Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion

The opportunity to work and earn a living is one of the most effective ways for people who have fled war and persecution to rebuild their lives with dignity and peace. UNHCR Türkiye works to promote economic inclusion of refugees and asylum seekers by advocating for their right to work and build their livelihoods through market-oriented programmes. This approach helps refugees expand their skills and knowledge, as well as providing access to resources, training, assets, services, and markets they might need.

UNHCR’s work in this area is guided by several core principles – including protection, diversity, equity, access, and sustainability – outlined in UNHCR’s Global Strategy for Livelihoods. UNHCR aspires that all forcibly displaced people be able to make a safe and sustainable living that meets their basic needs, contributes to their dignity, and provides for the full enjoyment of human rights.

Türkiye has established a solid and comprehensive rights-based legal framework through the Temporary Protection Regulation, offering Syrian refugees access to services including education, health care and the labor market. According to the regulations of the Turkish government, refugees are eligible to apply for work permits six months after their registration. As the Syrian refugee crisis has persisted for over a decade, economic inclusion of refugees and their access to the labor market is crucial for a dignified life. In this context, Türkiye sets a positive example.

Türkiye UNHCR works closely with public institutions, the private sector, and focuses on several aspects: the institutional, legal and administrative environment, the capacity and skills of refugees and the economic absorptive capacity and potential of local labor markets.

UNHCR in Türkiye carries out various programs in cooperation with a wide range of partners and actors:

• Cooperation with the Government Organizations: UNHCR works in partnership with the Turkish government, particularly with the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MoLSS), the Directorate General of International Labor Force (DGoILF), İŞKUR, and the Presidency for Migration Management (PMM). These partnerships facilitate the implementation of policies that enhance refugees' access to the labor market.
• Cooperation with the Private Sector: UNHCR is dedicated to strengthening collaboration with development agencies, private sector partners to significantly improve employment outcomes for refugees. By partnering with private entities, UNHCR aims to achieve effective outreach, accurate identification, and efficient referral of refugees to available livelihood services in Türkiye. These strategic partnerships extend to NGOs that offer crucial counseling services to refugees and have been instrumental in establishing social enterprises and cooperatives. Through these collaborations, refugees receive career advice, job matching services and information on wages and self-employment, contributing to sustainable employment and better economic integration.
• Building a Resilient Ecosystem: UNHCR Türkiye actively contributes to policy change and social integration by implementing capacity-building projects for related entities, both governmental and private sectors, to create a resilient economic ecosystem.