Turkiye — humanitarian situation

Türkiye continues to manage significant refugee and displacement-related challenges while navigating broader regional instability. Regional tensions escalated sharply following military activity in the Middle East beginning late February 2026, evolving into what UNHCR characterizes as a highly volatile regional crisis marked by sustained hostilities and growing displacement (UNHCR). While a ceasefire announced on 8 April formally remains in place, security incidents including cross-border drone and missile attacks in neighboring areas underscore ongoing fragility, with a Memorandum of Understanding on cessation of hostilities reached between the United States and Iran on 15 June 2026, though its impact on regional mobility dynamics remains uncertain (IOM). The country hosts a substantial refugee population requiring sustained humanitarian support. Through UNHCR's coordination, forty humanitarian partners including national and international NGOs and UN agencies published the 2026 Türkiye chapter of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan in May, developed through extensive consultation with government counterparts to align frameworks with evolving priorities (UNHCR). Protection sector activities continued across multiple geographic areas including the Southeast, Marmara, and Izmir regions throughout May 2026, with partners maintaining operational presence and delivering intersectoral cash-based assistance to affected populations. Education access remains a critical concern, particularly for refugee and vulnerable children. The 2025-2026 Back-to-School Parents Survey, implemented by the Education Sector Working Group under UNICEF leadership and reaching 2,442 households across urban, refugee-hosting, and earthquake-affected provinces, revealed that school exclusion persists as a systemic challenge. The survey captured education access data for 6,363 children, finding that 84 percent of children surveyed were enrolled, indicating significant gaps in educational inclusion (UNHCR, UNICEF). The findings confirm that despite ongoing efforts to ensure inclusive education access, barriers remain particularly acute for refugee populations and those in earthquake-affected areas, requiring continued attention and targeted interventions to address exclusion patterns.