GAZİANTEP / ADIYAMAN / KAHRAMANMARAŞ (ILO News) – The ILO Türkiye mission led by the Officer-in-Charge Giovanni di Cola and his delegation in Gaziantep, Adıyaman and Kahramanmaraş held on 3-4 April 2023, assessed the needs and reviewed ongoing operations with local partners in particular İŞKUR (Turkish Employment Agency), GESOB (Gaziantep Union of Chambers of Tradesmen and Craftsmen) and met with local authorities including the Governor of Pazarcık, Kahramanmaraş as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador in Gaziantep.

The ILO, in consultation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Services and the social partners, is considering strengthening further the technical support to these institutions to implement decent work programmes in the recovery from the disaster caused by the earthquake.

The focus was on to find urgent as well as long term ways and instruments to help rebuild the livelihoods of people in the earthquake effected area, prevent risks of occupational safety and health, informality, and child labour and to promote fundamental labour rights at work and decent work.

ILO team met with officials from the UN Disaster Coordination Office run by OCHA and ILO local partners Pikolo Association and Young Lives Foundation to exchange information on humanitarian needs. Visiting a psycho-social support center established by the ILO and run by these local partners within the scope of the EU- funded Elimination of Child Labour Project, the ILO observed its interventions in the areas where sanitary, medical, and other urgent needs and services were provided.

Regarding its support to the institutions for expanding their service capacity, ILO is also providing support to regional offices of the İŞKUR (Turkish Employment Agency) including containers to ensure that the services by the Agency are not disrupted and strengthen its capacity so that more people benefit from its services in the earthquake-hit region.

ILO hold talks in the Information Center of the Gaziantep Union of Chambers of Tradesmen and Craftsmen, locally known as BILMER, which was established within the scope of the KfW Development Bank funded Project. As another example of its support to the local institutions in the region, the ILO assists Syrians under Temporary Protection and refugees from other nationalities and Turkish communities to prevent informality. Additionally, the ILO is already giving psychological support for the earthquake victims to ease their adaptation to the work life.

ILO is diversifying its assistance and mobilizing funds

From the first days of the disaster, in close collaboration with the UN, national and local authorities, the ILO is implementing and planning diversified actions and mobilized funds to support labour market and enterprises. These actions include some emergency needs as well as providing containers for the local institutions for them to maintain operations. The ILO is also working on employment-intensive enterprise programmes to provide decent and sustainable jobs.

Additionally, ILO Türkiye is working on needs-assessment research on how to better identify the impact of the earthquake and the future of the labour market and anticipate skills needed in the region.