URBAN REFUGEES FROM “DETACHMENT” TO “HARMONIZATION” Syrian Refugees and Process Management of Municipalities: The Case of Istanbul JANUARY 2017 Photo:Şahin Avcı PUBLISHED and PRODUCED by Gafa Media | www.gafa.com.tr This research was conducted by Migration Policy Workshop (MAGA) operating within Marmara Municipalities Union’s Center for Urban Policies and led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. M. Murat ERDOĞAN. Project Manager / Report: Assoc. Prof. Dr. M. Murat Erdoğan Researchers Burcuhan Şener (MMU) Elif Sipahioğlu (MMU-HUGO) Yudum Kavukçuer (HUGO) Dr. Esin Yılmaz Başçeri (HUGO) ISBN 978-605-83293-8-6 TABLE OF CONTENTS PRESENTATION ......................................................................................................................................................................... 6 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................................ 8 AIM AND SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH .......................................................................................................................................... 10 I. SYRIANS AND OTHER REFUGEES IN TURKEY ........................................................................................................................... 13 I-A. Legal and Administrative Regulations on Refugees in Turkey ................................................................................................................... 16 I-B. Refugees in Turkey ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 21 II. IMMIGRANTS, REFUGEES AND DEVELOPMENT IN ISTANBUL................................................................................................... 27 II- A. Dynamics of Internal Migration in Istanbul ........................................................................................................................................................ 27 II-B. International Migration and Refugee Influx into Istanbul ........................................................................................................................... 29 III. SYRIAN REFUGEES IN ISTANBUL ........................................................................................................................................... 33 IV. MUNICIPALITIES AND REFUGEES IN TURKEY: LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE STATUS .............................................................. 39 V. THE RESEARCH: URBAN REFUGEES FROM “DETACHMENT” TO “HARMONIZATION” Syrian Refugees and Process Management of Municipalities: The Case of Istanbul ............................................................................................................................................ 45 VI. GENERAL FRAME OF THE RESEARCH .................................................................................................................................... 51 VII. RESEARCH FINDINGS .......................................................................................................................................................... 57 1. “Numerical Quantity” The Foundation of Process Management by Istanbul District Municipalities ......................................... 59 2. The Database Based on District Municipalities and the Need for a Common Database .................................................................. 61 3. Are Municipalities Legally and Administratively Obliged to Take Care of Refugees? ........................................................................ 65 4. Are Legal and Administrative Changes Necessary? ............................................................................................................................................. 67 5. Which Municipal Departments Are Related to Refugee Issues? ................................................................................................................... 69 6. Staff Recruitment for Refugees ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 71 7. Information on Numbers and Characteristics of the Refugees ...................................................................................................................... 73 8. Municipal Income and Refugees .................................................................................................................................................................................... 75 9. Municipal Services for Refugees .................................................................................................................................................................................... 77 10. How Many of the Syrian Refugees Benefit from Municipal Services?..................................................................................................... 81 11. Employment Status and Business Operations of Syrians .............................................................................................................................. 83 12. Begging and Municipalities ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 85 13. Which Institutions Are Cooperating on Refugee Issues? ............................................................................................................................... 87 14. Cooperation with International Institutions.......................................................................................................................................................... 89 15. Harmonization Programs and Municipalities........................................................................................................................................................ 91 16. Multi-Purpose Community Centers ........................................................................................................................................................................... 95 17. Which Persons and Institutions Lead These Activities?.................................................................................................................................. 97 18. How are the Services for Refugees Financed? .................................................................................................................................................... 99 19. How Should the Funds for These Activities Be Regulated? .......................................................................................................................... 101 20. How Much Have Refugees Increased the Workload and the Financial Burden of Municipalities? .......................................... 103 21. Where Do Syrian Refugees Get Provided with These Services? ................................................................................................................ 105 22. Do Syrian Refugees Get Help for Their Health and Education Problems?. ........................................................................................... 107 23. Future Plans of Syrians: Will They Stay or Will They Leave?. ....................................................................................................................... 109 24. Possibility of Tension Between Syrians and Local Communities ............................................................................................................... 111 25. Involving Refugees in Decision Making Process ................................................................................................................................................. 113 26. Other Issues/Problems ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 115 VIII. OVERVIEW......................................................................................................................................................................... 117 CONCLUSION AND POLICY PROPOSALS .................................................................................................................................... 125 APPENDIX: SEMI-STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRE ...................................................................................................................... 130 MARMARA MUNICIPALITIES UNION PRESENTATION “Our mighty nation proved its uniqueness, greatness and its exceptional position among the world’s nations once again by welcoming suffering refugees.” Migration means parting from one’s once again. Especially in the recent years, homeland, being devoid of a home, and Marmara Municipalities Union has been becoming lonely. One of the biggest sorrows not only excessively working on issues as in the history of humanity is the suffer that migration, asylum, humanitarian aid and comes along with migration. Unfortunately, social adaptation, but also leading relevant even in modern times, no solution has yet activities on the level of local governments. been found for migration, which mingled I would like to mention some of these with many painful stories in the great relevant activities; history of humanity. Humankind found a As a leading example for local