UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND

Published purpose

February 2023 – The humanitarian situation in Türkiye and Syria deteriorated significantly following powerful earthquakes that struck south-east Türkiye and north-west Syria on February 6 and February 20. The earthquakes and aftershocks resulted in widespread damages and high casualties in both countries. The UN estimates that at least 9.1 million people in Turkey and 8.8 million people in Syria have been affected by the earthquake, with the majority anticipated to need some form of humanitarian assistance in the coming months. In Türkiye, a state of emergency was declared in 10 provinces as people were left without access to shelter, food, water, heaters and medical care in harsh winter conditions. In Syria, the response is further complicated by pre-existing large scale humanitarian needs, severe access constraints for humanitarian aid, and weak infrastructure from over a decade of armed conflict. In collaboration with the Government of Türkiye, UNICEF Türkiye co-leads the WASH sector earthquake response. With GAC’s support, UNICEF will reach 1,500,000 earthquake-affected people with water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) assistance, non-food items, child protection, emergency health and nutrition operations, and psychosocial support. Project activities include: (1) deploying WASH mobile teams to highly affected areas; (2) distributing medical and water, hygiene and sanitation kits; (3) distributing non-food items; (4) providing access to protection services for earthquake-affected children; and (5) providing psychosocial services to affected individuals.