Türkiye 3RP Country Chapter 2023-2025 (2024 Update) [EN/TR] – Türkiye

Since 2014, Türkiye has been managing the world’s largest population of persons under temporary and international protection. As of 6 June 2024, the number of Syrians under temporary protection was around 3.1 million, almost half of whom are children and around 48 per cent are women and girls. In addition, Türkiye hosts approximately 300,000 international protection applicants and status holders from other countries. Türkiye has a proud history and geography of hosting refugees. International protection applicants and status holders in Türkiye include various nationalities, with the largest populations coming from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran.

The ongoing arrival of Afghans travelling via Iran in 2021 and the large number of unregistered Afghans already living in Istanbul and other parts of the country has constituted an area of focus.In February 2023, Türkiye was hit by two devastating earthquakes causing significant loss of life and destruction in the southeast of the country, affecting around 15,7 million citizens of the Republic of Türkiye as well as refugees.

Türkiye’s 2013 Law on Foreigners and International Protection (LFIP), and the Temporary Protection Regulation, provide an inclusive legal framework for the lawful stay, registration, documentation and access to rights and services for foreigners in Türkiye. Despite the increased burden of responding to COVID-19.

and the impacts of the earthquakes, Türkiye has continued to provide Syrians under temporary protection, international protection applicants and status holders with access to services in national systems, such as health, education, and social services, as stipulated in the LFIP, and the Temporary Protection Regulation. Türkiye’s strong legal and policy framework for temporary and international protection forms the basis of the inclusive approach pursued through the response and benefitting different nationalities of refugees, including 3RP supported activities. The framework also provides for protection procedures such as registration and, with it, access to rights and services at national, provincial, and local levels in health, education, and social services. In addition, based on the Regulation on Work Permits of Foreigners under Temporary Protection, and the Regulation on the Work of International Protection Applicants and International Protection Status Holders, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MoLSS) provides foreigners seeking asylum in Türkiye with access to formal employment opportunities through work permits.

Türkiye’s legal framework pre-dates the 2018 Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) but is nevertheless helping to implement the GCR and its vision for better international burden- and responsibility-sharing to ease the pressure on host countries, enhance refugee self-reliance and expand access to third country solutions. By providing persons under temporary and international protection with rights regarding access to public services and formal employment, Türkiye’s approach to refugee assistance has been recognised in international fora such as the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) as a global model, promoting inclusion of persons under temporary and international protection and contributing to sustainable development, and the international community has maintained its strong commitment to supporting Türkiye’s inclusive approach, including through the 3RP. Currently, close to 99 per cent of Syrians under temporary protection live in urban and rural areas across Türkiye’s 81 provinces, including the four provinces hardest hit by the earthquakes – Kahramanmaraş, Malatya, Adıyaman and Hatay – with around one per cent residing in the seven remaining Temporary Accommodation Centres (TACs) at the time of the earthquakes. The majority reside in the provinces that are in Türkiye’s southeast, as well as metropolitan cities such as İstanbul, Ankara, Bursa, İzmir and Konya, living among the host community that often face similar needs and challenges, including related to the rising costs of living.

Since the start of the Syria crisis, the Government of Türkiye has stated its willingness to host Syrians under temporary protection, shouldering the bulk of the financial costs related to the refugee response. However, as the displacement situation becomes more protracted with limited opportunities for durable solutions, Türkiye requires sustained international responsibility sharing for the refugee response considering the additional burden on Turkish communities and institutions created by the February 2023 earthquakes. The social and economic burden of hosting such a high refugee population has been exacerbated by additional disasters and challenges including COVID-19, global economic challenges impacting populations and governments everywhere, particularly in countries hosting large refugee populations, as well as the earthquakes in southeast Türkiye. The initial estimated cost to rebuild communities, livelihoods and infrastructure damaged or destroyed by the earthquake was $100 billion.9 The international community must maintain its strong support to countries like Türkiye in line with the objectives of the GCR and the principle of ‘Leaving No One Behind’ under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to maximise the positive contributions of refugees towards Türkiye’s development while addressing the needs of refugees and hosting communities.