Turkish Municipalities Shared Their Experiences On Migration Management
Whitin the framework of Resilience in Local Governance Project (RESLOG-Turkey) which is co-implemented by Marmara Municipalities Union (MMU), Union of Municipalities of Turkey, Çukurova Municipalities Union and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, 10th "Local Governance and Migration Meeting" was held online on 30 September 2020.
Within the scope of the RESLOG’s "Knowledge Generation Activities" and in cooperation with MMU Migration Policy Center, representatives of the municipalities work on the best practice examples in the context of Syrian migration under three topics: “Mass Migration”, “Municipal Services” and “Social Cohesion”, the results of these studies are published. The first book of the series "Syrian Mass Migration and Municipal Experiences in Turkey: Local Responses" was presented at the 10th "Local Governance and Migration Meeting" on 30 September 2020.
The program started with the opening speeches of the MMU Migration Policy Expert and MMU Project Coordinator, Merve Ağca, RESLOG National Project Manager Sinan Özden and RESLOG National Project Coordinator Gül Tuçaltan. Municipalities shared their cities' migration history and current migration experiences under the moderation of Prof. Ayhan Kaya, European Institute Director of Bilgi University and the compiler of the book.
Representatives of Adana Metropolitan Municipality, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, Hatay Metropolitan Municipality, Mersin Metropolitan Municipality, Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality, Reyhanlı Municipality and Zeytinburnu Municipality talked about the services they offer to refugees, the steps they take towards the social cohesion and the concepts they take as a basis for receiving and managing migration. They underlined the importance of the experience and information share to increase their capacity on migration practices.
While more than one hundred and fifty people consisting of representatives of municipalities, academicians and representatives of NGOs participated to the online meeting, the services and daily experiences of the municipalities concerning refugees were discussed in detail through comprehensive questions. The program provides important data in order to reveal how successful are the municipalities of Turkey to response such important mass migration wave.
To reach "Syrian Mass Migration and Municipal Experiences in Turkey: Local Responses" and all the publications that came out during RESLOG Project please visit: http://www.reslogproject.org/en/publications/
video record: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYsvjSDlGzE
