Turkey - With over 3.5 million migrants and refugees in Turkey, IOM this week (13/03) signed a Migrant Presence Monitoring (MPM) agreement with Turkey’s Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM) to better understand migrant population movements and needs.  

In response to the ongoing Syria Crisis and the Mediterranean Crisis, MPM will track key demographics and quantitative data of Turkey’s migrant population, both within the country and the external flows to Europe.  

“Sustained regional conflict highlights the need for in-depth, accurate information on migratory flows, the needs of migrants and refugees living in Turkey, and on those who are in transit to reach Europe,” said Lado Gvilava, IOM Turkey Chief of Mission.

“Too often humanitarian and resilience responses are based upon ad hoc approaches.  MPM provides a valuable tool to governments, aid agencies and civil society to develop strategic responses that will provide a lasting positive impact on both host communities and the migrant population,” added Gvilava.

Through baseline assessments, migrant surveys and flow monitoring, MPM will collect data on external migration flows and those within Turkey to assist governments, humanitarians and protection stakeholder to have a better understanding of the scope and structure of migration movements in Turkey.  The programme will also build Turkey’s capacity to collect and analyse national and regional migration information to support evidence-based migration policies at local, national and regional levels. 

MPM draws on the experience of over a decade of IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) in tracking vulnerable populations and helping ensure the targeted delivery of aid in Syria, Iraq, South Sudan and other countries facing both conflict and natural disasters. 

MPM will initially be launched in 15 pilot provinces with the expectation that the programme will be extended shortly throughout the entire country. 

MPM will publish a monthly country overview, situation reports, regular Flow Monitoring Surveys reports as well as detailed quarterly reports. Ad hoc reports will be published following significant findings.

Funding for MPM was provided by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) and EU’s Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO).

More information about IOM’s MPM programme can be found at: http://migration.iom.int/europe/

For further information, please contact Abby Dwommoh, IOM Turkey, Tel: +90 312 454 3048, Email: MediaIOMTurkey@iom.int or Bekim Ajdini, Tel: +90 312 454 3059, Email: bajdini@iom.int