Topic:
Country: Turkey
Delegate Name: Vivi Westenberg
The ongoing refugee crisis is not only a humanitarian issue but a social and political issue as well that cannot be ignored. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are 110 million forcibly displaced people worldwide as of late 2022 and early to mid 2023. Of those 110 million, many are refugees. Over half of all refugees come from just three countries. These countries are the Syrian Arab Republic with 6.5 million refugees, Afghanistan, with 6.1 million refugees and Ukraine with 5.9 million refugees. It is important to note that these numbers are preceding the recent Israel-Hamas war. With the recent conflict, the number has only increased with UN Officials reporting more than 1.4 million displaced people in Gaza.
Türkiye has provided refuge for displaced people for years and hosts the largest refugee population in the world. According to the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, Türkiye currently has close to 4 million refugees housed within its borders.
Most of the refugees that Türkiye has taken in have been refugees of the Syrian Civil War who have fled to one of Syria’s neighboring countries. This conflict in Syria first took hold of the country in 2011 after pro-democracy protests were violently shut down by the Syrian government. The government’s retaliation ignited a civil conflict that has been continuing ever since, causing many Syrians to leave their homes and flee to the surrounding states to avoid the shooting and bombing taking place in their homeland. In total the number of Syrian refugees living in Türkiye as of November 2023 amounts to 3.6 million according to the Migration Policy Institute.
Although The Republic of Türkiye prides itself on the number of people who seek refuge within its borders, the sheer size of the refugee population puts a strain on the country and Türkiye does not have enough funding to provide safe homes and jobs to all the refugees. Thus, the nation would like to work to seek support in managing the refugee crisis. Türkiye seeks help from its American delegates in working to provide funding for the housing, support and eventual repatriation of refugees in Türkiye. The country also turns to other neighboring nations of Syria such as Iraq, Jordan and Israel for assistance in working to return these displaced people to their homes. Furthermore, The Republic of Türkiye wishes to work with these countries as well as Syria to build and improve infrastructure and working to resolve conflict in Syria in order to allow these refugees to return to their home nation safely.
