Photo:©FAO

Ankara, Turkey - Closure meeting was held for the “Increase self-reliance and improve agricultural livelihoods of refugees through employment opportunities’’ project with the attendance of project stakeholders in Ankara. The project is financed by the EU and the Republic of Turkey, and conducted by partnership of FAO, UNHCR, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

The project was implemented in 8 provinces with high number of Syrian refugees and high demand for agricultural workforce (Adana, Bursa, Gaziantep, İzmir, Manisa, Kilis, Mersin, and Şanlıurfa). Vocational trainings were given to a total of 1.115 beneficiaries consisting of Syrians under temporary protection as well as members of host communities in said provinces. Vocational trainings lasted 3 months in total, consisting of 1 month of theoretical training and 2 months of practical training. The trainings also included non-vocational subjects to help with social and cultural cohesion. Employment fairs were held after the trainings in each province. Equipped with necessary technical skills, the trainees met company representatives who are in search for skilled workers at the fairs. This way, the trainees found long-time employment opportunities in agriculture sector in Turkey.
Organized under the project, these fairs also acted as a platform to raise awareness of Syrians under temporary protection as well as host communities about the legislation concerning work permit.
Assistant FAO Representative for Turkey Ayşegül Selışık made opening remarks in the meeting. She indicated that the main goal of the project is to ensure employment in agricultural sector. She stated that they carried out a series of Project Monitoring Activities to assess the results, and according to the results, the rate of employment is 22% in phase three. She emphasized that this is a significant accomplishment achieved in a short time for a vocational training projects.
Ayşegül Selışık said, “FAO takes gender equality into consideration in all its projects and programmes, including the Syrian Refugee Response Program. All of its works are based on this perspective. With such projects, FAO contributes to the empowerment of women and reduction of the gender gap. The participation rate of women was even higher than the initial target of the project, which was 30%.”
UNHCR Senior Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Officer Damla Taşkın spoke next. She said,
“Refugees who have equal access to economic opportunities can always become individuals who contribute to the socioeconomic development of their host country. There is no doubt that agriculture is one of the most important topics. It is very important both in terms of our development and our survival in the face of the increasing population and migration. I would like to say that, with this project, people build the road to social cohesion together by learning and working together.”
The event continued with the ceremony where appreciation and gratitude plaques were presented to the central and local stakeholders of the project. Project stakeholders, provincial directors from 8 provinces where the project was implemented, and private sector representatives from companies which provided Syrians under temporary protection with long-term employment were given their plaques.