The President of IGAM, Çorabatır, expressed the views and proposals of Turkish NGOs at Syria's Future Conference.
IGAM President Metin Çorabatır participated as rapporteur in the fourth Brussels Conference entitled "Supporting the future of Syria and the Region" (#SyriaConf2020), which was held in Brussels between 22- 30 June, by the European Union under the co-chairmanship of the United Nations.
As one of the NGO rapporteurs at the "Ministerial Conference" held on 30 June, Çorabatır explained to the ministers the NGOs' messages on the future of Syria and the region, which included the outputs of the meetings held in the"Days of Dialogue" and their own work.
Metin Çorabatır's speech in which he explained the advice, opinions, and proposal of Turkish NGOs on the 'Future of Syria' as follows:
Hello.
Dear participants, representatives of governments, international organizations, and civil society, I would like to thank the European Union and the United Nations for organizing this meeting. I will briefly try to summarize the views of Turkish civil society.
Turkey provides protection to 3.7 million Syrians and meets their basic needs. In terms of Livelihoods; due to the Covid-19, many businesses in Turkey were closed and the refugees were unable to go to their jobs. Their revenues declined significantly. The demand for emergency cash assistance, rent support, and hygiene supplies have steadily increased. For political reasons, no aid could be provided to the refugees during the pandemic. Since 2016, the European Union's monthly cash benefits have been an essential element of stability for refugees. These benefits should be continued. We are pleased to note that with normalization, some businesses are recalling their employees.
On the other hand, the lack of knowledge of the Turkish language makes the search for work considerably more difficult. The number of skills courses for Syrians should be increased. The travel ban should be relaxed. The conditions for work permits should be relaxed. Long-term and micro-loans and grants should be made available for refugees. Gender equality should be respected, and the number of crèches and kindergartens should be increased.
When we look at education, 400,000 Syrian children are not yet able to go to school. The Conditional Cash Transfer for Education should be increased and vocational schools should be opened to young refugees. Additional courses should be held for Syrian students. The sensitivity of school administrations to racism and xenophobia should be increased.
To say a few words about protection: the rhetoric that Syrians will be sent back is alarming. These discourses are increasing. Access to counsel at repatriation centers should be facilitated.
Greece's push- back policies at the border must stop. Syrians should be granted the right to apply for individual asylum. The geographical limitation imposed by the 1951 Convention should be lifted. The Temporary Protection Regulation should be reconsidered. The number of Syrians who are granted Turkish citizenship should be increased. The quotas for resettlement to a third country should be increased. Refugee women should also be consulted for political solutions.
Thank you.
