ANKARA (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) has deployed its resources on the ground to help the people affected by the recent earthquakes in Türkiye.

From the onset of the crisis and within the framework of the United Nations (UN) humanitarian aid coordination structure, the ILO country Office has worked intensively with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MoLSS), social partners and development partners to rapidly convert some activities of existing projects into emergency aid.

A project funded by the European Union (EU), initially aimed at protecting children of families in seasonal agriculture from child labour, has repurposed some activities to deliver first-hand aid to the provinces of Hatay, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır and Şanlıurfa through ILO partners in the field – the Pikolo Association of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Club and the Young Lives Foundation.

In line with the demands of the AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency) at the provincial level, the ILO also distributed 2,500 clothing sets, 3,600 hygiene boxes, 2,000 hot meals and food parcels for children and adults.

Thanks to a project financed by the German KfW Development Bank, totalling 16 million TRY (Turkish New Lira), 1,500 winter tents, 3,600 sleeping bags and 2,600 pillows are to be distributed in the cities of Pazarcık, Kahramanmaraş, Reyhanlı and Antakya, Hatay. Additionally, work is under way to build playground tents for children affected by the earthquake and provide psychosocial support for quake victims.

The ILO has also called for support for employment-intensive infrastructure investments and debris removal activities within the scope of the Emergency Call for Assistance (Flash Appeal Türkiye), published by the UN on February 16, 2023.

The ILO has initiated a rapid field research of the affected population and businesses and is preparing a report on the effects of the earthquakes on social partners and employment.

In letters addressed to both the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Mr. Vedat Bilgin, ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo expressed its “unwavering solidarity with the people of Türkiye” and stated that the organization was “ready for all kinds of assistance, both for urgent needs and for recovery and rebuilding efforts.”