EUROPEAN COMMISSION Brussels, 24.5.2022 COM(2022) 243 final COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Sixth Annual Report on the Facility for Refugees in Turkey



Contents 1. Introduction 1.1. Turkey and the refugee crisis 1.2. The EU response to the crisis and the establishment of the Facility 2. The functioning of the Facility 3. Financial capacity, duration and nature of funding 4. Implementation of the Facility 5. Monitoring & evaluation 6. Audit 7. Communication and visibility 8. Conclusion and next steps 1.Introduction In accordance with Article 8 (1) of the Commission Decision of 24 November 2015 on the coordination of the actions of the Union and of the Member States through a coordination mechanism ("the Decision"), the Commission shall keep the European Parliament and the Council regularly informed about the implementation of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey (hereinafter 'the Facility'). Article 8 (2) of the Decision provides that the Commission shall report annually to the European Parliament and to the Council on the implementation of the Facility. The first Annual Report on the Facility was published in March 2017. All Annual Reports can be found on the Facility for Refugees website. The cut-off date for this report is February 2022. 1.1.Turkey and the refugee crisis Due to its geographic position, Turkey is a prominent reception and transit country for refugees and migrants. The country has been hosting more than four million refugees, the highest number in the world. This includes more than 3.7 million registered Syrian refugees, and 330 000 registered refugees and asylum seekers mainly from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Somalia . This very large number of people has had a significant impact on the host communities. The protracted displacement of Syrian refugees and the increasing number of irregular arrivals from Afghanistan in Turkey, following the crisis in Summer 2021, is posing increasing challenges on social cohesion between refugees, migrants and host communities, especially in a context characterised by the economic downturn and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour market. Turkey continues to make very significant efforts in hosting and addressing the needs of more than four million refugees and migrants and has reiterated its commitment to the implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement of March 2016. Contrary to expectations, Turkey did not face a mass influx of migrants and refugees as a consequence of the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. However, pressure continues along the Turkish-Iranian border. The Statement continued to deliver concrete results in 2021 in reducing irregular and dangerous crossings and in saving lives in the Aegean Sea. However, in 2021, arrivals of irregular migrants increased on most routes in comparison to 2020; with 11 865 or by 92% in Cyprus, with 12 916 or more than 200% in Italy, and by 936 or more than 300 % in Bulgaria. However, arrivals to Greece decreased to 7 443, a drop of 47%. The increases in 2021 could be partially due to the lifting of measures taken by countries in the region in 2020 to contain the pandemic. Furthermore, although resettlement of refugees to EU Member States resumed after a short break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Turkey has maintained the suspension of returns from the Greek islands imposed in March 2020. The European Council of March and June 2021 recalled the European Union’s strategic interest in a stable and secure environment in the Eastern Mediterranean and in the development of a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with Turkey. EU leaders offered to nurture a more positive dynamic in EU-Turkey relations. To this end, they expressed readiness to engage with Turkey in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner in a number of areas of common interest, including migration. An EU-Turkey High Level Dialogue on migration and security took place in Ankara in October 2021.

The June 2021 European Council called on the Commission to put forward without delay formal proposals for the continuation of financing for Syrian refugees and host communities in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and other parts of the region, in line with the statement of the Members of the European Council of March 2021 and within the context of the EU’s overall migration policy. The Commission mobilised EUR 3 billion from the EU budget for 2021-2023. It mobilised EUR 860 million at the end of 2021 to provide support in the areas of basic needs, education and migration management. As with the second tranche of the Facility, programming of the 2021-2023 EUR 3 billion package should continue to reflect the shift from humanitarian support to development assistance. 1.2.The EU response to the crisis and the establishment of the Facility In 2015, the European Union and its Member States decided to step up their political and financial engagement to support Turkey in its efforts to host refugees. In answer to the call from EU Member States for significant additional funding to support refugees in Turkey, the Commission established the Facility for Refugees in Turkey by means of the Commission Decision of 24 November 2015, amended on 10 February 2016, and again on 14 March and 24 July 2018. The Facility is a mechanism to coordinate the mobilisation of resources made available under both the EU budget and additional contributions from Member States integrated into the EU budget as external assigned revenue. Member States committed politically to provide national contributions in the framework of the Common Understanding between EU Member States and the European Commission, which was adopted by the representatives of the governments of the Member States on 3 February 2016, and updated on the occasion of the agreement on the second tranche of the Facility. The Common Understanding also established a conditionality framework. For the first tranche of the Facility (2016-2017) a total of EUR 3 billion was allocated. The EUR 3 billion was made available in addition to EUR 345 million already allocated by the Commission to Turkey in response to the Syrian refugee crisis before the start of the Facility and was additional to Member States' bilateral aid. An additional EUR 3 billion was made available for the second tranche of the Facility (2018-2019) taking the Facility total to EUR 6 billion. The Facility became operational on 17 February 2016 with the first meeting of the Facility Steering Committee. Following this meeting, the Commission moved rapidly to contract the first projects under the Facility. By 31 December 2020, the Commission had contracted the full operational envelope of the Facility. Out of a total of EUR 6 billion, over EUR 4.6 billion has been disbursed to date. On 18 March 2016, the Heads of State and Government of the European Union and Turkey reconfirmed their commitment to the implementation of their Joint Action Plan and agreed further measures aimed at deepening Turkey-EU relations and addressing the migration crisis. Turkey and the European Union recognised that further, swift and determined efforts were needed. More specifically, the EU-Turkey Statement of 18 March 2016 (hereafter ‘the Statement’) called inter alia for putting an end to irregular migration from Turkey to the EU by breaking the business model of the smugglers and offering migrants an alternative to putting their lives at risk, and for the speeding up of the implementation of the Facility. The total number of arrivals from Turkey into Greece, Italy and Bulgaria in 2021 was 21 295 compared to 18 402 in 2020 (16% increase). 7 443 arrivals were recorded to Greece in comparison to 13 979 in 2020 (47% decrease); 12 916 to Italy compared to 4 191 in 2020 (more than 200% increase) and 936 to Bulgaria compared to 232 in 2020 (more than 300% increase). The migratory route from Turkey to Cyprus remained very active. In 2021, the total number of irregular arrivals to the government-controlled areas of Cyprus was 11 685 (10 918 after having crossed the Green Line from the non–government controlled areas) which is a 92% increase compared to 2020. Turkey continued to face considerable migratory pressure, which, after a drop in 2020 as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, increased again in 2021. Since March 2021, the monthly apprehension figure inside Turkey has been higher compared with the respective reporting periods in 2020. Implementation of the ‘One-for-One’ resettlement scheme under the Statement continued. Between April 2016 and February 2022, 32 562 Syrian refugees were resettled from Turkey to the EU. Since 2016, under the Statement, 2 140 migrants have been returned from the Greek islands to Turkey. As the Turkish authorities have not revoked their decision of March 2020 to suspend return operations under the Statement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no return operations took place in 2021. Although resettlements from Turkey resumed as of July 2020, returns from Greece remain suspended. Responding to repeated requests from the Greek authorities and the European Commission regarding the resumption of return operations, Turkey has stated that no return operation would take place unless the alleged pushbacks along the Turkish-Greek border stop and Greece revokes its decision to consider Turkey a Safe Third Country. The Voluntary Humanitarian Admissions Scheme, which is expected to be activated once irregular crossings between Turkey and the EU end or at least have been substantially and sustainably reduced, has not yet been activated by Member States. COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact in Turkey. At the outbreak of the crisis in Turkey in March 2020, the Commission contacted the Turkish authorities to inquire whether any specific EU support to their response was required. They confirmed their intention to continue with the projects under the Facility and the regular bilateral Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA), as originally programmed. In close consultation with the Turkish authorities, the Commission agreed to the mobilisation of Facility savings for COVID-19 related purposes in the form of top-ups to existing projects rather than new projects. The Commission also contacted Facility implementing partners for their assessment of the COVID-19 fall-out for Facility projects. Further to this consultation, the implementation period for projects under the 2016 EUR 1.6 billion Special Measure was extended to June 2025, which should allow for all projects concerned to reach their stated objectives. By end-2021, some EUR 83 million had been redirected to health care interventions and socio-economic support measures to mitigate the COVID-19 impact under the Facility for Refugees (out of a total of EUR 133 million of EU redirected interventions under all EU financial instruments). Actions included the activation of a EUR 4.7 million contingency reserve of the SIHHAT I project to equip Migrant Health Centres with protective equipment and disinfectants. Furthermore, under the humanitarian leg of the Facility, over EUR 63 million was reallocated to provide a humanitarian response following COVID-19 throughout a range of projects. In particular, both the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) and the Conditional Cash Transfer for Education (CCTE) provided top-up cash support for their beneficiaries. Under the ESSN, two top-ups of 500 Turkish Lira (TL) each were provided in the month of June and July 2020 for more than 1.75 million individual refugees (308 000 households), for a total of over EUR 40 million. Under the CCTE project, a top up of 85 TL was provided to all CCTE eligible beneficiaries regardless of age and grade as a one-off payment on 30 November 2020. In total, 518,794 children benefited from this extra top up. In addition, cash assistance to approximately 88,779 households (414,459 individuals) non-ESSN beneficiary households was also provided through a nationwide operation implemented by UNHCR together with the Directorate General for Migration Management (DGMM), with a EUR 16.7 million contribution from humanitarian funding outside the Facility. Under the EU Trust Fund in Response to the Syria Crisis, COVID-19 assistance focused on procurement of personal protective equipment, online and distance learning, job-placements and psychosocial support.

2.The functioning of the Facility The Facility is a coordination mechanism that allows for the swift, effective and efficient mobilisation of EU assistance to refugees in Turkey. The Facility ensures the optimal mobilisation of existing EU financing instruments, as humanitarian and/or development assistance, to address the needs of refugees and host communities in a comprehensive and coordinated manner. The Steering Committee of the Facility provides strategic guidance on the priorities, the type of actions to be supported, the amounts to be allocated and the financing instruments to be mobilised and - when appropriate - on the conditions relating to the implementation of Turkey’s commitments under the EU-Turkey Joint Action Plan of 29 November 2015 (hereafter the ‘Joint Action Plan’). In 2021, the sixth year of implementation of the Facility, two Steering Committee meetings took place, on 30 June 2021 and 17 December 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic these meetings were held virtually. The key principles guiding the Facility's implementation are speed, efficiency and effectiveness, while ensuring sound financial management. Sustainability of Facility interventions and co-ownership by the Turkish authorities are also important. The identification of priority areas for assistance was based on a comprehensive and independent needs assessment, paying particular attention to vulnerable groups. The needs assessment was updated in 2018. The Facility coordinates financing from the following external financing instruments: humanitarian aid, the European Neighbourhood Instrument, the Development Cooperation Instrument, the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance, and the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace. Measures financed by the Union's budget are implemented in accordance with its financial rules and regulations applicable to both direct and indirect management. Implementation of assistance is conditional upon strict compliance by Turkey with the undertakings of the Joint Action Plan and the Statement. 3.Financial capacity, duration and nature of funding The total budget coordinated by the Facility is EUR 6 billion, mobilised in two tranches. Projects under the ﬁrst tranche and under the second tranche run until mid-2025 at the latest (with many projects of the first tranche already completed and most projects ﬁnishing earlier). Exceptionally, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation period for projects under the 2016 EUR 1.6 billion Special Measure was further extended until June 2025, allowing for all projects concerned to reach their stated objectives. The first tranche amounted to EUR 3 billion, of which EUR 1 billion was mobilised from the EU budget and EUR 2 billion in bilateral contributions from the Member States. Likewise, the second tranche amounted to EUR 3 billion, of which the EU budget provided EUR 2 billion and the Member States EUR 1 billion. As concerns EU budget resources, of the EUR 1 billion from the EU budget for 2016-2017, EUR 250 million was mobilised in 2016 and EUR 750 million in 2017. Of the EUR 2 billion from the EU budget for 2018-2019, EUR 550 million was mobilised in 2018, with the balance mobilised in 2019.

As for Member States’ contributions, for the first tranche, Member States contributed EUR 677 million to the Facility in 2016, EUR 847 million in 2017, EUR 396 million in 2018 and EUR 80 million in 2019. For the second tranche, Member States contributed EUR 68 million in 2018, EUR 202 million in 2019, EUR 265 million in 2020, and EUR 166 million in 2021, with the remaining payments planned until 2023. Member States' contributions are made directly to the EU Budget in the form of external assigned revenue pursuant to Article 21(2)(a)(ii) of the Financial Regulation and assigned to the budget lines of the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance and of the Humanitarian Aid. A satisfactory match between the rate of Member States' payments of their contributions into the Facility and the rate of disbursements financed by those contributions from the Facility continues. Under the humanitarian strand of the Facility, EUR 19.50 million was earmarked as buffer capacity for possible funding of responses to the influx of new refugees from Syria in 2019. Since the buffer was not used in 2019, this amount was contracted in 2020 to cover health and protection actions, completing the programming exercise for the second tranche. By 31 December 2021, the Commission had contracted the full operational envelope of the Facility. Out of a total of EUR 6 billion, more than EUR 4.6 billion had been disbursed. Additional EU assistance to refugees in Turkey, outside the framework of the Facility In 2020, the Commission allocated EUR 535 million to support humanitarian actions in Turkey outside the framework of the Facility. This amount included EUR 50 million to continue assistance in the areas of protection, health and education, and EUR 485 million under an Amending Budget to continue the Emergency Social Safety Net and the Conditional Cash Transfer for Education programmes. Furthermore, in 2020, under the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP), a programme worth EUR 11 million was adopted in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to contribute to the harmonisation of migrants with different legal status in line with Turkey’s National Action Plan on Harmonisation and EU approaches. Further to the European Council conclusions of June 2021, the Commission proposed to mobilise a further EUR 3 billion for refugees and host communities in Turkey for the period 2021-2023. The first EUR 860 million of this funding was committed in late 2021 to continue support in the priority areas of basic needs and education, and migration management and border control. EUR 90 million under the 2021 allocation under IPA, and EUR 50 million under the 2021 HOME instruments allocation, have been carried-over to 2022. Furthermore, EUR 125 million in humanitarian support has been allocated for 2022. The balance of some EUR 2 billion are to be programmed in 2022 and 2023. Total EU assistance allocated to refugees in Turkey since 2011 amounts to close to EUR 10 billion. This includes EUR 6 billion under the Facility for Refugees in Turkey, which consists of EUR 3 billion from the EU budget, and EUR 3 billion in contributions from Member States, integrated into the EU budget as external assigned revenue.

4.Implementation of the Facility The Facility is implemented as humanitarian and development assistance. Under the first tranche roughly EUR 1.4 billion and EUR 1.6 billion were allocated to the respective strands. Given the protracted nature of the Syria crisis, interventions under the second tranche increasingly focus on socio-economic support activities and the creation of livelihood opportunities. Under the second tranche, EUR 1.04 billion was allocated to humanitarian assistance, and EUR 1.9 billion to development assistance. For the Facility overall, the breakdown of humanitarian and development assistance is as follows: Full details can be obtained from the online projects table. Programming of the Facility was completed in December 2019, and as of end-2020 the full operational envelope of EUR 6 billion had been contracted, out of which EUR 4.6 billion had been disbursed by end-2021. It is important to note that assistance provided within the framework of the Facility is project-based. Disbursements depend on progress in the implementation of Facility interventions. Particular attention is paid to non-Syrian refugees and asylum seekers. Facility interventions always aim to involve the local communities hosting refugees. Humanitarian assistance supports the most vulnerable refugees through the provision of dignified support addressing basic needs and protection. It also addresses gaps in service provision through specialised agencies and partners in health and education in emergencies. EU humanitarian aid is guided by the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid of 2007, which stipulates that the EU as a humanitarian actor adheres to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, as set out in Article 214 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and in the Humanitarian Aid Regulation (No. 1257/96) (No. 1257/96),. Under the humanitarian strand of the Facility, a total of 65 projects have been implemented through 21 partners under both the first and the second tranche. These projects aim to cover the response to basic needs, protection, education, and health for the most vulnerable refugees in Turkey. Under the first tranche around EUR 1.4 billion was allocated and contracted in humanitarian assistance and EUR 1.3 billion was disbursed, while for the second tranche, EUR 1.04 billion has been contracted and by 31 January 2021, EUR 964 million was disbursed. Development assistance supports the longer-term needs in the fields of health, education and socio-economic development of refugees, notably in terms of access to public services and livelihood opportunities, and municipal infrastructure. It also focuses on vulnerable groups and includes a gender dimension in its interventions, e.g. protection of women and girls against sexual and gender based violence and improving access to sexual and reproductive health care. Under the development strand of the Facility, the implementation of 26 projects contracted under the first tranche continued to show good progress. Of these projects, 15 were implemented under the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis (EUTF) for a total of EUR 293 million, in addition to the allocation managed directly through the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance. Disbursements to implementing partners reached EUR 2.22 billion out of a total of EUR 3.5 billion allocated to development assistance under both tranches of the Facility. Under the second tranche, the allocated EUR 1.9 billion was fully contracted in December 2020, out of which EUR 730 million had been disbursed by end-December 2021. Under the development strand of the Facility there are 17 contracts.

Facility interventions per priority area Progress per priority area in the implementation of assistance financed under both tranches of the Facility is reported on in the biannual Facility Monitoring Reports: Education The Facility has allocated more than EUR 1.5 billion to the priority area of education, including EUR 545 million for educational infrastructure. Under the humanitarian strand of the Facility, more than EUR 181 million was allocated to education. The Conditional Cash Transfer for Education (CCTE) programme continues to be successfully implemented, and supports school enrolment and attendance of refugee children through the provision of bi-monthly payments to refugee families, on the condition that pupils attend school regularly. The CCTE programme is currently financed until August 2022, following the EUR 85 million top-up provided under the Amending Budget agreed by the EU budgetary authority in July 2020. As of December 2021, 760,858 children had benefitted from at least one CCTE payment. Additionally, children benefited from child protection services to ensure continued school enrolment and attendance, 11,567 children participated in socio-emotional skills and social cohesion activities, while 351 school staff and 849 parents engaged in anti-bullying training from UNICEF. As concerns Facility development assistance, the implementation of a follow-up direct grant (known as PIKTES) to the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) of EUR 400 million continued. PIKTES supports efforts by the Ministry to increase the integration and access to high-quality education for Syrian children. By the end of June 2021, just over 701,000 Syrian children were enrolled in formal education. Of these, over 30,000 were in pre-primary, over 322,000 were in the primary, 251,323 in lower secondary, and 96,361 in upper secondary level. By mid-2021, 46,766 refugee children had received catch-up training and 60,472 refugee children received back-up training with Facility support. In terms of support to the education system’s teaching capacity, almost 7,000 teaching staff and support staff members were employed or remunerated through PIKTES between January and June 2021. During the first half of 2021 PIKTES trained 3,500 teachers in on-line teaching and the preparation of digital education materials. The number of refugee and host community students who received Facility-supported scholarships to attend Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) or higher education institutions increased by 3,700 to almost 13,300. The majority of these students were refugees. Gender balance was maintained. Most scholarships (some 12,000) allowed secondary school students to attend technical and vocational courses at Technical and Vocational High Schools and Vocational Education Centres (VECs). The Facility has continued to support educational infrastructure development and reduce school overcrowding. There was significant progress in the number of educational facilities upgraded and completed. A major achievement in upgrading was the installation of 8,700 smartboards to primary and secondary schools. To date, over 12,000 facilities have been upgraded with Facility support. In addition, a total of 117 schools were constructed and the delivery of education services was started in 108 schools. A EUR 40 million clean energy project contracted under the first tranche aims to provide energy via two solar farms and rooftop panels to 120 schools. Roof top installation for three schools has been completed and an average of 90% progress was achieved on another 48 schools. In addition, rehabilitation works to increase the energy efficiency of another 41 schools started and by year end 70% progress was recorded. Protection A total of some EUR 212 million has been allocated to protection under the Facility, mainly via projects under the humanitarian strand. The humanitarian strand of the Facility has supported the registration and verification of refugees to regularise their status in Turkey and facilitate their access to services. In addition to stand-alone protection interventions aimed to fill gaps and respond to specific needs and individuals at risk, protection has also been mainstreamed into the other pillars of the humanitarian response strategy (basic needs, health and education). The overall aim is to better address refugees’ vulnerabilities, regularise their status and link them to a wider network of public and UN/NGO services. In addition, projects financed through the EU Trust Fund in response to the Syrian Crisis included assistance to the reception of refugees in community centres and further referrals for vulnerable refugees to adequate services. Under the development strand Special Measure of July 2019, a direct grant to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services for an amount of EUR 20 million was contracted at the end of 2020. The project aims to improve the provision of preventive and protective social services to the most vulnerable refugees and host community members. Health

Under the Facility EUR 800 million has been allocated to the priority area of health. The main pillar of Facility support is the SIHHAT project, a direct grant with the Turkish Ministry of Health (MoH), in two instalments of EUR 300 million and EUR 210 million respectively. SIHHAT supports the Ministry in its efforts to provide free and equitable access to healthcare to 4 million refugees. The number of functional Migrant Health Centres (MHCs) has reached 180 and 4,091 healthcare personnel are currently on the payroll of the project, with 79% of them of Syrian origin. The pace of project implementation continues to be satisfactory with tangible results in the field. The contingency reserve of SIHHAT 1 of EUR 4.75 million to address COVID-19-related needs was released in April 2020, and another EUR 1.6 million was allocated to remedy COVID-19 under SIHHAT 2. The follow-up project SIHHAT 2 (EUR 210 million) is ongoing with the MoH since early 2021 to ensure synchronisation with the end of SIHHAT 1 and the continuation of refugee health care services until end-2023. Hospital construction projects in Dortyol/Hatay and Kilis are close to completion, with progress above 95%. Moreover, a EUR 90 million contract to procure complementary small-scale health infrastructure and equipment under a project with the Council of Europe’s Development Bank (CEB) kicked off in March 2021. Concerns persist with regard to access to health services of refugees outside of their original province of registration or those on the move, which is limited to vaccinations and emergency services. This negatively affects refugees on the move, seasonal workers and refugees who settled in other provinces. The Commission closely follows the policy changes and aims to reach the refugee population affected via mobile healthcare activities under the SIHHAT project. Municipal infrastructure EUR 380 million was allocated to this priority area under the second tranche of the Facility. Projects with Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the World Bank, and the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Illbank under the EUTF aim to improve access to and the quality of municipal services in the areas of water supply, wastewater and solid waste management in areas most affected by the refugee influx. In addition, a EUR 25 million project with Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) provides recreational infrastructure in support of social cohesion. The construction of one mechanical biological waste treatment facility in Gaziantep under a EUTF project implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) finished in October 2021. Under the delegation agreement signed with the EIB, 15 works contracts have been signed and launched during 2021 for a total of EUR 42.4 million. All other projects are still at preparation level (design review, preparation of tender dossiers, etc.) Basic needs and socio-economic support More than EUR 2.83 billion has been allocated to basic needs and socio-economic support under the Facility. Interventions in this priority area aim to ensure that the basic needs of the most vulnerable refugees are met, and that refugee resilience and self-reliance are strengthened. This should allow for a gradual transition from dependence on social assistance to increased self-reliance and livelihood opportunities. Under the Facility’s basic needs assistance more than 2.6 million refugees have received support allowing them to live in dignity. Most support is provided through the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) since late 2016, a humanitarian social assistance programme that delivers monthly cash via a debit card system, now for more than 1.5 million vulnerable refugee beneficiaries. EUR 500 million in Facility funding was allocated to this flagship programme under the second tranche of the Facility and is currently being implemented by the International Federation of the Red Cross/Red Crescent (since April 2020). With a top-up of EUR 400 million outside the Facility approved by the budgetary authority in July 2020 as part of the Amending Budget referred to earlier and with additional EUR 325 million funding committed in late 2021 under the additional EUR 3 billion package for 2021-23, the continuation of ESSN support is ensured until the first quarter of 2023. Under the second tranche, the Commission signed a EUR 245 million direct grant with the Ministry of Family and Social Services to allow for the provision of monthly financial support comparable with social assistance provided to vulnerable individuals under the Turkish social security system, i.e. the Complementary ESSN (C-ESSN). Following a preparatory phase, payments to beneficiaries started in July 2021 and will continue at least until mid-2022. The project runs in parallel with the ESSN and provides support to households with single parents, the elderly and disabled, and severely disabled individuals. The EU Delegation and ECHO’s field office staff are holding regular meetings to coordinate the parallel implementation of the ESSN and the C-ESSN. Additional socio-economic support continues to be provided to refugees with a profile that would enable them to access the labour market. This support aims to increase refugee employability and provides for vocational and skills training, language training, job counselling, on-the-job training programmes and the simplification of the work permits process to support both Syrian refugees and host communities. Small grants to entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship training are provided to both Syrian refugee and host community start-ups and existing entrepreneurs in cooperation with the Small and Medium-sized Industry Development Organisation of Turkey (KOSGEB) and the Turkish Development and Investment Bank (TKYB). A further project currently implemented by the World Bank supports the development and implementation of a female-led social entrepreneurship model to provide a sustainable income generating activity for both vulnerable Syrian refugees and Turkish women. Two further projects aim to support employment in agriculture. Projects should run until mid-2025 at the latest. Migration management The Facility has funded two projects in this priority area under the first tranche for a total of EUR 80 million. A first project provided EU support to strengthen the capacity of the Turkish Coast Guard to carry out search and rescue operations. The second project aimed to support the Directorate General for Migration Management (DGMM) in its management of returns from the EU. Both projects have been completed. Gender aspects within projects under the Facility The Commission is committed to implement the EU Gender Action Plan III “Together towards a gender equal world 2021-2025” on strengthening gender equality and women’s empowerment in EU external action. In this context, the promotion, protection and fulfilment of human rights for women and girls, gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment are overarching EU priorities and objectives, which guide Facility interventions. More specifically, the humanitarian strand of the Facility is governed by DG ECHO’s 2013 gender policy ‘Gender in Humanitarian Aid: different needs, adapted response’. This implies calls on partners to conduct gender analysis at the onset of a programme, to adapt programme design and implementation according to the differential risks and opportunities facing gender groups, and report on results with gender-disaggregated data.

As a result, gender-related issues are taken into account for all Facility projects and are mainstreamed. For the humanitarian strand, a Gender and Age Marker (GAM) has been implemented. Facility interventions are designed to promote the provision of equal opportunities for men and women, boys and girls. Gender disaggregated data are collected for monitoring purposes. The Revised Results Framework, launched in 2020, continues to disaggregate data from all relevant indicators (76 indicators) by gender as reported bi-annually in the Facility Monitoring Report. Gender mainstreaming is combined with dedicated actions that have been developed to ensure progress in this area. The Facility works with implementing partners that have solid experience with this approach and have the capacity to engage in dialogue with the Turkish authorities. These include the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN Women, UNFPA, and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). As a specific contribution to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, the Facility overachieved its target regarding Antenatal Care (ANC) consultation. A total of 97% of refugee women received one or more ANC consultations, with the majority receiving three or more ANC consultations. Also, the percentage of post-partum women who received at least one Postnatal Care (PNC) consultation has been increasing by 50% since 2018 thanks to the Facility support, while the proportion of reproductive age refugee women expressing an unmet need for reproductive health services decreased by 18%. The health services to refugees are provided through the SIHHAT project, which operates some 180 Migrant Health Centres across Turkey. 5.Monitoring & evaluation The monitoring and evaluation system of the Facility was designed to be gradually rolled out and continuously improved. Monitoring The Facility Results Framework reflects the strategic framework of the Facility itself as well as the actions implemented under the umbrella of the Facility and their logical frameworks. The latest Results Framework and the Facility Theory of Change were shared with the Facility Steering Committee in December 2021. Reporting on Facility achievements continued on a bi-annual basis via the comprehensive Facility Monitoring Report. The latest report covering the period until June 2021 can be accessed on the DG NEAR website. In implementing Facility monitoring and reporting tasks the Commission continues to be supported by a technical assistance team (SUMAF). By end-December 2021, 193 monitoring missions had been completed: six results oriented monitoring missions (ROM), 72 technical assistance missions, and 115 on-the-spot checks/monitoring missions had been carried out; 65% of these missions focused on contracts under direct management. Monitoring of actions financed under the Humanitarian Implementation Plans (HIPs) was undertaken by DG ECHO field staff in Turkey and the regional DG ECHO office in Amman as well as by monitoring visits from HQ staff. By end-February 2021, 90 monitoring missions had been completed. Strategic Mid-term Evaluation The strategic mid-term evaluation of the Facility covered the conception, design and implementation period of the first tranche, from its inception in late 2015 up to early 2021 when the evaluation was finalised. The overall assessment of the evaluation stated that the Facility was unprecedented in scale and reach, and was mobilised quickly, largely meeting the needs of refugees. It made a major contribution to the basic needs of refugees, and enabled a faster government scale-up of health and education services than would have otherwise been the case. The evaluation found that the Facility partnered well with its government partners, despite sometimes challenging modalities, and that it can be considered a model for refugee operations demonstrating practical support and solidarity with refugees in Turkey. The evaluation found that whilst the transition from emergency to development was largely smooth, the uncertainty about future funding has compromised the ability to plan effectively. The report concludes that more needs to be done to reach some refugees that are least likely to access assistance and recommends increased access to services for underserved refugees and measures to mitigate social tensions for refugees. The report also includes a concise executive summary and a section on the Facility’s COVID-19 response. The report was presented to the June 2021 Steering Committee and to the wider public at an event in early July. Details of the evaluation can be accessed under the below link: https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/strategic-mid-term-evaluation-facility-refugees-turkey-2016-201920_en Evaluation 6.Audit Following the issuing of the Special Report on the Facility of the European Court of Auditors (ECA) in November 2018, the Commission has continued the implementation of its recommendations. Good progress has been made on all recommendations, in particular as concerns the development of a transition strategy, the complementarity of instruments mobilised under the Facility and the reduction of indirect support costs. 7.Communication and visibility The 2017 communication strategy remains the overall framework for communication activities, aimed to enhance the visibility of Facility-funded actions. Several TV episodes titled “New Beginning” were broadcast on CNNTurk featuring ten different human interest stories together with projects under the Facility. The episodes were put on the EU Delegation’s YouTube channel with English subtitles and are also available as a playlist. A quantitative survey was carried out to assess public perception (including that of refugees) of EU support to refugees in Turkey. EU humanitarian aid under the Facility, together with its partner organisations, produced and disseminated a variety of communication products targeting EU and Turkish audiences, including eight videos, three local press releases that generated media coverage in Turkey, and one blog story. Events and ceremonies At the occasion of World Refugee Day, the Facility secretariat hosted a one-week online film festival, featuring films highlighting the lives of refugees. These speak of various aspects of refugees’ lives; for example, their journeys of establishing themselves in new and previously foreign places, their obstacles and hurdles in building a new life while maintaining their identity in a new country, as well as their experiences building new relationships and taking on new challenges. The films were available for streaming throughout Belgium from 20-26 June 2021 and included documentaries, live action productions, including short, medium and full-length entries. In parallel, the EU Delegation in Ankara organised a video mapping event at the Galata Tower in Istanbul. The videos of this event, as well as promotion of the film festival, were featured on the EU Delegation’s and NEAR’s social media channels. Events and missions were organised in several cities with the Head of Delegation, Deputy Head of Delegation and Head of Operations present. Furthermore, events, stories, videos and publications were produced by implementing partners. These included a tree planting ceremony in a school constructed with EU funds, a handover ceremony of ambulances to the Ministry of Health, videos procuded by the SIHHAT project, as well as stories on Facility projects by the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, and other partners. Stories were published by implementing partners on their social media channels and were shared by the EU Delegation. Media presence A social media campaign was organised for the 2021 Syria Conference, featuring videos focusing on the sectors covered under the Facility, as well as a livestreaming on Facebook and Twitter in English and Turkish. Five videos featuring five sectors under the Facility were produced and shared on social media accounts. Furthermore, two stories on health services and hospital construction have been published on the EU Delegation’s website.