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According to recent data, more than 97% of Syrians in Turkey live in cities, side by side with their Turkish neighbours. Local administrations and municipalities are exposed to increasing pressure especially in meeting the growing demand for municipal services due to the sudden population growth caused by the Syria crisis. There are four municipalities in Turkey’s southeast, hosting over 100,000 Syrian individuals under temporary protection in the provinces close to the border areas. The ratio of Syrian individuals living in these provinces, among which there are Kilis, Hatay, Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa, ranges from 10% to 90%. And UNDP is currently present in all these provinces.
The situation is already challenging at local level. Recently released regulations have expanded metropolitan municipalities’ responsibilities to cover district and village level services, which has added new pressure to the demand side. As a matter of course, the rapid and sudden population growth brings an additional burden to the municipalities, from infrastructure to superstructure, from transportation services to green areas, from solid waste management to water management. This is so, because the share that the municipalities receive from the central government budget is based on the number of citizens. And refugees are not considered in the allotment of the budget. Yes, Turkish municipalities, especially in border regions, are indeed facing serious challenges with their already limited capacities. And UNDP helps them.