IGAM, The Research Centre on Asylum and Migration, was founded in 2013 by a group of academics, researchers, journalists and humanitarian workers, as an independent and non-profit association to fill the void of there not beeing any independent research center in Turkey dealing with asylum and migration.
The purpose of the organization; To contribute to the development of international refugee laws and principals, and to promote the effective implementation of these in Turkey. The main activities of the organisation are to conduct academic studies on this subject, support accademic research, create a databases, raise public awareness, organizie training and establish networks.
During the first year, İGAM's website was created, regular seminars were organised, national and international conferences and presentations were held.
In February 2014, IGAM published its first report on “The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in the Syrian Refugee Crisis” an EU- funded field study. In March 2014, IGAM led the commission for the research by the Japan Development Agency (JIKA )on the health services in Sanliurfa. In addition, IGAM, and the Oxford's Refugee Studies Center Foundation with funds provided by the Lebanese Asraf association, worked on a project to improve the quality of children's education in Turkey.
As a strong believer in the importance of cooperation between NGOs that deal with asylum and immigration, IGAM was the leading force for the establishment of the Turkey Refugee Council (TMC). This roof organization brought together 26 NGOs to increase the effectiveness of non-governmental organizations working in the field. The founders of the TMK, which includes an associations established by refugees, held its first meeting in November 2017 with the participation of numerous non-governmental organizations, officials of public institutions and representatives of international institutions.
IGAM, has increased and expanded the number of projects, in various fields and activities since its establishment. In 2018 it became an internationally recognized NGO in 2018.
İGAM President Metin Çorabatır was selected as “Gulmakai Education Champion” in 2018 by the Malala Fund. IGAM is proud to be an integral part of the “campaign for the creation of a lost generation” on a global scale. İGAM, together with the Flying Broom Foundation and Ravda Nur Association, two organisations that are very experienced in women's rights, are working on this project.
In 2018, IGAM was selected by the NGO Committee of the United Nations Economic and Social Council as one of the eight best practice NGOs in the world in the fight against xenophobia and discrimination against refugees and migrants. Of these eight NGOs, only IGAM was invited to New York, where they were given the opportunity to make a presentation to the committee on the 18th May 2018.
IGAM is one of the few NGOs that has been given the permission to attend the Non-Governmental Consultation Meetings organized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for policy development in Geneva every year.
İGAM worked together with the international non-governmental organization Oxfam in 2017-2018. Having identified that refugees themselves are not sufficiently involved in humanitarian aid, decision making, and policy making processes in the host countries, a congress was organised where 160 delegates representing 70 NGOs from 27 countries participated- the largest representation of refugees. The final declaration of this congress was presented in Geneva; The EU participated at this international meeting, supported by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UNHCR.
Within the scope of the project “Providing information and protection to refugees in Turkey and directing them to protection services”, our refuge information and support center provides counselling services to refugees in Turkey. was opended in Ankara-Keciören. The center, which was opened in Ankara-Keciören, in 2018, also provides information meetings and group activities for refugees.
IGAM continues to prepare and execute projects in line with its goals and mission to represent refugee rights on the national and international level. It contieues to to work actively in Turkey, in order to advance the needs of the refugee community.
