SPECIAL EDITION
: WORLD REFUGEE DAY 2018
|
|
© Sinem Oguz – “On the Border: Syrian Women and Children”
|
|
Recently released
UNHCR statistics
show that in 2017, the number of people across the world who have been displaced from their homes grew to 68.5 million, including 25.4 million refugees escaping conflict and persecution.
Amidst this refugee crisis, Turkey remains host to the
largest refugee population in world
, with more than 3.5 million registered Syrian refugees as well as more than 365,000 persons of concern of other nationalities seeking refuge within Turkey’s borders.
At THO, we strive to carry out activities and programs that illuminate not only the scale of this refugee crisis but also the initiatives needed to address the needs of those who have been displaced.
When THO began work in 2015, ‘humanitarian aid’ was instated as one of our six core issue areas. Thanks to the dedicated work of our staff, the generosity of our sponsors, and the kind collaboration of our partners, our humanitarian aid issue area – with a special focus on the refugee crisis – has become one of our biggest programs, spanning 16 events, 13 publications by THO staff, and eight expert interviews.
In 2018, we are committed to expanding our partnerships and exploring new initiatives to continue to play a part in addressing the challenges of the refugee crisis while also shifting the narrative of displacement from one of victimhood to one of empowerment. That’s why we’re building upon our events, publications, and interviews to develop and support on-the-ground programs around the refugee crisis, such as our Summer 2018 Research Program in Turkey.
We continue to stand with the millions of people worldwide who have been displaced, and we welcome any
feedback
that can help us be better allies in the years to come.
|
|
UPCOMING AND RECENT EVENTS
|
|
Upcoming event: June 26 panel on Turkey’s election outcome
|
|
Don’t miss our upcoming event in Washington, D.C. on the outcome of Turkey’s June 24 snap elections and what they mean for Turkish-American relations.
|
|
Recent event: June 19 teleconference on the ongoing refugee crisis
|
|
On June 19, THO hosted a teleconference on “
The Ongoing Refugee Crisis and Turkey’s Role.
”
During the teleconference in commemoration of World Refugee Day,
Dr. Mehmet Gulluoglu
(President of Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority [AFAD]) and
Dr. Elizabeth Ferris
(Research Professor at Georgetown University) discussed both Turkey’s and the international community’s responses to the global refugee crisis.
Keep an eye on
our website
for an event summary, and check out
our Twitter
(@TurkHeritage) for a look at the subjects discussed during the teleconference.
|
|
INTRODUCING THO’S FIRST SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS
|
|
In July and August, we will carry out our first
Summer Research Program in Turkey
. The theme for this inaugural year is “Refugees and Asylum-Seekers in Turkey: Challenges, Opportunities, and Approaches.”
Throughout the program, eight young American researchers will meet with government agencies, private sector representatives, and civil society organizations in Washington, D.C., Istanbul, Ankara, and Gaziantep to carry out individual research projects exploring the refugee and displacement crisis.
You can now read more about our eight researchers on our blog,
Meddah
.
|
|
We’re also excited to begin the rollout of blog posts from each of our researchers. Check out the
first post
by
Lydia Williams
, who will be focusing on refugee education while in Turkey.
Check back periodically from now through mid-July for the rest of the researchers’ posts!
|
|
THO ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL
|
|
THO is proud to announce a partnership with the Atlantic Council’s 2018
Millennium Fellowship
. The two-year fellowship aims “to connect and empower rising leaders who will shape the twenty-first century.”
Through this partnership with the Atlantic Council, THO will support the Millennium Fellowship’s upcoming
Aegean Study Tour
, which will take fellows to Turkey and Greece in early July to explore the migrant crisis and its impact on international cooperation and security.
Check out our recent
Exclusive Insight interview
with
Daniel Bennett
, Director of the Atlantic Council’s Millennium Leadership Program – of which the Millennium Fellowship is the flagship initiative – to learn more about the fellowship, why they chose the migrant crisis for this study tour, and the importance of these types of programs for building people-to-people relations.
|
|
A YEAR OF THO’S WORK ON THE REFUGEE CRISIS
|
|
Since World Refugee Day 2017, we’ve been hard at work to expand the conversation on the refugee crisis. Below are the highlights from the past year of THO’s work on this issue area.
|
|
June 19, 2018 – “
The Ongoing Refugee Crisis and Turkey’s Role
” (Teleconference)
|
|
**NEW**
June 19, 2018 – Exclusive Insight with
Priyali Sur
, 2017 Millennium Fellow at the Atlantic Council
December 15, 2017 – Exclusive Insight with
Ferdi Ferhat Ozsoy
, Project Director of Why Am I in Turkey (W.A.I.T.)
November 30, 2017 – Exclusive Insight with
Remi Hassoun
, Syrian activist
November 29, 2017 – Exclusive Insight with
Lina Sergie Attar
, Co-Founder and CEO of Karam Foundation
|
|
WHAT WE'RE READING
: THE GLOBAL REFUGEE CRISIS IN FOCUS
|
|
Recent research, analysis, and commentary
|
|
– Kemal Kirisci, Jessica Brandt, and M. Murat Erdogan,
Brookings Institute
|
|
– Masha Gessen,
New Yorker
|
|
– Mehmet Cetingulec,
Al-Monitor
|
|
–
United Nations Population Fund
|
|
– Jessica Bolter and Sarah Pierce,
Migration Policy Institute
|
|
– Ramzy Baroud and Romana Rubeo,
Al Jazeera
|
|
FEEDBACK
The Turkish Heritage Weekly Review is a weekly newsletter bringing the latest news in U.S.-Turkey relations as well as recent updates from THO straight to your inbox.
Have feedback for how to improve the newsletter? We’d love to hear from you. You can contact us at
[email protected]
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
