COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Fourth Annual Report on the Facility for Refugees in Turkey
Date: 2020-04-30
Institutions: Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, EU financial instrument, EU migration policy, Türkiye, activity report, aid to refugees, coordination of aid, migrant, migration control, refugee

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 30.4.2020  COM(2020) 162 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Fourth Annual Report on the Facility for Refugees in Turkey    
 
 
Table of Contents 

Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................... 1 
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 2 
1. 
Turkey and the refugee crisis ...................................................................................................... 2 
1.1. 
The EU response to the crisis and the establishment of the Facility ........................................... 3 
1.2. 
2.  The functioning of the Facility ........................................................................................................ 4 
3.  Financial capacity, duration and nature of funding ......................................................................... 5 
4.  Programming ................................................................................................................................... 6 
Implementation of the Facility ........................................................................................................ 8 
5. 
6.  Monitoring & evaluation ............................................................................................................... 14 
7.  Audit .............................................................................................................................................. 16 
8.  Communication and visibility ....................................................................................................... 16 
9.  Conclusion and next steps ............................................................................................................. 18 

 
 
 
 
 
1.  Introduction 
In accordance with Article 8 (1) of the Commission Decision of 24 November 20151 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 20172. It described 
the  functioning  of  the  Facility,  the  first  actions  undertaken  in  view  of  its  implementation, 
monitoring,  the  evaluation  system,  as  well  as  related  communication  activities.  The  second 
and third report were published in March 20183 and April 2019 respectively4. 

The cut-off date for this fourth report is  end-February 2020. It therefore does not cover the 
developments that occurred in March 2020, which will be reported on in next year’s report. 

1.1. Turkey and the refugee crisis 

Due  to  its  geographic  position,  Turkey  is  a  prominent  reception  and  transit  country  for 
refugees and migrants. As a result of an unprecedented number of people arriving in Turkey, 
mainly due to the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, the country has been hosting around 4 million 
refugees,  the  highest  number  in  the  world.  This  includes  3.6  million  registered  Syrian 
refugees5,  and  370 000  registered  refugees  and  asylum  seekers  mainly  from  Afghanistan, 
Iraq, Iran and Somalia6 7. While Turkey continues to make commendable efforts in receiving, 
supporting  and  hosting  high  numbers  of  refugees  and  migrants,  these  numbers  have  had  a 
significant impact on the host communities. The protracted displacement of Syrian refugees 
in  Turkey  is  posing  challenges  on  social  cohesion  between  refugees,  migrants  and  host 
communities.  

Turkey  continues  to  make  significant  efforts  in  hosting  and  addressing  the  needs  of  almost 
four  million  refugees.  Turkey  reiterated  its  commitment  to  the  implementation  of  the  EU-

1 Commission Decision C(2015) 9500 of 24.11.2015 on the coordination of the actions of the Union and of the 
Member  States  through  a  coordination  mechanism  –  the  Refugee  Facility  for  Turkey,  as  amended  by 
Commission Decision C(2016)855 of 10.2.2016.  
2 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-
enlargement/sites/near/files/170302_facility_for_refugees_in_turkey_first_annual_report.pdf  
3 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-
enlargement/sites/near/files/14032018_facility_for_refugees_in_turkey_second_annual_report.pdf  
4 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-
enlargement/sites/near/files/com_2019_174_f1_communication_from_commission_to_inst_en_v5_p1_1016762
.pdf  
5 3,576,370 “Syrians under Temporary Protection”  were  registered on 31.12.2019, source Turkish Directorate 
General for Migration Management: https://en.goc.gov.tr/temporary-protection27 
6 https://www.unhcr.org/tr/en/unhcr-turkey-stats  
7 A specificity of the Turkish asylum system is linked to the fact that the country has signed the 1967 New York 
Protocol  of  the  1951  Geneva  Convention  with  a  reservation.  Accordingly,  the  vast  majority  of  refugees  in 
Turkey  cannot  apply  for  fully-fledged  refugee  status  but  for  "Conditional  Refugee"  status  only,  which,  if 
granted, limits the stay in the country until the moment a recognised refugee is "resettled to a third country". 

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Turkey Statement of March 20168 and played a key role in ensuring effective management of 
migratory  flows along the Eastern Mediterranean route.   Although there  was an increase in 
irregular migration from Turkey in 2019, the Statement continued to deliver concrete results 
in reducing irregular and dangerous crossings and in saving lives in the Aegean Sea.  

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 20169, 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  revenues.  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.10  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 million11 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  aid12.  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. 

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 
crisis13. 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 the irregular migration from Turkey to the 

8 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/03/18-eu-turkey-statement/ 
9  Commission  Decision  C(2016)  60/03  of  10.02.2016  on  the  Facility  for  Refugees  in  Turkey  amending 
Commission Decision C(2015) 9500 of 24 November 2015. 
10 https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-11329-2018-INIT/en/pdf 
11  Funding  mobilised  in  the  years  2013-2015  under  the  different  external  financing  instruments,  namely  the 
Humanitarian Aid Instrument (HUMA), the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) and the Instrument 
contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP), including a number of actions implemented by the EU Trust Fund in 
Response to the Syrian Crisis (EUTF). 
12 Since the beginning of the crisis, the EU has mobilised all political and humanitarian tools at its disposal in 
support  of  the  Syrian  people,  with  EUR  17  billion  mobilised  collectively  with  EU Member  States  in 
humanitarian, development, economic and stabilisation assistance. 
13 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/03/18-eu-turkey-statement/ 

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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 implementation  of the Statement continued to play  a key  role in  the  course of 2019 in 
ensuring  that  migration  challenges  were  addressed  effectively  and  jointly  by  the  EU  and 
Turkey.  Although  there  was  an  increase  in  irregular  migration  from  Turkey  in  2019,  the 
Statement continued to deliver concrete results in reducing irregular and dangerous crossings 
and in saving lives in the Aegean Sea.  

The total number of arrivals from Turkey to the EU in 2019 was 83 333, compared to 56 560 
arrivals  recorded  in  2018  (47%  increase).  The  large  majority  of  arrivals  were  recorded  in 
Greece. 73 626 people in total arrived by sea and by land to Greece in 2019, 54% more than 
2018 (47 915). Arrivals by land in 2019 (13 456) compared to 2018 have decreased by 15% 
but  arrivals  by  sea  (60  151)  increased  by  87%.  However,  the  overall  figure  for  2019  of 
irregular migration on the Eastern Mediterranean Route remains significantly lower than the 
number of irregular migrants crossing this route in 2015 (885 386).14 

Resettlements  from  Turkey  to  the  EU  under  the  one-for-one  arrangement15  foreseen  in  the 
Statement continued. The total number of resettled persons under the EU-Turkey Statement 
since 4 April 2016 (as of December 2019) stands at 25 560 (of which 7 020 in the year 2019), 
while  1  995  migrants  have  been  returned  to  Turkey  under  the  EU-Turkey  Statement  (of 
which  189  in  2019)  and  601  under  the  Greece-Turkey  bilateral  protocol.  The  Voluntary 
Humanitarian  Admissions  Scheme  is  a  further  simplified  resettlement  scheme  envisaged 
under  the  EU-Turkey  Statement.  The  Standard  Operating  Procedures  for  the  scheme  were 
endorsed by both Turkey and the EU Member States in 2017. According to the EU-Turkey 
Statement, the scheme will be activated once irregular crossings between Turkey and the EU 
end  or  at  least  have  been  substantially  and  sustainably  reduced.  The  Commission  has 
continuously encouraged Member States to activate the Voluntary Humanitarian Admission 
Scheme. 

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 manner16. 

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  201517 

14 Frontex https://frontex.europa.eu/along-eu-borders/migratory-map/ 
15  According  to  the  EU-Turkey  Statement,  for  every  Syrian  being  returned  to  Turkey  from  Greek  islands, 
another Syrian is resettled from Turkey to the EU taking into account the UN Vulnerability Criteria. 
16 Commission Decision C(2015) 9500 of 24.11.2015, Article 2 – Objectives of the Facility.  
17 See Article 5 (1) of Commission Decision C(2015) 9500, as amended by Commission Decision C(2016)855. 

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(hereafter the ‘Joint Action Plan’). In 2019, the fourth year of implementation of the Facility, 
two Steering Committee meetings took place, on 17 May and 9 December. 

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  is  based  on  a  comprehensive  and  independent 
needs  assessment18,  paying  particular  attention  to  vulnerable  groups.  The  needs  assessment 
was updated in 201819. 

The  Facility  coordinates  financing  from  the  following  external  financing  instruments20: 
humanitarian aid21, the European Neighbourhood Instrument22, the Development Cooperation 
Instrument23,  the  Instrument  for  Pre-accession  Assistance  (IPA)24  and  the  Instrument 
contributing  to  Stability  and  Peace25.  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  of  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 run until mid-2021 at the latest and under the second tranche 
until mid-2025 at the latest (most projects will ﬁnish earlier). All operational funds have been 
committed under both tranches.  

The first tranche amounted to EUR 3 billion, from which EUR 1 billion was mobilised from 
the  EU  budget  and  EUR  2  billion  from  the  Member  States26.  Likewise,  the  second  tranche 
amounted  to  EUR  3  billion,  from  which  the  EU  budget  provided  EUR  2  billion  and  the 
Member States EUR 1 billion27.  

18 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/2016_needs_assessment_.pdf  
19 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/updated_needs_assessment.pdf  
20 The European Neighbourhood Instrument and the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) contributions 
were respectively transferred to and implemented under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance and the EU 
Trust Fund. In principle all Facility contributions to the EUTF (from IPA and to a minor extent from DCI) were 
implemented as non-humanitarian assistance. 
21 Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 concerning humanitarian aid , OJ L163, 2.7.1996, p. 1. 
22  Regulation  (EU)  No  232/2014  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  establishing  a  European 
Neighbourhood Instrument, OJ L 77, 15.3.2014, p. 27.  
23  Regulation  (EU)  No  233/2014  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  establishing  a  financing 
instrument for development cooperation, OJ L 77, 15.3.2014, p. 44. 
24 Regulation (EU) No 231/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing an Instrument for 
Pre-accession Assistance, OJ L 77, 15.3.2014, p. 11. 
25  Regulation  (EU)  No  230/2014  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  establishing  an  instrument 
contributing to stability and peace, OJ L 77, 15.3.2014, p. 1. 
26 The total distribution of Member States' contribution is available at 
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/02/03/refugee-facility-for-turkey/. 
27  https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2018/06/29/facility-for-refugees-in-turkey-member-
states-agree-details-of-additional-funding/  

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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, 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. 

4.   Programming 
The updated needs assessment28 report identified the priority needs and remaining gaps in the 
refugee response and provided a valuable guide for the programming of the second tranche of 
the Facility. It concluded that protection, basic needs and livelihoods, health, education and 
municipal infrastructure continue to be key focus areas. 

The  Updated  Strategic  Concept  Note29  set  out  to  provide  a  strategic  framework  for  the 
programming and implementation of the second tranche of the Facility, with a special focus 
on  inclusion  and  self-reliance  as  main  objectives.  The  note  confirmed  the  need  for  close 
cooperation  between  government,  development  and  humanitarian  instruments  to  identify 
more  sustainable  and  durable  solutions  in  the  context  of  a  protracted  crisis  and  beyond  the 
life-span of the Facility, and the disbursement of EUR 6 billion. This implies a strategic shift 
from humanitarian to development assistance under the Facility. Particular attention is given 
to  the  provision  of  sustainable  socio-economic  support  and  livelihood  opportunities,  and 
strengthening  the  capacity  of  host  communities  to  accommodate  refugees  while  supporting 
social  cohesion.  The  Turkish  authorities  and  the  Commission  would  work  to  ensure  the 
sustainability of the Facility’s projects, after the Facility has come to an end. Moreover, the 
Turkish  national  system  would  need  to  be  prepared  to  take  over  the  implementation  of 
Facility assistance to ensure sustainable solutions and equitable access to rights and services. 

The programming of the second tranche aimed to reflect the recommendations of the Special 
Report  on  the  Facility  of  the  European  Court  of  Auditors30,  issued  in  November  2018  (see 
also under Audit below). The Court put particular emphasis on the need for a joint strategy to 
mobilise the humanitarian and development strands of the Facility, to anticipate the transition 

28 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/updated_needs_assessment.pdf 
29 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/updated_facility_strategic_concept_note.pdf  
30 ECA report: https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/SR18_27/SR_TRF_EN.pdf 

6 

 
 
                                                           
from  Facility  funding  to  the  national  authorities  and  to  ensure  the  sustainability  of  Facility 
achievements beyond the lifespan of the Facility.  

Following the support received from  the Steering Committee in  May 2019 and the positive 
opinion  received  at  the  IPA  Management  Committee  of  July,  the  Commission  adopted  a 
Special Measure on health, protection, socio-economic support and municipal infrastructure 
for  an  overall  amount  of  EUR  1.41  billion31  funded  under  the  development  strand  of  the 
Facility.  This  allowed  the  Commission  to  start  negotiations  on  a  number  of  actions  to  be 
financed under the second tranche (see description per priority area below). It complemented 
the Special Measure on education, which was adopted by the Commission in July 2018 and 
was  amended  in  December  2018,  for  a  total  amount  of  EUR  500  million32,  also  under  the 
development strand of the Facility. 

In  October  2019,  the  IPA  Management  Committee  gave  a  positive  opinion  to  a  Support 
Measure  under  the  Facility  to  cover  the  continuation  of  interventions  related  to  monitoring 
and evaluation, audit and communication. The Measure was formally adopted in November 
2019 and amounted to EUR 11.34 million. It should provide for the continuation of activities 
started under the Support Measure funded under the first tranche, to cover also the projects 
planned and implemented under the second tranche.  

Under  the  humanitarian  strand  of  the  Facility,  the  2018  Humanitarian  Implementation  Plan 
(HIP) of EUR 50 million was fully committed and contracted through ten projects covering 
actions on health and protection. The balance of the humanitarian envelope was committed 
through the 2019 HIP,  which accounts for EUR 991.88 million33 and EUR 972 million has 
already been contracted, including the extension of the current Emergency Social Safety Net 
(ESSN 2) and the signing of a new contract  for  ESSN 3, for  which implementation should 
start  in  April  2020.  The  remaining  amount  of  EUR  19.50  million  was  earmarked  as  buffer 
capacity for possible funding of responses to the influx of new refugees from Syria. Since the 
buffer  was not  used in  2019, this  amount should be contracted in  the  first  months  of 2020. 
This should complete the programming exercise for the second tranche.  

As of 31 December 2019, the Commission has allocated the full operational envelope of the 
Facility; out of a total of EUR 6 billion, EUR 4.7 billion has been contracted, out of which 
EUR 3.2 billion has been disbursed.   

5.  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 

31 Commission Implementing Decision of 18.7.2019 on the adoption of a special measure on health, protection, 
socio-economic  support  and  municipal  infrastructure  under  the  Facility  for  Refugees  in  Turkey,  Brussels, 
18.7.2019 C(2019) 5454 final 
32 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-
enlargement/sites/near/files/amendment_c_2018_8254_f1_commission_implementing_decision_en_v3_p1_100
1796.pdf 
33 The remainder of the humanitarian envelope is for administrative and support costs, which are not included in 
HIPs. 

7 

 
 
                                                           
increasingly  focus  on  socio-economic  support  activities  and  the  creation  of  livelihood 
opportunities. Under the second tranche, EUR 1.04 billion has been 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:  

Amount committed 

41% 

Development Assistance

59% 

Humanitarian
Assistance

Full details can be obtained from the online projects table34. 

It is important to note that assistance provided within the framework of the Facility is project-
based. Disbursements depend very much on progress in contracting and 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 
predictable  and  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  200735,  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 TFEU and in the Humanitarian Aid Regulation (No. 1257/96)36,37.  

Under the humanitarian strand of the Facility, a total of 64 projects have been implemented 
through 19 partners under both the first and the second tranche of the Facility. These projects 

34 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/facility_table.pdf 
35 Joint Statement by the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States.  
36 Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid. 
37  The  European  Commission's  humanitarian  aid  is  based  on  annual  country-specific  Humanitarian 
Implementation Plans (HIPs). The framework for cooperation between the Commission and its partners in the 
area  of  humanitarian  aid  is  established  by  the  Commission's  Financial  and  Administrative  Framework 
Agreements  with  international  organisations  and  Framework  Partnership  Agreements  with  non-governmental 
organisations. 

8 

 
 
 
                                                           
aim  to  cover  the  response  to  basic  needs,  protection,  education,  and  health  for  the  most 
vulnerable  refugees  in  Turkey.  All  first  tranche  contracts  have  been  completed,  except  for 
five projects ending in 2020.  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 1.022 billion has been contracted and EUR 590 million was disbursed 
as of 31 December 2019. 

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  continues  to  show  good  progress.  Of  these  projects,  15  are 
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 Assistance38. 

Disbursements to implementing partners have reached EUR 1.59 billion out of a total of EUR 
1.6  billion  allocated  to  development  assistance  under  the  first  tranche39.  Under  the  second 
tranche  of  the  Facility,  more  than  EUR  700  million  has  been  contracted,  and  EUR  165 
million already disbursed. 

Progress  per  priority  area  in  the  programming  and  implementation  of  assistance  financed 
under both tranches of the Facility is as follows: 

Education 

Under the humanitarian  strand of the  Facility, the Conditional Cash Transfer  for  Education 
(CCTE) continues to be successfully implemented. The CCTE supports school enrolment and 
attendance  of  refugee  children  through  the  provision  of  bi-monthly  payments  to  refugee 
families, on condition that pupils attend school regularly. CCTE 2, which by the end of 2019 
supported over 500 000 refugee children, is to run until October 2020. Humanitarian funding 
has also  supported non-formal education and  enrolment  of out-of-school  children under the 
first and second tranches of the Facility. Over EUR 180 million has thus been committed to 
education in emergencies.  

With  regard  to  development  assistance,  the  first  direct  grant  to  the  Ministry  of  National 
Education40 to  increase integration and access to  high-quality  education  for Syrian children 

38 Funds  from the Instrument  for Pre-accession  Assistance  under the  Facility are  managed in accordance  with 
the  rules  for  external  action  contained  in  Title  IV  of  part  two  of  the  Financial  Regulation  and  its  Rules  of 
Application. 
39  This  figure  includes  also  disbursements  under  projects  implemented  by  the  EU  Regional  Trust  Fund  in 
Response to the Syrian Crisis, but not yet charged to the EU budget. 
40 The project is called “PICTES – Promoting the integration of Syrian children into Turkish Education System” 

9 

 
 
                                                           
ended in May 2019, but continues under “PIKTES II41”, with a budget of EUR 400 million. 
Implementation  should  run  until  December  2021.  Under  PICTES,  over  4  000  Turkish 
language trainers have been employed to give language training to over 230 000 children, and 
more  than  52  000  students  received  catch-up  and  back-up  training.  As  of  June  2019,  the 
number  of  educational  personnel  trained  reached  over  170  000.  Around  5  000  staff  were 
supported  through  salaries  or  incentives.  Under  “PIKTES  II”,  the  Facility  continues  to 
increase access rates of Syrian students to education, and improve the operational capacity of 
educational institutions and staff, as well as the quality of education.   

Under the first tranche, two projects out of six implemented under the EU Trust Fund (EUTF) 
for a total of EUR 120 million (covering primarily vocational education and training (VET), 
and higher education), are ongoing and should be completed by 2020.  

Effective progress has been made in the upgrading of schools, with over 900 schools out of a 
targeted 970 now equipped and refurbished. School construction is on track with 45 schools 
built. Under the second tranche, the Facility provides for additional educational infrastructure 
for  an  amount  of  EUR  100  million.  Following  a  Call  for  Proposals  launched  by  the  EU 
Delegation  to  Turkey,  a  contract  was  signed  with  KfW  in  August  for  the  construction  of 
approximately ten primary and secondary schools, 170 pre-schools and one public education 
centre.  In  addition,  a  EUR  40  million  clean  energy  project  under  the  EUTF  aiming  to  feed 
energy  to  schools  by  constructing  two  solar  farms  and  rooftop  panels  to  120  schools  is 
progressing. 

Protection 

The  humanitarian  strand  of  the  Facility  has  supported  the  registration  and  verification 
exercise  for  refugees  to  legalise  their  status  with  the  Directorate  General  of  Migration 
Management (DGMM)42 in Turkey and to facilitate their access to social services. Within the 
first  tranche,  almost  EUR  185  million  was  allocated  for  this  purpose,  including  protection 
mainstreaming.  Under  the  second  tranche,  over  EUR  75  million  has  been  contracted  to 
support  the  continuous  registration  and  updating  of  refugees’  status,  and  to  continue 
facilitating their access to specialised protection services, as well as social services provided 
by the government.  

The development strand via the EUTF has assisted in the reception of refugees in community 
centres and further referral for vulnerable refugees to adequate services in Turkey. Following 
the adoption of the Special Measure in  July 2019, a direct  grant  to  the Ministry of  Labour, 
Family  and  Social  Services  for  an  amount  of  EUR  20  million  was  being  negotiated  at  the 
time  of  drafting,  and  should  improve  the  provision  of  preventive  and  protective  social 
services to the most vulnerable refugees and host community members. 

Health 

As the provision of health care services is increasingly supported by the development strand 
of  the  Facility,  under  the  second  tranche  humanitarian  partners  currently  operate  a  limited 

41 Promoting Integration of Syrian Kids into the Education System (PIKTES) II 
42 The Turkish Ministry of Interior’s Directorate General of Migration Management 

10 

 
 
                                                           
number of mobile services (to respond to urgent primary health care needs, including sexual 
and  reproductive  health)  and  specialised  services,  such  as  mental  health  and  psychosocial 
support  and  physiotherapy/physical  rehabilitation.  In  the  priority  area  of  health,  the  full 
transition to development programming is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.      

Under  the  development  strand,  the  implementation  of  the  direct  grant  “SIHHAT”43  to  the 
Ministry  of  Health  should  run  until  November  2020.  The  number  of  functional  Migrant 
Health Centres has reached 176 and 3 181 healthcare personnel were recruited by the end of 
2019. The pace of project implementation is satisfactory with tangible results in the field. The 
focus of the SIHHAT project has been strengthened in order to facilitate specialised support 
services such as mental health and psychosocial support, physical therapy and rehabilitation 
and  the  integration  of  protection  services  (previously  supported  under  the  humanitarian 
strand) within the Migrant Health Centres (MHCs). In parallel, a World Health Organisation 
project  is  implemented  under  the  EUTF  and  includes  support  to  migrant  health  training 
centres, training for Syrian medical personnel and certification of Syrian doctors and nurses 
to work in the MHCs. The follow-up grant to the Ministry of Health (SIHHAT 2) for EUR 
210 million should start in the summer of 2020, with negotiations on the contract on-going. It 
should not only ensure the continuation of current health services, but also aims to strengthen 
specialised  services  such  as  reproductive  health,  mental  health  and  physical  rehabilitation 
services. Health infrastructure is also being supported through the construction of hospitals in 
Kilis and Hatay. Following the adoption of the Special Measure in July 2019, an envelope of 
EUR 90 million has been allocated for additional small-scale building and/or rehabilitation of 
health infrastructure. The procurement procedure will be launched in the course of 2020.  

Concerns persist with regard to access to health services of refugees outside of their original 
place  of  registration  or  on  the  move,  which  is  limited  to  the  Emergency  Care  Services  and 
vaccinations.  This  negatively  affects  refugees  on  the  move,  seasonal  workers  and  refugees 
who  resettled  in  other  provinces.  The  Commission  follows  the  policy  changes  closely  and 
aims to reach the refugee population affected via mobile healthcare activities of SIHHAT. 

Municipal infrastructure 

Construction of waste and waste water management infrastructure facilities in  Kilis, Hatay, 
Gaziantep  and  Sanliurfa  is  ongoing  under  a  EUTF  project  implemented  by  the  United 
Nations  Development  Programme  (UNDP).  In  addition,  fire-fighting  vehicles  have  been 
procured  and  technical  assistance  provided  to  increase  the  capacity  of  local  institutions  to 
respond to  emergencies.  Following  a Call  for Expression of  Interest  launched in December 
2018,  a  number  of  projects  were  provisionally  selected  for  financing  under  the  second 
tranche.  These  projects  include  actions  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, as well as a smaller component for recreational infrastructure 
in  support  of  social  cohesion.  The  first  contract  with  Agence  Française  de  Développement 

43  SIHHAT  stands  for  "Improving  the  health  status  of  the  Syrian  population  under  temporary  protection  and 
related  services  provided  by  Turkish  authorities"  and  it  is  a  EUR  300  million  direct  grant  with  the  Turkish 
Ministry of Health to ensure access to health care services to refugees. 

11 

 
 
                                                           
was  signed  in  December  2019,  while  negotiations  are  currently  ongoing  with  other 
implementing partners. 

Basic needs and socio-economic support  

The interventions in this priority area aim to ensure support for the basic needs of the most 
vulnerable refugees and boost resilience and self-reliance. This should allow for a transition 
from  dependency  on  social  assistance  schemes  to  increased  independence  and  livelihood 
opportunities for those who have the necessary capacity and skills.    

The  Emergency  Social  Safety  Net  (ESSN),  a  humanitarian  social  assistance  programme, 
delivers  monthly,  unrestricted,  multi-purpose  cash  to  vulnerable  refugees.  As  of  December 
2019,  it  supports  more  than  1.7  million  vulnerable  refugees  to  meet  their  basic  needs.  The 
second  phase  of  the  ESSN  should  run  until  April  2020,  when  a  new  EUR  500  million 
contract  (ESSN 3) with  the  International  Federation  of Red Cross should start.  This  should 
enable the provision of support to the most vulnerable refugees until the beginning of 2021. 
The total amount allocated to the basic needs response under the humanitarian strand of the 
Facility is over EUR 1.8 billion.  

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.  A  direct  grant  with  the  Ministry  of  Labour,  Family  and  Social  Services  was 
being negotiated at the time of drafting and should allow for the provision of support to the 
most vulnerable refugees comparable with social assistance provided under the Turkish social 
security  system.  The  co-existence  of  the  ESSN  and  the  direct  grant  require  careful 
coordination  and  design  of  the  implementation  modalities  so  as  to  ensure  synergies,  avoid 
double  funding,  and  ensure  the  progressive  transition  from  humanitarian  to  development 
assistance.  These  activities  should  go  in  parallel  with  the  implementation  of  projects  on 
socio-economic  support  under  the  first  tranche,  for  a  total  of  more  than  EUR  185  million. 
Activities  including  job  and  vocational  counselling  on-the-job  training  programmes  and 
simplification  of  work  permit  process,  should  support  both  Syrian  refugees  and  host 
communities. The aim is  to  increase their  employability and to  facilitate  their access  to  the 
labour  market.  A  EUR  50  million  project  is  being  implemented  by  the  World  Bank,  in 
cooperation  with  the  Turkish  Employment  Agency  İŞKUR  and  the  Ministry  of  Family, 
Labour and Social Services. In addition, small grants to entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship 
training  are  being  provided  to  both  Syrian  refugees’  and  host  communities’  start-ups  and 
existing  entrepreneurs  in  cooperation  with  the  Small  and  Medium  Industry  Development 
Organisation  of  Turkey,  KOSGEB.  A  further  project  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  refugee  and 
Turkish women.  

Under the second tranche, and following a Call for Expression of Interest of December 2018, 
multiple projects with pillar-assessed entities have been identified for a total amount of EUR 
465 million. The activities planned aim to increase employability and skills development of 
refugees  and  host  communities,  improve  services  provided  in  relation  to  Vocational 
Education  and  Training,  market  supply  and  demand  matching,  and  create  a  conducive 

12 

 
 
environment  for  business  growth,  registration  and  expansion.  Activities  should  target  both 
refugees  and  host  communities  in  an  effort  to  spur  social  cohesion  and  fight  stereotypes 
leading  to  social  tensions.  The  first  two  projects  were  signed  in  December  2019  with 
Expertise France and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). 

Gender aspects within projects under the Facility 

The  Commission  is  committed  to  implement  the  EU  Gender  Action  Plan  II  (GAP) 
“Transforming the Lives of Girls and Women through EU External Relations 2016-2020” 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 interventions of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey. 

More  specifically,  the  humanitarian  strand  of  the  Facility  is  governed  by  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.  Facility  interventions  are  designed  to  promote  the  provision  of  equal 
opportunities for men and women, boys and girls. Gender disaggregated data are collected to 
monitor  this.  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.  Those  include  the  United  Nations  Children's  Fund  (UNICEF),  UN 
Women, and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). 

Migration management  

Two  projects  were  funded  under  the  Facility’s  first  tranche  in  this  area.  A  first  project 
provided  EU  support  to  strengthen  the  capacity  of  the  Turkish  Coast  Guard  to  carry  out 
search and rescue operations. Six life boats were delivered in 2018 and 1 081 Turkish Coast 
Guard staff have been trained in humanitarian standards. A second project was to support the 
implementation  of  the  EU-Turkey  Statement  through  assistance  to  the  DGMM  in  the 
management of returns from the EU and in the day-to-day operations in 21 removal centres. 
The  Facility  has  covered  the  costs  incurred  in  the  management  of  returns  (transportation, 
hosting)  of  369  Syrians  and  1  605  non-Syrians,  as  well  as  the  construction  of  a  removal 
centre for 750 people. The project covered costs for medication, food, hygiene kits, clothing, 
phone cards for irregular migrants apprehended in Turkey and returned from the EU, as well 
as utility costs of removal centres. The project also financed the salaries of 186 personnel to 
provide  services  for  migrants  in  21  removal  centres,  including  psychologists  (24),  social 
workers  (17),  interpreters  (54),  food  engineers  (15),  technicians  (43)  and  drivers  (33).  This 
project came to an end in December 2019. No specific budget allocation is foreseen for this 
area under the second tranche. 

13 

 
 
6.  Monitoring & evaluation 

The monitoring and evaluation system of the Facility was designed to be gradually rolled out 
and to be continuously improved. 

Results Framework 

The Facility Results Framework reflects the strategic framework of the Facility itself, as well 
as  the  concrete  actions  implemented  under  the  umbrella  of  the  Facility  and  their  logical 
frameworks. The Results Framework was developed between August 2016 and March 2017 
in  consultation  with  key  stakeholders,  including  the  Facility  Steering  Committee,  relevant 
Turkish authorities and the relevant Commission Services. A first draft was shared with the 
Steering Committee in March 2017 and a revised version in November 2018.  

The Results Framework has been under further revision to ensure its updating and alignment 
with the updated priority areas under the second tranche of the Facility. The main aim is to 
enable performance monitoring and results reporting, both at output and outcome level for the 
Facility as a  whole. The final  draft of the Revised Results Framework  was shared  with  the 
Steering Committee in December 2019. 

Facility-level monitoring and reporting 

Facility-level  monitoring  was  launched  in  spring  2017.  Monitoring  data  are  generated  at 
output level by the implementing partners, as per their obligation under each contract. A first 
request  for  monitoring  data  was  issued  in  May  2017,  followed  by  three  reporting  cycles  in 
2017.  Reporting  cycles  continued  in  2018  and  2019;  based  on  this,  Facility  Monitoring 
Reports were released on a bi-annual basis, with the most recent monitoring report covering 
the period until June 2019.44 

The first data collection cycles were designed as a pilot phase for Results Framework output 
indicators.  They  were  instrumental  in  familiarising  implementing  partners  with  Facility 
monitoring and reporting requirements, and to test the feasibility of the proposed indicators. 
It  is  important  to  note  that  a  significant  share  of  the  Facility  portfolio  of  actions  was 
contracted  towards  the  end  of  2017  and  that  implementation  of  the  corresponding  actions 
started in 2018. 

Data  relevant  for  the  Facility  Results  Framework  indicators  are  reported  by  implementing 
partners to contracting authorities, i.e. the EU Delegation to Turkey, the EU Regional Trust 
Fund in response to the Syrian crisis EUTF and DG ECHO, using one common monitoring 
template.  Data  are  consolidated  by  each  contracting  authority  and  submitted  to  the  Facility 
Secretariat  for  aggregation  and  analysis.  The  process  receives  technical  support  through  an 
internal  IT  tool  –  the  Facility  Monitoring  Platform  -  that  allows  for  the  automatic 
aggregation, analysis and visualisation of data. The main features of the Facility Monitoring 
Platform were showcased during the December 2019 Steering Committee. 

Technical Assistance for monitoring 

44 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-
enlargement/sites/near/files/facility_results_framework_monitoring_report.pdf 

14 

 
 
                                                           
The Commission adopted a first Commission Implementing Decision establishing a Support 
Measure on monitoring, evaluation, audit and communication of the Facility for Refugees in 
Turkey  in  May  2017.  This  enabled  the  procurement  of  technical  assistance  in  support  of 
Facility  monitoring,  both  at  action/contract  and  Facility  level.  The  technical  assistance 
contract  for  monitoring  was  signed  in  January  2018  and  is  being  implemented.  The 
assignment  has  two  distinct  parts.  The  first  consists  of  the  support  to  monitoring  and 
reporting  at  the  Facility  level.  This  comprises  a periodic  review  of  the  Results  Framework, 
the  review  of  baseline  and  target  values  and  the  indicator  calculation  methods  and  related 
guidelines.  The  technical  assistance  team  is  also  in  charge  of  supporting  the  Facility 
Secretariat  in  deriving  first-level  analysis  of  the  monitoring  data  collected  quarterly  via  the 
Facility Monitoring Platform and preparing the Bi-Annual Facility Monitoring Reports. The 
second part of the assignment consists of support to the EU Delegation to monitor Facility-
funded actions/contracts under the development strand, including verification of data through 
regular or ad hoc monitoring missions. Indeed, due to the size of some Facility interventions 
and  the  geographical  spread  of  the  activities,  the  Delegation  needs  support  for  on-the-spot 
checks.  By  the  end  of  December  2019,  135  monitoring  missions  had  been  completed:  six 
results oriented (ROM) monitoring missions were performed by ROM experts, 31 missions 
by  the  technical  assistance  team,  and  98  on-the-spot  checks/monitoring  missions  by  the 
relevant  EUD  programme  managers.  Over  28%  of  all  these  monitoring  missions  were 
targeting  the  direct  grants  to  the  Ministries  of  Education  and  Health,  and  the  Directorate 
General for Migration Management. 

In  November  2019,  the  Commission  adopted  a  second  Support  Measure  to  complement, 
continue  and  build  upon  the  results  achieved  under  the  first  Support  Measure.  The 
humanitarian  pillar  of  the  Facility  is  monitored  in  compliance  with  relevant  provisions. 
Monitoring of all actions financed under the Humanitarian Implementation Plans (HIPs) was 
undertaken  by  DG  ECHO  field  staff  in  Turkey  and  by  the  regional  DG  ECHO  office  in 
Amman as well as by monitoring visits from  HQ staff. By the end of December 2019, 177 
project-level monitoring missions had been completed. In addition to the Results Framework 
indicators under which DG ECHO partners are reporting on a quarterly basis, indicators on 
the priority area of protection were also reported under the first tranche, and reflected in the 
same  Monitoring  Platform  used  for  Facility-level  monitoring.  Under  the  Revised  Results 
Framework,  an  explicit  protection  priority  area  has  been  created  and  all  relevant  indicators 
under the humanitarian strand have been integrated under one Facility-wide framework.  

Evaluation 

The evaluation of Facility interventions is taking place at three different levels; action-level 
evaluations,  Facility  portfolio-type  evaluations  and  other  Facility-related  evaluations.  Five 
Facility action- and portfolio-level evaluations and six Facility-related evaluations have been 
either completed or are ongoing. In December 2018, the Commission launched the strategic 
mid-term evaluation of the Facility, which started in March 2019. The evaluation is to assess 
the Facility’s contribution to the priority areas of education, health, socio-economic support 
and  migration  management  over  the  period  of  2016-2019/20.  It  should  provide  relevant 
Commission services, the Facility Steering Committee, other interested stakeholders and the 

15 

 
 
wider  public  with  an  overall  independent  assessment  of  the  Facility’s  performance,  paying 
particular attention to its intermediate results measured against its objectives. The evaluation 
also  aims  to  capture  lessons  learned  and  provide  recommendations  to  improve  current  and 
future Facility actions. 

7.  Audit 

Following the release of the Special Report on the Facility of the European Court of Auditors 
(ECA)45  issued  in  November  2018,  the  Commission  is  implementing  its  recommendations. 
Good  progress  has  been  made  on  all  the  recommendations  in  particular  when  it  comes  to 
ensuring greater complementarity of instruments used under the Facility, reduction of indirect 
support costs and the development of a transition strategy. 

8.  Communication and visibility 

From  the  very  beginning  of  the  Facility,  visibility  and  communication  have  been  key 
priorities.  The  Facility  is  central  in  conveying  the  message  of  the  EU's  continued  strong 
support  to  refugees  and  host  communities  in  Turkey.  The  2017  communication  strategy 
remains  the  overall  framework  for  communication  activities,  with  the  aim  to  enhance  the 
visibility of Facility-funded actions.  

Events and ceremonies 

Several events took place in 2019, marking significant Facility milestones, as well as events 
opening  projects  in  various  sectors  organised  by  implementing  partners.  These  include  for 
example, a school opening ceremony by the World Bank, media training by the Association 
for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants (ASAM), a ground-breaking ceremony of 
the  Facility-funded  state  hospital  in  Hatay  by  the  Agence  Française  de  Développement 
(AFD),  and  an  EUTF-funded  university  student  graduation  ceremony.  Various  other  events 
organised by the EU Delegation attracted public attention, such as the concert of "Harmony 
of the Future" at the occasion of the Syria Conference; the establishment of the "EU-Turkey 
Solidarity  Team"  football  team,  which  participated  in  the  U12  İzmir  Cup  football 
tournament46; and a photo exhibition on migration on World Refugee Day. The Facility was 
also  showcased  on  the  occasion  of  the  Global  Refugees  Forum  in  Geneva  at  the  end  of 
December  2019.  Furthermore,  the  EU  Delegation,  Konya  Governorship,  EU  Ambassadors 
and  representatives  of  the  Ministry  of  National  Education  participated  in  the  opening  of  a 
new school building as part of the "Project on Education Infrastructure for Resilience"47. 

The  EU’s  humanitarian  partners  implemented  several  communication  activities  across 
Europe,  informing  European  citizens  about  the  EU’s  support  to  refugees  in  Turkey.  For 
example,  the  World  Food  Programme,  as  part  of  the  communication  push  around  the 
Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) programme, organised an exhibition in Strasbourg train 
station  between  July-September  2019.  It  showed  52  pieces  of  art  created  by  twelve  Syrian 

45 https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/SR18_27/SR_TRF_EN.pdf 
46 https://www.avrupa.info.tr/en/news/eu-delegations-eu-tr-solidarity-team-won-hearts-u12-izmir-cup-9452 
47 https://www.avrupa.info.tr/en/eu-and-member-states/eu-delegation-turkey-konya-governorship-eu-
ambassadors-and-representatives 

16 

 
 
                                                           
women, all beneficiaries of the ESSN programme in Turkey. Initially the exhibition was held 
in Ankara and Istanbul in 2018, gathering considerable media attention. UNICEF organised a 
photography  exhibition,  funded  by  DG  ECHO  under  the  Non-Formal  Education  (NFE) 
Programme, entitled “Dreams of the Future”. It showed photos taken by Turkish and Syrian 
adolescents at the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council in Paris in May 2019. 
The  EU’s  humanitarian  partner  Diakonie  organised  exhibitions  around  Germany  in  2019, 
namely  in  Berlin  and  Hanover.  They  also  ran  an  infoscreen  campaign  during  the  German 
evangelical church days in Dortmund. 

Media presence 

The  Facility's  humanitarian  programmes  featured  in  over  70  major  international  print  and 
audio/visual reports in 2019. This was supported by one media trip organised by DG ECHO 
to Turkey, and two media trips organised by EU humanitarian partners. Other media events in 
2019 included a press trip for European journalists organised by the EU Delegation, during 
which  journalists  visited  Facility  projects  in  İstanbul48.  Furthermore,  the  Commissioner  for 
Humanitarian  Aid  and  Crisis  Management  visited  Turkey  on  the  occasion  of  the  ESSN 
programme reaching 1.5 million beneficiaries in January 2019. More than ten national dailies 
and press agencies as well as more than 100 digital outlets reported on the visit. 

The use of audiovisual material to showcase Facility activities has been an important part of 
the  overall  communication  strategy.  Implementing  partners  were  encouraged  to  produce 
videos on the achievement of their projects through human interest stories. Almost 50 videos 
were  produced  by  UN  agencies,  ministries  and  NGOs  in  2019.  Ten  TV  episodes  were 
broadcast  on  a  national  TV  channel  in  Turkey,  focusing  on  different  projects  under  the 
Facility  from  a  human-interest  angle.  Turkish  officials  were  also  interviewed.  A  playlist 
grouping the TV Programmes “Hepsi Gerçek”49 has been created on the Youtube Channel of 
the EU Delegation. 

The  information  and  communication  teams  of  the  EU  Delegation  and  DG  ECHO  Turkey 
regularly  promote  Facility  projects.  These  projects  received  wide-range  coverage  by  major 
international broadcasters including TRT World, Reuters, Deutsche Welle, Anadolu Agency, 
and others. TV ads were run during the beginning of the new school year 2019, focusing on 
infrastructure projects in the education sector. Content relating to humanitarian programmes 
recorded at least 200 national media hits. 

In  2019,  the  Commission  issued  eight  press  releases  relating  to  the  Facility,  and  the  EU 
Delegation in Ankara issued ten releases locally. Humanitarian partners of DG ECHO issued 
five  local  press  releases  in  2019.  Humanitarian  partners  and  EU  staff  produced  ten  blog 

48 https://www.avrupa.info.tr/en/news/european-journalists-visited-eu-funded-facility-projects-istanbul-9976 
https://www.avrupa.info.tr/en/news/european-journalists-visited-eu-funded-facility-projects-hatay-9453 
49 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkMvDJh-478&list=PLw5V7dmdvArQfuY4PNvcy-9BAlw_dslsN 

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stories, which were extensively promoted via partner organisations’ channels, social media of 
both DG NEAR and DG ECHO, as well as local EU social media accounts in Turkey50. 

9.  Conclusion and next steps 

Important progress in the mobilisation of the Facility was made in 2019. The full operational 
envelope  of  the  Facility  has  been  committed,  more  than  two-third  of  which  has  been 
contracted  and  more  than  half  has  been  disbursed.  The  Facility  continued  to  provide  much 
needed assistance to refugees and host communities in Turkey. The next steps include: 

  Continuing  effective  implementation  of  all  projects  to  benefit  refugees  and  host 

communities, in line with the principles of sound financial management.  

  Continuing operation of the monitoring system. 

  Continuing the roll-out of communication activities.  

  Meetings of the Facility Steering Committee in the spring and autumn of 2020. 

50 The EU Delegation posted 49 posts on Instagram, 77 on Facebook and 189 on Twitter. On Facebook these 
posts recieved 141,000 impressions and on Twitter over 1m impressions. 

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