Today, the European Commission concluded the final contracts under the operational €6 billion budget of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey. The signature of the final eight contracts worth €780 million covers support for basic needs, health care, protection, municipal infrastructure as well as training, employment and business development for refugees and local vulnerable populations alike.
Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, commented: “Today's signature of the last eight contracts under the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey confirms the European Union's delivers on its pledges. In total, €6 billion in support to refugees and host communities in Turkey have been fully contracted since 2016. This is an extraordinary achievement. I would like to commend the Turkish authorities for their cooperation in this joint effort, especially in the areas of health and education. The European Union will continue to stand by refugees and host communities in Turkey.”
What has been achieved so far under the Facility for Refugees in Turkey?
Over 1.7 million refugees in Turkey receive support through the EU's biggest ever-humanitarian programme, the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN). This programme provides cash assistance to the most vulnerable Syrian refugees living in Turkey to meet basic needs.
The Conditional Cash Transfers for Education programme (CCTE), the largest EU-funded humanitarian education programme, provides support to families whose children attend school regularly. Over 620,000 refugee children go to school and will support 700,000 in 2021 thanks to this programme.
Through Facility support, over 750,000 refugee children and youth have access to school, and up to 365 schools will be built.
Over 3,400 healthcare service staff are employed in 177 migrant health centres. 13 million health care consultations have been delivered, and over 4 million vaccination doses have been provided to migrant infants and pregnant women.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis in Turkey, €98 million of support have been mobilised, in particular for the most vulnerable refugees......https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_20_2487
ReplyDeleteIn the four years since, Turkey has complained that the EU failed to allocate the full €6 billion as pledged, as well as other promises, but today’s finalization seems to complete the monetary plank of the deal.