17 December, 2015 Concept of Operations Turkey 2016-2017 Background General context: (Please give a concise overview of the situation in the affected country/region and of the crisis s origin(s), background and effects). Turkey has become the largest refugee-hosting nation in the world. Over 2.2 million Syrian refugees, approximately half those who have fled the fighting, are officially registered by the government to date. The Government of Turkey taking the leading role in the provision of protection and assistances demonstrates strong national ownership. Government spending (to September 2015) has exceeded more than USD 7.6 billion since the onset of the crisis. Approximately 2m refugees are living in local communities seeking informal employment and more permanent living arrangements. Approximate 250,000 refugees are hosted in 25 camps in South-eastern governorates. Syrians in Turkey currently have no access to legal, stable and sufficient income-earning activities. They are classified as guests (not refugees) under the Law on Foreigners and International Protection and the Temporary Protection Regulation, which facilitate access to health services and primary education. Existing support infrastructure is not adequate and language barriers hinder access. The Government of Turkey is developing the regulations, reportedly to make provisions for Syrians to access the labour market. The scope of economic integration has not been finalized and will likely be subject to geographical, household and jobsector specific restrictions. The Turkey context and programming demands vary significantly from the regional EMOP. Elsewhere UNHCR registers refugees and multi-agency vulnerability data and frameworks are developed. Syrians fleeing to Turkey are registered by the Government, and comprehensive needs assessment by others has not been permitted. Very limited population and movement data has been made available. Food and basic needs assistance for Syrians residing among the host community has been minimal and essentially provided by local communities and charities. NGO and UN agencies have implemented mostly cash-based interventions to under 10% of the Syrian population. This compares with up to 100% coverage by WFP elsewhere under the regional EMOP at certain stages of the response. The WFP off-camp programme only commenced in July 2015 and at present has just under 35,000 individuals with e-food cards to redeem entitlements in local markets (and 50,000 by end December). WFP has developed a very strong relationship with the Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay-TRC) as an implementing partner. TRC was established in 1868, is the largest humanitarian agency in Turkey, and is privileged by strong Government support. This enables WFP unique access to partnerships, cooperation and government support at national and sub-national levels. Recent developments: (Please explain the latest developments in the situation (e.g. political developments, conflict intensification, population movement, increase in flooding, etc.) A paradigm shift has taken place in the European perspective on the needs of Syrian refugees in Turkey. A very large number of migrants and asylum seekers have used Turkey as a transit country into the European Union (EU) during 2015. Donor attention in the wake of this well publicized migration crisis in Europe has led to inquiries into the actual needs of refugees, and specifically WFP s capacity to scale up its life-saving and capacity development programme.
On 15 October, 2015 the EU-Turkey Joint Action Plan was agreed, aiming to address the refugee crisis and support migration management. The EU decision to establish The Refugee Facility for Turkey (The Facility) aims for this to be a coordination mechanism that will assist Turkey in addressing the humanitarian and development needs of refugees and their host communities. The facility intends to support national and sub-national authorities in supporting refugees and managing and addressing the consequences of this inflow into Turkey. The Facility will coordinate an amount of EUR 3 billion for 2016-2017. In parallel, concerned with the protracted consequences of the Syria conflict on displaced Syrians, the international community will meet in London in February 2016 to raise funds and address the longer term needs of those affected by the crisis. Ahead of the World Humanitarian Summit which will take place in May 2016 in Istanbul, the London Conference will seek to bridge humanitarian assistance and resilience building by focusing on the themes of protection, livelihoods and education. WFP s current operational structure: (Please provide a brief outline of WFP s structure in the country; any current operations, such as ongoing EMOPs, PRROs, etc.; and any response to the crisis that has been provided through operations that pre-dated the crisis.) Through EMOP 200433, WFP has responded to the needs of millions of Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and Egypt since 2012. All activities under the EMOP align with WFP Strategic Objective 1: save lives and protect livelihoods in emergencies, as well as with the interagency Regional Response and Resilience Plan (3RP), coordinated by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and associated national response plans. Planning numbers for WFP Turkey intended to provide food assistance to 300,000 registered refugees in 2015. As of December 2015, and because of funding constraints, WFP is assisting 150,000 registered refugees living in camps, and 35,000 refugees living outside of camps. All refugees assisted by WFP receive a standard amount of assistance of 50 Turkish liras - i.e. 80 percent of the cost of the referential food basket 1. Assistance is provided through electronic vouchers, the e-food card, managed by WFP in partnership with the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC / Kizilay), in cooperation with the Prime Ministry Disaster & Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) and the Ministry of Interior Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM). WFP did not have an operational presence in Turkey at the onset of the Syria crisis. WFP did have a representational presence in the country, and an important procurement hub continues to operate in Mersin. WFP responded to Government of Turkey requests and re-established its presence in Ankara in 2012, a sub-office in Gaziantep as well as field presence in Hatay and Sanliurfa. WFP Gaziantep sub-office coordinates Syria cross-border (XB) deliveries via land, under EMOP 200339. Scope of Emergency Planning assumptions: (Please specify the anticipated scale of the affected population/vulnerable groups; the additional WFP caseload; the geographic area of assistance and how the situation may affect, and/or necessitate change in, on-going operations.) 1 The cost of the referential food basket is 62 Turkish liras. Inside camps, the government complements the WFP entitlement with 35 Turkish liras (12 for the remaining 20 percent of the food basket and 23 for additional food or nonfood items). 2
The Regional Refugee & Resilience Plan 2016-2017 (3RP) projects 2.75 million Syrian refugees in Turkey by the end of 2016; 300,000 in camps and 2.45 million residing outside of camps. Budget revision 16 (BR16) for January-December 2016, in response to funding shortfalls in 2015, limited the planned assistance to 250,000 individuals. This included 150,000 refugees in camps (50 percent of the projected camp population for 2016), and, a scale-up to assist 100,000 refugees in host communities (4 percent of the projected off-camp population for 2016). Responding to donor interest and feedback from Government, and based on the needs of vulnerable Syrians in Turkey, WFP amended the 3RP submission for planned assistance to 735,000 individuals. This includes continued assistance to 150,000 refugees (50% of total) in camps, and a scale up of assistance to reach a total of 585,000 refugees (25% of total) in host communities. There is donor indication that they may support 100% of current camp based refugees. The scale-up is contingent on donor confirmation of the support indicated to date as well as their commitment to fund the scale up over a period of two years minimum. This would complement the work of, and enable alignment with, other players from the food sector who are planning to assist 150,000 Syrians outside of camps under the 2016 3RP. Finally, the scale up will provide a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between humanitarian assistance and resilience by stepping up technical assistance and ensuring that the WFP programme dovetails with Turkey s own safety nets. WFP scale-up and development of off-camp programmes will require significant changes to the on-going operations: Amendments of the roles and responsibilities of the TRC-WFP partnership; Engagement of additional governmental and non-governmental implementing partners and private sector services for needs assessment, vulnerability status re-verification and monitoring; Geographical expansion throughout Turkey to assist the Syrian refugees in host communities 2 ; Formalised expansion of the partnership with the Government of Turkey; Increased staffing to support programme implementation; Establishment of drop-in centres for the card based delivery modality; The programe has pathways for beneficiaries graduating to self-reliant livelihood; CD&A for Government institutions for planned support through national safety net systems; CD&A for TRC and other civil society organisations; Increased activities in working groups to support on-going harmonisation of vulnerability assessments and longer-term goal of standardised targeting across cash actors. Security: (Please list and explain any security concerns that relate to WFP staff, beneficiaries and operations.) Despite Turkey being a mid-income country with strong government institutions, security services and communications, there have been a growing number of identified negative trends. At present there are no direct threat towards the UN. A scale-up of the programme to reach well over 500,000 Syrian refugees in host communities is expected to identify specific security related challenges as it evolves. There is a risk of degeneration of host community largesse, or heightened tension particularly in targeted poor locations. The diverse range of implementing locations mandates a diverse range of precautionary and specific security arrangements. Large scale assessment, registration and 2 Cities under consideration for possible coverage include: Şanlıurfa, Hatay, İstanbul, Gaziantep, Kilis, Adana, Mersin, Mardin, Kahramanmaraş, İzmir, Bursa, Ankara, Konya, Kayseri. 3
distribution activities will be planned in coordination with Turkish authorities to respond to crowd control risks to host communities, refugees, Government and programme staff. Operational constraints: (Please list critical areas for WFP s assistance and obstacles to provision in those areas, such as communication difficulties, import restrictions, visa restrictions, access constraints, etc.) Recruitment of Arabic plus English or Turkish speakers is a significant challenge experienced by WFP and TRC, thus engagement of third party actors (NGOs or private sector) is considered for assessments and monitoring in 2016. Syrian refugees do not currently have the right to legal work. WFP will explore, with assistance of the Government and donors, how opportunities for enabling employment of Arabic speakers can be created. The basic agreement between WFP and the Government of Turkey only covers standard UN immunities and privileges, there is no other formal agreement with the government for collaboration, cooperation or partnership to support programme implementation. Current government support is non-standardised and varies with location, and there is only limited access to data on Syrian refugees. To date there is no comprehensive refugee-needs assessments conducted in Turkey. However, the government acknowledged the need for increased data sharing and assessments. There is limited capacity of implementing partner, TRC, in operations and strategy development. New visa regulations mandate that all non-turkish citizens provide criminal record clearance prior to applying for residency permits. This may impact international staff scale-up. WFP s operational response Operation objective: (Please try to specify the objective of WFP s planned operation (e.g. to meet the basic nutritional needs of the people most affected by the crisis by providing food assistance).) The objective of WFP s planned operation is saving lives and protecting livelihoods in a complex operational context. WFP plans to continue the provision of food assistance to the most vulnerable Syrian refugees in Turkey, to support access for refugees to national safety nets, and support developing livelihood opportunities through a coordinated, large-scale and harmonised response. Based on: evolving refugee and host population needs; WFP lessons learned to date; and emerging host government and donor community responses in this protracted crisis, WFP recognizes the need for more integrated responses (refugee and national, humanitarian and development) in Turkey. The overall goal is to ensure that affected populations and host countries are able to cope with, and ultimately recover from, the food security, social and economic impact of the Syria crisis. This is through preserving food security and social cohesion, and supporting the development of livelihood strategies and human capital. The plan advocates a deliberate effort to position WFP strategically in Turkey in relation to a changing humanitarian context, as a demonstrated driver of value for money, in response to donor expectations, as a partner of choice for the longer-term development priorities of the Government of Turkey, and as a knowledge leader and partner. Corresponding with WFP s regional approach the strategy reflects the themes of leading a new generation humanitarian response; strengthening national systems for resilience and risk management; and building knowledge for advocacy and improved response. 4
Programme: (Please explain the planned Programme activities. i. Basic conclusions of assessments already carried out, or a short summary of planned assessments. (Summaries of findings must not exceed three lines and should not detail methodology, etc.) ii. What is the planned Programme approach, including activities (i.e. new activities/modified existing activities; targeting; food/cash/vouchers; and which modality general food distribution (GFD), safety net, etc.)? iii. How does WFP plan to carry out the activities (i.e. partners, prepositioning, technology, etc.)? iv. Distribution. Who will be WFP s partners?) WFP s collaboration with TRC, Government institutions and NGO partners in delivering food assistance in Turkey through e-voucher cash-based transfers has been developed into a multiwallet modality carried by local bank capacities. This modality has proven itself as appropriate, effective, efficient and capable of being expanded. It is the modality of choice of the donor community. To address the needs of refugees in camp and off camp settings, the programme will strengthen a coordinated, better informed and harmonized approach to food assistance and cash based interventions in Turkey, including vulnerability targeting and information/data analysis, studies and technical exchanges. The underlying approach has a focus on supporting the institutional sector capacity for expansion (government, NGO, private) through CD&A, recognising that the response needs of this humanitarian crisis require existing national capacities to be adapted and expanded. Collaborating with relevant institutions, WFP will seek to develop sustainable pathways for refugees to transition into economic participation and/or nationally implemented safety net provisions. Technical assistance will be provided to WFP s main national partners, AFAD, DGMM, the Ministry of Family and Social Policy, the Social Assistance Foundation (SSAF), and the Turkish Red Crescent, for vulnerability assessment and analysis, targeting, coordination, planning and monitoring. Through this technical assistance WFP will support the government in strengthening its national safety nets for assistance to Syrian refugees and for future emergency response. Existing technologies can be adapted to meet the requirements of the scale-up of off-camp programme activities. This includes beneficiary management systems, programme management system, monitoring, mobile data collection, increased traceability, and communications with beneficiaries. WFP will assist in developing specific aspects of humanitarian capacity, where institutionally required. WFP capacities to lead vulnerability assessment and targeting are recognized by Government, donors and partners. The need to engage in a review of needs, develop assessment and targeting strategies, establish beneficiary data management systems and pathways to integration into national safety net systems, establish communication with beneficiaries, and further develop existing coordination with government and partners. WFP has well-established relationships with TRC, Government institutions and NGOs in delivering food assistance in Turkey. Public and private institutional infrastructure is well developed and capable of adapting to the needs of this humanitarian response. The required financial infrastructure exists to expand and enable e-cash based access for the refugee population. WFP has taken leadership in sectorial coordination, mapping and gap analysis of the food sector and other sectors cash-based interventions. Logistics and Procurement: (Please specify the arrangements and plans with regard to: i. Logistical support needs. What will they be (SO, UNHAS)? ii. Storage: briefly describe WFP s logistic capacity in the country. If applicable, also describe government and other capacities that WFP could use.) Commented [BM1]: Cairo/Amman to elaborate on this aspect in the context of the regional approach. Procurement and logistics activities serve operations outside of Turkey and are therefore managed by HQ and the Syria CO with no direct involvement of the Turkey office. 5
Coordination (Briefly summarise WFP s coordination mechanisms with the government, the implementing partners and other stakeholders. If applicable, also specify WFP-led cluster activities (ETC, Logistics, Food Security) and IASC-activities.) Since the launch of its programme in October 2012, WFP has formed a strategic partnership with the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) for the implementation of the programme both in and out of the camps. TRC s excellent relations with central and local authorities have helped WFP broker sound partnerships with the Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), the Ministry of Interior Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM), and the Social Assistance Foundation s (SSAF), all key players in coordinating the assistance to Syrians seeking temporary protection in Turkey. Recently, WFP has entered into positive discussions with the Advisor of the Prime Minister on refugees and humanitarian aid. He is heading a governmental coordination structure made of six working groups 3 in which TRC is participating and which may open to external stakeholders like WFP in the future. In addition, WFP has strengthened inter-agency and multi-sectorial coordination in the areas of food security, vulnerability assessments and cash-based transfers by establishing, chairing or cochairing the associated working groups. Anticipated Resource Requirements Budget: (Please summarise expected needs for the amended budget and specify possible options that have been identified to cover these funding needs. If this document outlines two or more operations, then the budget for each should be summarized separately.) Financial requirements are expected to stand between USD 354 and 518 million -for years 2016 and 2017 and will need to be further refined. Key variables include: - Coverage inside camps, with an option between maintaining the current 50 percent coverage and scaling up to 100%; - Value of entitlement, ranging from the current 50 Turkish liras equivalent to 80 percent of the cost of the referential food basket to 62 Turkish liras equivalent to 100 percent of the cost of the referential food basket; - Speed of scale up off-camp, with limited ramp up expected between January and March 2016 and a monthly increment of up to 65,000 beneficiaries between April and December 2016; - DSC costs, expected to range between 6 and 10 percent depending on the economies of scale that will be realised with the scale up; - CD&A costs, likely to increase as the scale up will require an intensification of capacity building activities with various partners. Commented [BM2]: DSC estimates need to be further discussed and refined. Commented [BM3]: CD&A costs need to be further discussed and refined. 3 WFP has received the following unconfirmed information on the themes of the six working groups: Education; Health; Relief; Social services; Assistance by Foreign Organisations; Religious services. 6
A key requirement will be the formal commitment of donors to provide WFP with sufficient, flexible and multi-year funding so as to ensure predictability for the programme over 2016 and 2017 at the very least. Operational capacity: (Please summarise likely additional operational capacity requirements (offices, staff, vehicles etc.), and state how they will be addressed (recruitment, TDY, partnerships, etc.).) Section under development Turkey office will work closely with the Regional Bureau and the Amman Support Office to identify requirements and gaps that will be further detailed in an operational plan. WFP will need to establish node-offices in the key host communities, develop shared WFP/TRC/NGO facilities for managing ongoing assessment and monitoring, recruit a significant number of Field Monitors and CD&A staff, and purchase additional vehicles. A preliminary step will be to bring HR and administrative support on TDY from January 2016. WFP will also work with partners to ensure their operational capacity is adequately augmented. Commented [BM4]: Cairo/ Amman to possibly elaborate on the importance of sufficient funding for the rest of the region. Commented [BM5]: Support of Cairo and Amman is needed to further refine the operational capacity requirements. 7