Labor Migration and Economic/Community Development

IOM Turkey seeks to encourage the establishment of a national coordination mechanism in line with the current EU accession process that would enable Turkey to harness all migration’s potential to accelerate growth and prosperity. Management of labor migration in Turkey has gradually become a defining issue of and on the national agenda. IOM is working to promote national debate and create a platform for dialogue at inter-institutional levels to enhance the understanding of the complex relationship among migration, human security and community development, and to manage their effects on the Turkish socio-economic fabric.

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Regulating Migration : Counter Trafficking

IOM’s vision is to fight against exploitation of migrants in all its forms, especially the severe human rights violations suffered by trafficked persons. Building on our individual commitment and global presence, we strengthen the capacities of our partners in government and civil society and set operational standards to achieve sustainable results that will: provide protection and empower trafficked women, men, girls and boys raise awareness and understanding of the issue, bring justice to trafficked persons.

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Technical Cooperation on Migration

The activities of IOM’s Technical Cooperation on Migration (TCM) Division help government’s equipping themselves with the necessary legislative, administrative structures, operational systems and human resource base needed to tackle diverse migration problems. TCM activities also assist governments in testing new approaches to address particular migration challenges in creative ways.

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Assisted Voluntary Return Program (AVR)

Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) program is one of many migration management services IOM offers to migrants and governments. It aims at orderly, humane and cost-effective return and reintegration of migrants who are unable or unwilling to remain in host countries and wish to return voluntarily to their countries of origin.

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Migration Policy, Research and Communications

Irregular migration flows through Turkey are bound to continue in future. In that regard, IOM is continuing to support Turkey’s efforts to build a comprehensive migration system that rises up to the multiple challenges that Turkey’s unique geographical position poses.

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Private Sector Involvement

The private sector has a significant and valuable role to play in realizing the positive benefits of migration and in minimizing its costs. While the management of cross-border population flow is an intrinsic feature of state sovereignty, many aspects of migration are also of interest to other stakeholders. The multidimensional nature of migration makes the involvement of the private sector an essential component of a coherent and comprehensive approach.

Since 2005, IOM Turkey mission has been in contact with private sector actors. The aim of this strategy was twofold; raise awareness of IOM’s activities with particular reference to anti – trafficking projects; and urge business to comply with their social responsibility commitments and support IOM’s action. As a direct result, IOM had cooperated through different kind of support with Unilever, FIDA Film Company, Sinefekt, Kanal D, Star TV, TAV Istanbul, Antalya Celebi IC Airport, Sabiha Gokcen Airport, Trabzon Airport so far. IOM in Turkey  seeks to forge partnerships with private sector actors focused on areas and subjects of mutual interest and shared values with full respect for each other's resources, expertise, knowledge, and skills.

Migration and Gender

Until the mid-1980s, migration was regarded as a male phenomenon. Today, women account for almost half of the migrant population globally. Migration is often seen as gender-neutral because it deals with the process of the movement of persons; however, it is in fact gender-related because migration impacts differently on men and women, and on different groups of men and women in their process of movement.

Awareness of gender-related phenomena is crucial thus the experiences men and women have as migrants differ, and most of the differences are due to the role, behavior, and relationships that society assigns to, and expects from, a woman or a man in a country of origin and a country of destination. IOM in Turkey applies the gender mainstreaming in all its implemented projects specifically on counter trafficking. Also IOM Turkey is working on new areas on gender equality in response to the National Action Plan on Gender Equality. Moreover, since 2006 IOM Turkey has been the co-chair of the United Nations Gender Thematic Group with the International Labor Organization in Turkey.