With COVID-19 having affected everyone one way or another in Türkiye as seen elsewhere in the world, many already vulnerable populations have seen their situation worsen more than others, deepening inequalities already present. Failing to respond adequately to overcome some of these effects may risk widening the gap in the long term.
Türkiye hosts the largest number of refugees worldwide, some 3.7 million registered Syrian refugees and 330,000 from other nationalities. The Law on Foreigners and International Protection (endorsed in April 2013), Temporary Protection Regulation (October 2014), the Presidency of Migration Management (former Directorate General of Migration management (DGMM)1 set the main pillars of Türkiye’s national asylum system, and the rights and obligations for those who are granted protection.
The Government has included refugees, Syrian under Temporary Protection and International Protection Applicants and Beneficiaries, in public services, such as education, legal work opportunities and national health care. Still refugees in Türkiye face lack of assets, limited job opportunities resulting in often taking more precarious jobs in the informal sector, limited access to social safety nets. They were particularly vulnerable to the impact of the pandemic on the economy and the job market.
As soon as the pandemic began, the Turkish government reacted swiftly and decisively, considerably mitigating its impact. Primary reaction focused on managing the health impact of the pandemic (mobility restriction measures, social distancing and reinforcement of the health sector). Türkiye also provided a boost to the economy; mainly through social transfers extension, unemployment insurance benefit and unpaid leave subsidies. While the Turkish government’s efforts to reduce the pandemic were laudable and effective, tackling growing inequality is requiring additional action, including tailored policies towards those who have been hit the hardest and who may continue to see their situation worsen in the long term.
For such policies to be developed and implemented effectively, additional analysis on specific vulnerable groups, such as refugees, women, and children is essential to fill the lack of evidence and identify tailored policy options targeting groups with existing vulnerabilities.
This report contributes to this effort of taking stock of the impact of COVID-19 on the livelihood of refugee populations living in Türkiye. It is based on a desk review, synthetising available literature, focusing on the economic context of Türkiye during the pandemic and how refugees’ and vulnerable peoples’ livelihoods have been affected by it.
Despite some limitations in access to data and the disaggregated data on refugees, this report presents some evidence on short- and long-term impact of the pandemic and the impact and possible mitigating measures on refugees and vulnerable people in Türkiye.
The main findings are summarised below:
- Some measures were taken early by the Turkish government to mitigate the impact of the pandemic and respond to the economic shock and labour market disruptions. Türkiye provided a boost to the economy through a large economic package. The economic package, however, did not target informal workers who were not protected by labour market regulations.
- Türkiye’s economic growth performance in 2021 was strong, but poverty spread, and unemployment became more prevalent: The large credit stimulus unveiled by the government contributed to a large extent to the strong rebound of the economy, but external pressure led to the depreciation of the Turkish Lira and accelerated inflation, affecting low-income households most severely by pushing domestic food prices upward.
- Assistance programmes targeting refugees which were implemented before the pandemic continued to provide assistance to people under temporary and international protection, including cash transfers, in-kind transfers and support to education. For example, the ESSN programme, currently reaching 1.9 million refugees through a monthly cash assistance, provided an additional €325 million in December 2021 as a response to the crisis. The COVID-19 emergency cash assistance, provided by UNHCR in cooperation with PMM, reached 88,779 refugees by March 20212.
Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees