Refugees in Turkey will receive additional humanitarian aid of € 127 million, which will be released by the European Commission to ensure the continuity of the Emergency Social Assistance Plan (ESSN).
A statement from the European executive states that this new EU funding is intended to ensure the continuity of the Emergency Social Assistance Plan (ESSN), which forms part of the EU’s agreement with Turkey regarding the hosting of Syrian refugees.
With this funding, the EU’s total contribution to this major humanitarian program increases to € 1.125 billion.
Through the Social Adaptation Assistance program, assistance is provided to immigrants living in Turkey outside the camps under international protection with temporary protection status.
Under the program, refugees can receive cash assistance of 120 Turkish Lira per person per month to help secure their most basic needs.
“The EU is upholding its commitments to Turkey and the most vulnerable refugees. Our new funding will allow us to reach more than 1.6 million refugees, helping them to live in dignity in Turkey. Our financial assistance programme is a success story of innovation in humanitarian aid and has given many families a chance to build a secure future after having fled the war in Syria,” said Christos Stylianides, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.
The EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey was set up in 2015 in response to the European Council’s call for significant additional funding to support Syrian refugees in Turkey. It has a total budget of €6 billion divided into two equal tranches of €3 billion each.
Out of the funds of €6 billion, over €5.6 billion has been allocated, over €3.5 billion contracted and over €2.4 billion has already been disbursed, with over 80 projects already rolled out. EU humanitarian aid in Turkey focuses on supporting the most vulnerable refugees through projects in health, education, protection and meeting basic needs, the EU said in a statement.
