WFP Türkiye Country Brief, January/February 2023 – Türkiye

In Numbers

• 46,128 people assisted in January 2023 (pre-quake assistance)

• US$ 536,315 distributed through value vouchers

• US$ 114,468 distributed through vocational and on-the-job trainings (estimated)

• US$ 60.9 m six-month net funding requirements (March – August 2023)

Türkiye Earthquake Response*

• Following the earthquakes that struck the south of Türkiye on 6 February causing thousands of deaths and injuries and devastating damage to critical infrastructure across eleven provinces, WFP assisted quake-affected Turkish citizens and refugees with family food packages and hot meals through municipal community kitchens to help them meet their immediate food and nutrition needs. Food provision has been a critical response in areas most impacted reaching over one million vulnerable people. WFP is currently expanding the cash response implemented before the quake to support displaced families in provinces where markets are functional, through the existing social protection system.

January Operational Updates

• Under the e-voucher programme implemented in seven camps in the southeast, WFP and the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) provided 43,712 refugees, including 2,498 Ukrainians, with monthly assistance of TRY 230 (US$ 12) per person. The transfer value was increased from TRY 150 (US$ 8) in January to help in-camp refugees compensate the loss in their purchasing power resulting from high levels of inflation.

• Introduced in August 2021, the Socioeconomic Empowerment and Sustainability (SES) Programme aims to build the capacities of vulnerable refugees and members of the host communities to increase employability and self-reliance. Within the scope of the Programme, 3,386 participants completed their vocational training and 897 participants completed applied training to date. The programme is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of National Education (MoNE), The Turkish Employment Agency (ISKUR), local NGOs and several chambers of commerce and industry. In January, WFP organized vocational trainings under several sectors such as food, beverage, service and hospitality, manufacturing and IT sectors in 14 provinces. As of January 2023, the employment rate of the programme reached 45 percent.

• In partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), WFP conducts a supply chain analysis of the Turkish wheat sector. The analysis examines both internal market instabilities and external challenges such as COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of the Ukrainian crisis on the sector. WFP, along with partners, organized a series of meetings in January including with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry,
National Grain Board, the private sector, and the farmers and producers’ unions. The analysis is expected to be completed by May 2023.