On 13 March 2026, António Guterres visited Ankara to receive the Atatürk Peace Prize and held meetings with public officials and civil society organizations.
During his meeting with civil society organizations, Guterres listened to the perspectives of NGOs regarding the main challenges faced by refugees in Türkiye. Issues such as cuts in international funding and the increasingly difficult living conditions in the country were discussed.
Guterres expressed his appreciation to Türkiye for hosting a large number of refugees, while also voicing deep concern about the ongoing conflicts and wars in the region.
Metin Çorabatır, President of İGAM, and Nurhal Çelik, Vice President of İGAM, underlined that the operational space of civil society organizations is gradually shrinking due to funding cuts, while at the same time the number of people in need of assistance continues to grow.
Representatives of İGAM also wished Guterres success in the next chapter of his life following the end of his tenure.
Before becoming Secretary-General of the United Nations, Guterres served for many years as the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and supported the development of Türkiye’s Law on Foreigners and International Protection.
