European Union supports employment of refugees and host communities in agriculture with the new EU funded project
The EU funded project worth €10 million aims to increase employment in agriculture. New agricultural technologies will be introduced to farmers’ field schools from which refugees and host communities will benefit.
The EU and FAO, together with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services, will participate in the inauguration ceremony of the Farmers’ Field School in Izmir.
Date: 22 October Thursday
Time: 09.30-12.30
Venue: Düzce Mahallesi Azmak Mevki 221 Ada 2 Parsel Seferihisar/Izmir
What is the scope of the project?
The EU, FAO, with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry of Family and Labour and Social Services participated in the inauguration ceremony of the Farmers Field School in Izmir. The EU is working with the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) to support the agricultural employment through the provision of vocational training programmes. They address farmers and employers so they develop new skills on new agricultural technologies under the €10 million worth project. The aim is to strengthen the resilience, improve the livelihoods of Syrians under Temporary Protection, IPASH ( International Protection Applicants and Status Holders) and vulnerable host communities of Turkey, and promote socio-economic integration.
During the next four years, FAO in cooperation with the above partners will provide technical and vocational training sessions and Turkish language courses. It will organise job fairs with the private sector to facilitate employment and will establish ISKUR (Turkish Employment Agency) Service Points to act as agricultural employment desks. FAO will implement the Farmer Field Schools aiming to develop skills on new agricultural technologies. It will also develop a new grant scheme to provide incentives for private producers and enterprises investing in expanding their activities and creating employment. Lastly, it will provide Social Security Premium payments to beneficiaries who find employment after graduating from the training. Already selected provinces are Adana, Bursa, Gaziantep, Hatay, Izmir, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Manisa, Şanlıurfa and Van.
On the Project:
The Head of the EU Delegation to Turkey, Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, said in his speech: "The EU has been working with its partners to successfully develop projects in the fields of health, education, infrastructure, socio-economic support, and humanitarian assistance to support Turkey dealing with refugee crisis. The EU assistance reaches refugees in need while at the same time helping host communities face the challenges involved. This project aims to make a positive contribution to all communities involved and will potentially support directly and indirectly the agricultural sector especially during this critical times of COVID-19 pandemic through its key activities."
Background
The Facility for Refugees in Turkey:
The European Union has been supporting Turkey in response to the refugee crisis since 2011. Initial support was in the form of Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO). Other EU financial instruments for medium- and long-term support were added later, responding to the protracted nature of the crisis. In January 2016 this support was substantially scaled up with the entry into force of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey.
Through the Facility, €6 billion has been committed to assist both refugees and host communities in Turkey, by providing assistance in key areas such as education, health, infrastructure, migration management, socio-economic development and humanitarian assistance.
The EU support to Syrians and host communities in the socio-economic sector focuses on skills development and employability, labour market access and integration of refugees. It includes also the Turkish population residing in communities with a high presence of refugees. The projects are intended to address current problems of Syrian refugees in the Turkish labour market, as well as to support host communities, Turkish institutions, local authorities and economies. Under the €6 billion the Facility for Refugees in Turkey allocates almost €1 billion to socio-economic projects.
For more information please contact:
Feyhan Evitan Canbay - Programme Manager, Facility for Refugees in Turkey
Feyhan-fethiye.canbay@eeas.europa.eu
T +90 312 459 87 00
For press inquiries:
Miray Akdağ - Press Officer for the Delegation of the European Union in Turkey
M +90 532 624 93 56 / T +90 312 459 88 77
