Two United Nations offices have urged the world to step up humanitarian aid efforts for the survivors of the Feb. 6 earthquakes in both Türkiye and Syria as the nations grapple with the aftermath of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors that left more than 54,000 dead.
“Türkiye has been a very gracious host to millions of refugees for years, and now it is time to show it the same generosity,” the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Sunday.
"Türkiye has been an amazing host to millions of refugees. Perhaps one of the largest refugee populations around the globe is hosted by Türkiye," Ramesh Rajasingham, the head and representative of OCHA Geneva and director of the coordination division, told Anadolu Agency (AA) in an exclusive interview.
"Türkiye covers most of their expenses, which can reach billions and billions of dollars. So, Türkiye has been a very gracious host and has opened its borders to refugees from conflict-affected countries like Syria. And I think now it's time for us to also show generosity toward Türkiye and the people of Türkiye as they face this disaster, this very tragic event," said Rajasingham.
"So, I urge all donors from all over the world to contribute as generously as possible to the Türkiye appeal," he remarked.
Reiterating that there will be a donor conference later this month in Brussels that will bring together EU member states, as well as institutions and organizations worldwide, for Türkiye and Syria, Rajasingham said the appeal launched for Türkiye requests $1 billion for the first three months of operations, which will primarily include addressing immediate needs like shelter, food and sanitation.
The U.N. Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) teams have been coordinating almost 50 urban search and rescue teams from around the world to save lives, but now things are at a stage that requires providing humanitarian assistance as hundreds of thousands of families no longer have homes, he said.
Recalling President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks that over 200,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged by the twin earthquakes, Rajasingham underlined that finding shelter for those people and getting assistance for them – whether be it food or water, health assistance or tents – are the elements of a major humanitarian operation.
"Many lives have been saved, but at the same point, we have millions of people who have been left homeless by this disaster, and they need urgent assistance," he added.
Under the U.N. umbrella of the UNDAC and the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) alone, 49 international search and rescue teams from dozens of member states were deployed to the quake-hit zones in Türkiye, and over 73 countries and regions have participated in these operations, Rajasingham informed.
"This is by far the biggest international search and rescue operation that the U.N. has coordinated," he said.
Overall, the INSARAG teams saved around 300 lives during the earthquake, which Rajasingham said was “the highest number of lives that we have saved in an international search and rescue operation."
He also noted that during this coordination, the crews encountered many challenges due to disrupted or damaged roads and routes, winter conditions and hundreds of aftershocks. In addition, many responders, including U.N. staff and personnel belonging to Turkish responders, were directly affected by the earthquake, he noted.
Rajasingham also praised Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) for being "a leader when it comes to search and rescue” and described the teamwork between U.N.-coordinated rescuers local authorities and crews as "excellent."
Rajasingham recalled his time with the AFAD in a cross-border operation in Gaziantep over two years ago when he worked "very closely" with the agency, which is a part of the INSARAG group.
"They are partners, so the collaboration was really outstanding, and the AFAD did an amazing job in its first response. The Turkish authorities did an amazing job in providing leadership and opening up the space for all these other teams to come and work effectively," he said.
Another U.N. office, this time its migration agency, repeated calls to the international community to strengthen aid for Türkiye.
As one of the flurry of foreign officials and dignitaries continuing their solidarity visits to the disaster-hit country, Antonio Vitorino, director general of the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration (IOM), said during a visit to the Hatay province, “The international community must strengthen its efforts to ensure aid keeps reaching the millions of people who survived the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.”
Describing the disaster as "a big tragedy for the country," Vitorino said, "I have arrived in Türkiye to extend to the government and other partners my condolences for the earthquakes and reaffirm that the IOM will continue scaling up its efforts and mobilizing all the resources to support further addressing of immediate needs of people in the affected areas and recovery efforts."
Vitorino also thanked his IOM team for "their dedication despite personal tragedy, and share my condolences for our three colleagues whom we heartbreakingly lost."
The IOM head said the stories of people who survived the earthquakes in Hatay were “heartbreaking.”
“The consequences of this tragedy are almost unimaginable. Almost every service that we take for granted – health care, transport, food supply, water, sanitation and education – has been affected or simply ceased to exist," he said.
Hailing the "quick" response of the Turkish government and its partners like the IOM to the disaster, Vitorino also noted that "long-haul support is needed as Türkiye rebuilds and creates a new future for the millions whose lives have been torn apart."
The IOM chief further emphasized that Türkiye "has an exemplary disaster management system, but the needs and the scale of the disaster are astronomical."
He said his agency is working with the Turkish government and "international governments, the private sector and affected communities to scale up humanitarian assistance, utilizing IOM's global capacity.”
The IOM deployed relief items from stocks in Accra, Manila and New Delhi, to name a few, and so far, has ensured the arrival of 44 IOM and partner planes carrying aid, according to Vitorino.
"To date, 1 million critical relief items, including clothing, mattresses, bedding and hygiene kits, were dispatched to the affected areas in Türkiye. At the same time, we have sent 150 trucks into northwest Syria, and I am thankful to the government for their inclusive approach to the earthquake response helping the delivery into its neighboring country," he added.
On the international community's solidarity during such disasters, Vitorino said, "The international community must strengthen its efforts to ensure aid keeps reaching the millions of people who survived the earthquakes."
Emphasizing that "emergency efforts are vital and will continue," he further noted that "the response is moving to a new phase."
"The road to recovery will be long and hard, and this is when support from the international community is vital. The needs are immense and no one country should be expected to shoulder rebuilding efforts alone after a disaster of this magnitude," he said.
Vitorino too recalled Türkiye is hosting "the largest number of refugees in the world" and commended the country’s "enormous generosity to people seeking safety here" before the crisis.
"It is now high time that the international community unite in efforts and show solidarity to help Türkiye to rebuild and recover," he stressed.
Under the appeal, the IOM launched an appeal for $161 million to address the immediate needs of affected populations in early February. Vitorino announced that the agency had reached less than 30% of the target.
"I believe that a constant dialogue and strengthened partnerships will help communities cope with the aftermath of the earthquakes," he said.
Asked about migration's relation to disasters and crises around the world, Vitorino said, "The link between disasters and human mobility can no longer be ignored, particularly as the world faces the increasing impacts of climate change."
"Millions of people have been displaced by these earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, and around the world today. Millions more have been forced from their homes by drought in east Africa and cyclones off the continent's coast, floods in Southeast Asia and hurricanes in the Caribbean," he said.
Regarding the IOM's efforts in these matters, he said the agency closely works with governments and local partners in Türkiye and other countries across the world "to help address immediate needs of affected populations and support recovery efforts."
"We also work with communities affected by disasters and climate change to help build resilience through disaster risk reduction and preparedness projects.
"Today, in Türkiye, as the country grapples with the aftermath of these historic earthquakes and recovery efforts begin, support is urgently needed for those displaced," he said.
Vitorino further affirmed that "the IOM will be co-leading efforts to coordinate the international community's displacement management in temporary settlements, particularly informal sites where access to essential services like clean water and health care is dangerously limited," with the government.
"However, despite its importance, funding is yet to be committed by the international community to this essential sector," he added.
At least 48,448 people were killed in Türkiye by the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes, according to the latest official figures.
Over 13.5 million people in the country have been affected by the powerful tremors that rocked 11 provinces – Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Gaziantep, Adıyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakır, Kilis, Osmaniye, Şanlıurfa and Elazığ.
Neighboring Syria too suffered massive damage, reporting at least 6,000 dead in its northwestern regions.
