Turkey

Turkey hosts the largest refugee and asylum seeker population in the world – just over four million – nearly 3.7 million of whom are Syrian.*

Around 90 per cent of Syrian refugees in Turkey live in precarious conditions outside camp settings with insufficient access to basic public services.

We provide financial and technical support to local NGOs working with refugees and asylum seekers in Turkey. Teams in Turkey also give remote support to medical staff in Syria.

*UNHCR Refugee Statistics, 2021

Our activities in Turkey in 2020

Data and information from the International Activity Report 2020.

23

Staff in 2020 (full-time equivalent)

€0.7 M

0.7M

Expenditure in 2020

1999

Year MSF first worked in the country

MSF in Turkey in 2020 Turkey hosts the largest refugee population in the world – over four million – including more than 3.6 million Syrian nationals.*

In 2020, MSF continued to provide support to a local organisation, the Citizens’ Assembly, which works with migrants and refugees in Turkey.

The Citizens’ Assembly Nefes Centre runs support and advisory services in Istanbul for migrants and refugees who have suffered ill-treatment.

We also responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by distributing hygiene kits, blankets, and plastic sheeting to 2,000 families.

As well as offering technical and financial support to local NGOs, we continue to engage in efforts to renew our registration to operate directly.

*United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, 2020