Türkiye

German development cooperation with Türkiye began in the 1950s. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has maintained an office in Ankara since 1998 and another one in Gaziantep since 2014. As of 2023, it has also had a presence in Istanbul.

Due to its location between several different regions, Türkiye plays an important role in global challenges such as migration. Since the beginning of the civil war in Syria in 2011, Türkiye has taken in more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees in addition to people from Iraq and Afghanistan also seeking refuge in the country. This is putting considerable pressure on public structures and services and leading to tension within society. Moreover, the economic situation in Türkiye has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two devastating earthquakes struck the region in February 2023, affecting 11 provinces in the border region between Türkiye and Syria. This has exacerbated the existing socio-economic problems. The earthquakes destroyed public infrastructure such as schools.

In addition, Türkiye, too, is feeling the impacts of climate change. At the end of 2021, the Turkish Government thus ratified the Paris Agreement and plans to reduce its CO2 emissions to zero by 2053. This will pose a considerable challenge for industry and society.

Our work on site: For refugees and host communities and for a future-proof infrastructure

GIZ’s work in Türkiye on behalf of the German Government and the European Union (EU) focuses on the following areas:

• displacement and migration
• public services
• climate change

GIZ is supporting Türkiye in dealing with the consequences of the civil war in Syria. It offers education projects, psychosocial support and income opportunities for refugees and people from the host communities. In addition, GIZ supports peacebuilding and intercultural activities with a view to enhancing social cohesion. To do so, it trains authorities, teachers and staff at various organisations to enable them to address people’s needs more effectively.

As the regions affected by the earthquakes need resilient and future-proof public infrastructure, GIZ was quick to initiate measures. It is organising technical relief supplies for the communities affected and restoring public services such as education and psychosocial support, working closely with state and non-state institutions.

In the fight against climate change, GIZ is assisting the Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change in establishing a system to monitor and report on greenhouse gases and to certify results.

It is also supporting Türkiye in connection with the pre-accession assistance that the country is receiving as an accession candidate to promote reforms. In this context, it is implementing projects on energy efficiency and climate change, support for civil society and community projects.