An unprecedented €348 million humanitarian aid programme for refugees in Turkey will be rolled out from next month, the European Commission announced on Thursday 8 September.
The contract between the European Commission and the World Food Programme (WFP) for refugees in Turkey is the largest ever signed and will be financed from the Facility for Refugees in Turkey, which has a total budget of €3 billion for 2016-2017 (€1 billion from the EU budget and €2 billion from the member states).
Bringing together international emergency aid and Turkish social care, it will be known as the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN). With WFP know-how and the involvement of the Turkish government and Turkish NGOs, it will bring assistance to one million refugees between now and the first quarter of 2017, helping them meet their everyday needs. Monthly transfers of cash will be made to electronic cards given to refugees, allowing them to purchase what they most need — to feed and house their families, and to send their children to school — and providing them the dignity of choice.
The system will also boost the local economy as the money will be spent in local markets.
“Together with the World Food Programme and our Turkish partners we have developed an innovative system that can deliver what people need, where it is needed most, and in the most effective way possible. This is a game changer in the delivery of international humanitarian aid”, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Commissioner Christos Stylianides told the press on Thursday.
The programme was devised and will be put into operation by the WFP in close cooperation with the Turkish Red Crescent, building upon the expertise of the Turkish Ministry of Family and Social Policy under the coordination of the Turkish National Disaster Management Authority (AFAD).
Of the €3 billion in the Facility for Refugees in Turkey, €2.239 billion has already been allocated, for both humanitarian and non-humanitarian purposes. Of this sum, €652 million has already gone to humanitarian and non-humanitarian project contracts (with €181 million already disbursed). This contract with the WFP comes on top of €164 million already contracted for humanitarian aid. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)