In 2022, within the scope of its cross-border operations, IOM implemented various projects in partnership with on-ground actors in the Northwestern Syria region, covering WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), livelihoods, cash assistance, camp coordination and management, shelter, protection, and health. These projects were carried out in support of 11 planned camps in Idlib and Aleppo, managed by IOM.
IOM delivers assistance to displaced communities, provides support for climate-related risks such as fires and floods by constructing shelter units, WASH facilities, and delivers protection services. Expanding its reach to sixteen additional regions, IOM aims to reach seven more regions in 2023. IOM’s shelter units are designed to offer a living space that complies with humanitarian standards, providing durability, proper insulation, ventilation systems, and a multi-purpose open area, private WASH facilities, a kitchen, and lockable doors for up to ten years or more.
IOM constructed or repaired water and sewage systems, conducted sediment removal and solid waste management, distributed hygiene kits, and provided water tankers and hygiene support in addition to flood-preventive structures in the camps. Health services played a crucial role in the fight against cholera outbreaks. IOM’s improvement team established a system that interconnects livelihoods, nutrition, food security, and infrastructure support while emphasizing mutual assistance. This system, implemented with beneficiaries, enhances community self-governance.
Within the framework of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan, IOM delivered cash assistance support to 46,908 individuals for their market needs and winter preparedness. They distributed hygiene kits and non-food items to 172,185 people and repaired 430 shelter units for 2,358 beneficiaries. Additionally, IOM provided livelihood support to 2,958 individuals.
At Gaziantep University, through the IOM-led Innovation Center for Integration, students and refugees designed and produced prototypes for innovative projects. They also supported agricultural productivity by implementing greenhouse, livestock, and solar-powered drying projects for needy villagers. Finally, 27 local communal areas were restructured.
IOM increased service access for 89,593 migrants and refugees in Türkiye’s Southeastern Region through case management, mental health and psychosocial support, legal counseling, and Municipal Migrant and Community Centers. These efforts, conducted at individual, group, and community levels, encompass access to information, awareness campaigns, case management, counselling, and referrals for individuals and families in need, as well as mental health and psychosocial support services.
In collaboration with the Ministry of National Education, IOM provided transportation services to 6,429 students, ensured access to special education for 123 children, and delivered Turkish language courses to 826 individuals. IOM worked closely with local authorities in the Aegean Region and on the northwestern border to consider the sensitivities and meet the special needs of apprehended migrants. Among the services provided to over 70,000 migrants were food and non-food item assistance, interpretation, referral services, psychosocial support, and medical assistance.
Another part of IOM’s 2022 activities focused on data-based migration studies. Assessments were conducted for Uzbek and Turkmen migrants in Istanbul, improving the visibility and service access for persons with disabilities, Afghan, Iraqi, and Iranian migrants with international protection status, various needs of Syrian refugees in Gaziantep, and displaced Ukrainian citizens in Türkiye. A total of 9,288 migrants from 18 provinces in Türkiye were surveyed, contributing to a better understanding of migrants and migrant trends.
Starting from March 2022, IOM dispatched 849 trucks filled with relief supplies to Slovakia, Poland, and Ukraine. The IOM supply chain center in Gaziantep supplemented various products to meet the urgent needs of hundreds of thousands affected. Locally sourced items, including shelter, non-food items, WASH products, and logistical costs, totaling over 27 million dollars, were sent to local markets.