About the IOM Mission to Turkey

    Established in 1991 during the Gulf War crisis, IOM Ankara operates comprehensive humanitarian and assistance programs for stranded migrants and refugees. It also implements a counter-trafficking program that aims to protect trafficking victims, increase prosecutions of criminal traffickers and prevent human trafficking. IOM’s primary objective is to support the Turkish government in its efforts to provide a dignified and human rights-based approach to irregular migration and trafficking in human beings as well as research and technical expertise. IOM operates in areas of emergency refugee assistance, assisted voluntary return and almost every major aspect of migration management, from migrant health to remittances to promoting legal migration.

    An inter-governmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, IOM is made up of 112 member states, from the developed world of the United States and United Kingdom to the developing states of Georgia and Gambia. Turkey has been a member of IOM since November, 2004, having ratified a bilateral agreement on the legal status, privileges and immunities of IOM’s diplomatic mission to Ankara. While IOM works closely with United Nations and all of its affiliate agencies, including UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF and ILO, it is an independent organization funded by donor contributions. It is not a member of the United Nations. More information about IOM and its global operations is available on the web at www.iom.int. With offices in Ankara and Istanbul, IOM, Turkey, currently operates in these areas:

    Counter-trafficking:

    IOM Turkey is active in every part of the counter-trafficking field, prosecution of criminal traffickers, protection of trafficked persons and trafficking prevention. IOM is currently implementing a $700,000 U.S. funded counter-trafficking program coordinated by the Turkish government. The one-year project is aimed at preventing trafficking in human beings through a nationwide information and awareness campaign. Potential trafficked individuals will receive information at key border crossings. These handouts will include facts on the danger signs of trafficking and include the three-digit national toll-free 157 telephone helpline for emergency assistance. The campaign will target the general public with television and radio advertisements and an informational web site. Other parts of the campaign include training of trainers for 150 law enforcement personnel, including police and gendarmerie, on the realities and causes of human trafficking. The goal is increased prosecutions of traffickers and protection of trafficked individuals through expanded identification. In the direct assistance area, shelter, medical and other services will be made available to a minimum of 50 trafficked individuals. Funding is included for training and improved operations of the shelter for trafficked persons operated by the Human Resources Development Foundation in Istanbul. Also provided will be funding for return, travel and reintegration.

    Humanitarian Migration:

    IOM provides local and international transportation assistance to UNHCR recognized refugees for settlement outside Turkey. Destinations include Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France and the Netherlands. The humanitarian assistance program also makes available reunification services to those whose family members have obtained legal residence abroad. This is provided at the request of governments in Western Europe and North America. Examples of requesting governments are the United States, Sweden and Switzerland. One additional program area is cultural orientation for refugees selected for resettlement to Australia, Finland and Norway. The orientation curriculum includes background on local geography, history, transportation laws and rights. Cultural diversity, employment opportunities and educational opportunities are part of the training. In Norway, IOM Ankara assists IOM’s office and local municipalities on cultural orientation for Turkish refugees.

    Capacity building:

    Sustainability is the essential ingredient for IOM program activities. Through its ongoing counter-trafficking programs, IOM is laying the foundation for the development of a sustainable network of non-governmental organizations devoted to combating trafficking. These activities include an expert assessment of NGO capacity, strategic recommendation and an outcomes-based workshop aimed at solidifying long-term goals and the means for achieving them. The NGO program is being funded through the U.S. Government and the Swedish consulate in Istanbul. Training is also a major part of IOM activities. In 2004, IOM participated in eight trainings on counter-trafficking for Turkish law enforcement. A minimum of seven trainings are planned for 2005. The number of trafficked individuals identified by law enforcement increased dramatically after the trainings, from 3 in 2002 to 266 in 2004.

    Research:

    IOM Ankara recognizes that research is the foundation for all substantial program activities. IOM is currently implementing a major study of public attitudes towards trafficking in human beings and an anthropological study of communication networks of irregular migrants from Moldova to Turkey. Planned projects include an assessment of internal trafficking in Turkey and a major study of law enforcement efforts to combat human trafficking. These compliment past studies on "Transit Migration in Turkey" and "Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Women: the case of Turkey."

    Past Programs:

    Turkey is at the geo-political crossroads, and IOM has been involved in virtually every major migration and refugee assistance crisis of the last decade. During the Gulf War, the United Nations appointed IOM the lead agency to return foreign workers from Iraq and Kuwait. IOM assisted hundreds of thousands individuals and families fleeing northern Iraq during the war. These refugees sought evacuation, resettlement and repatriation once hostilities had ended. IOM assisted 650,000 individuals between 1990 and 1994. Humanitarian airlifts were conducted in 1996 to evacuate 6,350 northern Iraqi Kurds. And in 1999, IOM evacuated 5,765 Kosovars to Turkey during the Kosovo conflict, providing return assistance to 2,200 individuals. In other areas, IOM has helped highly skilled Afghan nationals to return to their country, aided rejected Iraqi asylum seekers to return home and coordinated $6 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan during the 2001 conflict. This January, IOM Turkey helped coordinate out of country voting for Iraqi citizens.

    IOM Ankara Leadership:

    The IOM Ankara office is headed up by a team with extensive experience implementing projects in counter-trafficking and migration. Chief of Mission Marielle Sander Lindstrom, who assumed her post in Sept. 2004, counts more than 15 years experience in public administration, project management, migration management and counter-trafficking. She saw the impact of trafficking first hand as IOM’s Chief of Mission to Moldova. During her tenure at IOM Ankara, she has overseen a major overhaul of counter-trafficking programming and streamlining budget and administration procedures. With more than 13 years experience in emergency relief operations and refugee resettlement, Senior Operations Assistant Yasar Ogul has been at the centre of nearly every major regional refugee and resettlement crisis of the last decade. These include the Kosovo conflict, the 1991 Gulf War and the East Timor crisis. He is backed by a six person operations team in Ankara and Istanbul. Senior Counter Trafficking Assistant Meltem Ersoy has worked in the counter-trafficking field for nearly five years. She is recognized throughout the region as one the top trainers on counter-trafficking topics, having conducted workshops, seminars, basic orientations and conferences for more than 2,000 in law enforcement and elsewhere. She has provided frontline, field assistance to more than 200 trafficked individuals. Senior Administration and Finance Assistant Can Acikgoz has been with IOM Ankara since 1991. She has extensive experience in accounting, budget development and personnel management.

History of IOM Ankara

1991	IOM establishes first mission to Turkey during Gulf Crisis. Offices open in Ankara and Silopi.
1994	İstanbul office opens. IOM marks 650,000 refugees assisted from Iraq and Iran since 1990.
1995	Bilateral Agreement signed between IOM and Turkish government, covering legal status, privileges and immunities of IOM mission.
1996	Northern Iraqi Kurds totalling 6,350 evacuated during IOM-conducted humanitarian airlift. Elsewhere, IOM, Ankara, evacuates 5,765 Kosovo nationals to Turkey during the Kosovo conflict, providing return assistance to 2,200 individuals.
1997	IOM assists out of country voting for Bosnians living in Turkey. Carries out Stranded Migrants in Transit Program, assisting migrants without proper documentation reach Western destinations.
1998	IOM assists in providing safe haven to 4,000 Bosnian refugees. Conducts the TREP program for Turkish citizens, providing assisted voluntary return for Switzerland rejected asylum seekers.
1999	IOM provides return assistance to 1,273 Bosnians returnees from Turkey.
2001	IOM coordinates $6 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan during the 2001 conflict, procures tents from Turkey and supplies them to Afghanistan.
2002	IOM completes study on Transit Migration through Turkey. Carries out the return of Iraqi nationals in coordination with the Anatolian Development Foundation, funded by the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland.
2004	Turkey becomes 109th member of IOM. It conducts multiple trainings for Turkish law enforcement on counter-trafficking project funded by the Italian government. IOM assists 63 victims of trafficking to return to their country of origin.
2005	U.S. Government funds $600,000 IOM-implemented counter-trafficking program. Program coordinated and co-funded ($100,000) by Turkish government. 47 victims of trafficking assisted by IOM in first two months of 2005, exceeding 2004 pace. IOM manages out of country voting program for Iraqi citizens in Turkey. Swedish Consulate in Istanbul awards IOM new program to write strategic plan for building NGO capacity for counter-trafficking.

IOM Country Strategy

    IOM programs must be sustainable, backed by the government and its people and adhere to the highest standards of international human rights. First, IOM-Ankara works for a coordinated government response to migration management. This includes irregular migration, labor migration and legal migration alternatives. Second, IOM builds capacity of government and non-governmental agencies to combat trafficking in human beings. This includes improving effectiveness of law enforcement, expanding protection for trafficked individuals and raising awareness and prevention efforts. Third, IOM facilitates international communication and logistics between governments. One key activity: Support for the Black Sea Economic Cooperation organization. Finally, IOM conducts research and provides technical experts to facilitate the policy objectives of the Turkish Government, its ministries and agencies. In all areas, IOM adheres to its core principle, that migration must be managed for the benefit of all.