The European Commission has mobilised €663m in humanitarian aid for refugee support in Turkey, bolstering the provision of essential services.
€600m of the funding will go towards ensuring the continuity of the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN), the EU’s largest ever humanitarian support programme, which provides vulnerable refugees living in Turkey with monthly cash transfers to help them meet their most basic needs. Since its launch in 2016, the Emergency Social Safety Net has provided financial support to around 1.7 million refugees; enabling them to pay for food and rent, while integrating into their host societies through economic participation.
The remaining €63m allocated to refugee support in Turkey will go towards ensuring refugees receive continued access to essential services such as healthcare, protection services and education provision, through the EU’s Facility for Refugees in Turkey. Funding provided by the EU will enable more than half a million child refugees living in Turkey to attend school regularly and provide catch-up education services to around 20,000 refugee children who do not currently attend school.
Christos Stylianides, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, said: “EU support has made a real impact for refugees hosted in Turkey. Thanks to EU support, around 1.7 million refugees can meet their basic needs, and more than half a million refugee children go to school. These results speak for themselves. I would like to thank our humanitarian partners on the ground for making EU assistance in Turkey a success story. The EU is committed to continue delivering on its commitments in line with the EU-Turkey statement.”
The Emergency Social Safety Net is currently implemented by the United Nations World Food Programme, in partnership with the Turkish Red Crescent. From 1 April 2020, the Turkish Red Crescent will partner with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to continue delivery of the programme.
