Türkiye Interim Country Strategic Plan (2020 - 2022)

ICSP approved by the EB November 2019 session

Revision 01 approved by the CD in June 2020.

Revision 02 approved by the RD in November 2021.

In recent years, Türkiye has experienced the arrival of more people fleeing conflict than any other country in the world, maintaining an open policy towards refugees despite regional instability. The great majority of refugees – 3.6 million Syrians and more than 370,000 from other countries – live in host communities, with a small number living in government-run camps in the southeast.

Türkiye has earned international recognition for its response in providing a non-camp solution to the arrival of refugees; it has been consistently generous in its support to refugees, providing them with legal status, social protection and access to basic public services and the labour market.

Türkiye is on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals including those on ending poverty and hunger. However, much of the refugee population within its borders is vulnerable and in need of ongoing assistance to meet basic needs including food, shelter, health care and education.

WFP is well placed to continue helping Türkiye maintain its model response for refugees, harnessing its experience with the Government and partners at the humanitarian–development nexus. The Government and its partners recognize the innovative contributions made by WFP since 2012 in building partnerships and activities that link humanitarian response, resilience and social protection through support to refugees living in camps and the innovative Emergency Social Safety Net programme for refugees living in host communities.

Multiple lessons learned from WFP’s experience in Türkiye and the region, including insights and recommendations from recent evaluations, will guide the implementation of this interim country strategic plan.

Aligned with WFP’s Strategic Plan and contributing to the achievement of WFP Strategic Result 8, the interim country strategic plan provides a two-year strategy for supporting Türkiye's progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, delivered through five complementary activities contributing to a single strategic outcome, all linked to Sustainable Development Goal 17 and the related themes of shared learning, capacity strengthening and sustainability.

The plan also contributes to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2 thanks to WFP’s continuing participation in the multi-stakeholder partnership – led by the Government – with non-governmental organizations and the international donor community, principally the European Union.

The plan builds on WFP’s core partnership with the Government of Türkiye and the Turkish Red Crescent in order to meet the basic needs of refugees, irrespective of their gender and age, and to facilitate labour market access for populations affected by the prolonged crisis.

The plan is fully integrated with the Government’s response for the refugee population in and outside camps. It is also aligned with the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan for Türkiye for 2019–2020 and the United Nations development cooperation strategy for Türkiye for 2016–2020.