Situation in Numbers
9.1 million
People in Need
2.5 million
Children in Need
3 million
People Targeted by UNICEF
1.5 million
Children Targeted by UNICEF
*IA Flash Appeal, UNICEF Turkiye HAC
Highlights
• On 20 February 2023, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Hatay in southern Turkiye causing renewed fear and further destruction after the earthquakes of 6 February. As of 21 February, 42,310 deaths have been confirmed. The Government of Türkiye has declared a three-month state of emergency in the 10 worst affected provinces2 and requested international support as it leads the national response effort.
• Over one million people are staying in temporary accommodation2 , facing adverse winter conditions. As of 22 February, over 1,874 unaccompanied children have been identified3 . Schools across the country have resumed from 20 February, except for those in the 10 provinces, where school opening is postponed to 1 March 2023.
• As of 22 February, UNICEF has reached nearly 277,000 people, including over 163,000 children, with critical supplies including hygiene kits and nonfood items such as winter clothes, electrical heaters, blankets etc.
• UNICEF, through its partners, reached 5,100 children with psychological first aid and recreational activities in Gaziantep, Kilis, Mardin, Diyarbakir and Sanliurfa provinces.
• 3,000 young volunteer, from Ministry of Youth and Sports, who were trained by UNICEF, have been mobilized and are delivering aid and providing information on services available to children and families in affected provinces.
• As of 22 February, UNICEF has received US$15.2 million against the funding requirement of US$ 196 million to reach 3 million people, including 1.5 million children, with critical supplies, water sanitation and hygiene, health and nutrition, child protection, education and humanitarian cash support.
Funding Overview and Partnerships
Under the UNICEF Türkiye Earthquake Response Humanitarian Action for Children 2023 (HAC) UNICEF urgently requires US$196 million to reach 3 million people, including 1.5 million children who have been affected by the 6 February earthquakes. As of 22 February, there is a funding gap of 92 percent against this ask. UNICEF is grateful for the quick reprogramming and, generous new contributions from the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (BPRM), the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), European Union, including European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the Government of Japan, Kreditanstalt Fur Wiederaufbau (KFW)the UNICEF national committees for Türkiye, USA, UK, Germany and Denmark and global humanitarian thematic funding, which has enabled immediate provision of critical supplies and services to children and families affected by the earthquake.
Continued and rapid provision of funding will be instrumental to ensuring life-saving WASH, health and nutrition, child protection, education and humanitarian cash support to vulnerable children, adolescents and families affected by the earthquake. Flexible contributions will be critical to enable UNICEF to complement the Government-led response and promptly respond to current and increasing humanitarian needs.
Under the leadership of the Government of Türkiye and within the interagency framework for the earthquake response, UNICEF will work with key humanitarian partners – Government and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), through established interagency mechanisms. Consultations are going with the Ministry of Interior Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), Presidency of Migration Management (PMM) and key ministries including the Ministry of Family and Social Services (MoFSS), Ministry of National Education (MoNE), Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYs), and Ministry of Health (MoH). Through its long-standing presence in Türkiye, UNICEF has already established partnerships with five municipalities (Ankara, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Killis, Yuregir) and the union of municipalities, in the earthquake affected provinces which will be scaled up to other municipalities to deliver support to address immediate humanitarian needs of affected children and families. UNICEF is also leveraging private sector partnerships throughout Türkiye.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
Two weeks after the devastating earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6, on 20 February 2023, another 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Hatay Province in southern Türkiye causing renewed fear and further destruction to the fragile infrastructure that remained standing after the 6 February earthquakes. As of 21 February, 42,310 deaths have been confirmed. The Government of Türkiye has declared a three-month state of emergency in the 10 worst affected provinces and requested international support as it leads the national response effort.
It is estimated that at least 9.1 million people in the 11 hardest-hit provinces are in need of humanitarian assistance. Over 1 million people are currently residing in temporary accommodations centers (TACs), facing adverse winter conditions. An initial Rapid Needs Assessment Report from Relief International, reported of urgent needs for medicines, food including nutritious food for children, appropriate shelter conditions with adequate water and sanitation facilities, warm clothes, basic hygiene items, protection including mental health and psychosocial support, cash support for families and support on continuity of learning. The Government of Türkiye has requested UN agencies including UNICEF to provide critical supplies on health, water sanitation and hygiene and other basic needs.
As of 22 February 2023, 1,874 unaccompanied children have been identified, of whom 1,353 have been reunited with their families and 99 have been taken into institutional care. The hospital treatment process of 422 children continues. Altogether 1,768 children have been identified, while family tracing is continuing for 106 children. Schools across the country resumed from 20 February except for those in the 10 most affected provinces, for which school opening is postponed to 1 March 2023. Approximately 100,000 children have been transferred from earthquake affected areas to other provinces, with the majority enrolled in schools in Ankara, Mersin, Antalya, Konya and Istanbul. The MoNE continues to assess the impact of earthquake on education facilities, with plans to complete this exercise by end of February. The joint multi-sector rapid needs assessments (MIRA) led by the office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) are ongoing in the affected areas, and UNICEF have provided enumerators. Preliminary findings of the MIRA are expected around 27 February.
Source: UN Children’s Fund