Union Scholarships (BEURs)
Health
Facility I - IPA
- Improving the health status of the Syrian population under temporary protection and related services provided by Turkish authorities (SIHHAT I)
- Health Infrastructure in Kilis
- Construction of a State Hospital in Hatay
Facility I - EUTF
- Improved access to health services for Syrian refugees in Türkiye
Facility II - IPA
- Supporting Migrant Health Services in Türkiye (SIHHAT 2)
- Strengthening Health Care Infrastructure for All (SHIFA)
Livelihoods
Facility I - IPA
- Employment Support Project for Syrians Under Temporary Protection and Host Communities
- Strengthening Economic Opportunities for Syrians Under Temporary Protection (SuTP) and Host Communities in Selected Provinces
- Social and Economic Cohesion through Vocational Education
Facility I - EUTF
- Addressing Vulnerabilities of Refugees and Host Communities in Five Countries Affected by the Syria Crises
- Living and Working Together: Integrating SuTPs to Turkish Economies in Türkiye
- Job Creation and Entrepreneurship Opportunities for Syrians under Temporary Protection and Host Communities in Türkiye
- UNDP Türkiye Resilience Project in response to the Syria Crisis (TRP)
- Strengthening the Resilience of Syrian Women and Girls and Host Communities in Iraq, Jordan and Türkiye
Facility II - IPA
- Enhancement of Entrepreneurship Capacities for Sustainable Socio-Economic Integration (ENHANCER)
- Improving the employment prospects for the Syrian refugees and host communities by high-quality VET and apprenticeship in Türkiye (VET4JOB)
- Social Entrepreneurship, Empowerment and Cohesion in Refugee and Host Communities in Türkiye
- Agricultural Employment Support for Refugees and Turkish Citizens through Enhanced Market Linkages Project
- Support for Transition to Labor Market Project
- Financing to enterprises conditional on private sector formal employment creation for refugees and Turkish citizens
- Empowering the private sector to foster social and economic cohesion in Türkiye
Protection and Basic Needs
Facility I - EUTF
- Enhanced Support to Refugees Affected by the Syrian and Iraqi Crises in Türkiye
Facility II - IPA
- Increase Accessibility of the Social Services by the Most Vulnerable Segments of the Turkish Citizens and Persons under Temporary Protection (PuTPs) and Persons under International Protection (PuIPs)
Post FRIT – NDICI
- Social Safety Net to Refugees in Türkiye (SSN)
Facility II - IPA
- Improving the living standards of the most vulnerable refugees through basic needs support (C-ESSN)
Municipal Infrastructure
Facility II - IPA
- Construction and rehabilitation of water supply and waste water systems and related soft measures to improve water management efficiency
- Strengthening the vulnerable young by better and inclusive sport and youth infrastructure
- Municipal Services Improvement Project In Refugee Affected Areas (MSIP)
Migration Management
Facility I - IPA
- Support to the implementation of the EU-Türkiye Statement of 18 March 2016
Facility I - IcSP
- Strengthening the operational capacities of the Turkish Coast Guard in managing migration flows in the Mediterranean Sea
Post FRIT – IPA III
- Supporting PMM in the Management, Reception and Hosting of Irregular Migrants Phase II
- Supporting Border and Migration Management at Airports
- Supporting Türkiye’s Efforts for Efficient Migration Management
