Step-Up Türkiye: Strengthening local and refugee-led organisations

Türkiye hosts one of the world’s largest refugee populations. Today, around 2.7 million Syrians live under Temporary Protection, alongside nearly 190,000 refugees and asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and other countries.

While numbers have declined in recent years, those who remain face enormous challenges: insecure legal status, discrimination, barriers to education and work, and daily uncertainty.

Local and refugee-led organisations (RLOs) are a lifeline. They provide legal aid, education, and psychosocial support where government services fall short. Yet these organisations are under heavy strain: shrinking funds, complex bureaucracy, and political restrictions threaten their survival. In addition, they face another major challenge: the post-earthquake trauma of staff, volunteers and beneficiaries.

The Dutch Council for Refugees started the Step-Up Türkiye project to strengthen the capacity of local NGOs and refugee-led organisations in Türkiye so they can continue supporting refugees and asylum seekers.

The project is part of the activities that DCR’s International Programme exerts in line with our commitment to international and European solidarity. This project includes two phases and will run in 2024 and 2025. Both phases are meant to enhance the capacities of the participating organisations.

Phase one: capacity academy (2024)

• 20 local and refugee-led organisations, selected after a precise application process, took part in the Capacity Academy: a comprehensive capacity-building training, developed with Turkish expert partners.
• Activities included training courses, twinning with experts, in addition to peer-to-peer learning, both online and in-person.
• Participants gathered twice for in-person workshops. Topics included:
  • Legal aid and organisational legal support.
  • Staff mental health and trauma-informed care.
  • Fundraising and project development.
  • Volunteer management.
  • Managerial skills.

Phase two: financial & capacity support (2025)

• In 2025, five organisations from Phase One were selected for financial and extended capacity-strengthening support.
• Funding was provided for projects that strengthen their ability to work on refugee protection and inclusion. The implementation of these projects runs until the end of the year.

Project in numbers

• Duration: 2024–2025
• Organisations in Phase One: 20
• Organisations supported in Phase Two: 5
• Focus region: Southeast Türkiye
• Financial support: modest grants, targeted to capacity development.

The refugee situation in Türkiye is not isolated: it directly affects Europe and the Netherlands. The EU–Türkiye Statement continues to shape migration policy, often at the expense of refugee rights. By working closely with partners in Türkiye, Step-Up Türkiye allows us to:

• Show the human impact of restrictive EU migration agreements.
• Advocate for safe and legal pathways for vulnerable refugees.
• Support the inclusion of refugee-led groups in national and European advocacy.
• Bring first-hand knowledge into Dutch and European debates on asylum and migration.

Step-Up Türkiye is rooted in the lived experiences of refugees. Their stories make clear why support for local and refugee-led groups is vital.

These voices show the day-to-day uncertainty, exclusion, and resilience of refugees. By investing in local and refugee-led organisations, Step-Up Türkiye ensures that refugees’ realities are not invisible but heard and addressed in both Türkiye and Europe.

Step-Up Türkiye is more than a pilot project. It is the foundation for long-term cooperation. In the years ahead, we aim to:

• Secure sustainable funding models for local and refugee-led organisations.
• Strengthen long-term partnerships with Turkish civil society and European actors.
• Expand research and evidence collection to influence EU migration and asylum policy.
• Ensure refugee-led groups are recognised and included in both Turkish and European advocacy spaces.

By investing in this future, we help protect rights, strengthen communities, and ensure refugees’ voices are heard.