Türkiye and Syria are experiencing a major humanitarian crisis caused by the devastating twin earthquakes of 7.8 and 7.5 magnitudes that hit the southeastern region of Türkiye and the northern part of Syria. The tragic loss of lives, the multitude of injuries, the widespread destruction of critical infrastructure and properties, and the resulting severe socio-economic disruption and stress on Türkiye and the Syrian people are a major concern to IsDB.  

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) expresses solidarity with the government of Türkiye and the Turkish and Syrian people. In this regard, the IsDB will explore all possible avenues to accommodate priorities taking into consideration the immediate emergency response while building resilient communities and infrastructure. The scope of the proposed IsDB interventions to support the government of Türkiye and Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) will be based on a two-track intervention, immediate and medium-to-long-term response. 

• The immediate-to-short-term response will involve grant financing amounting to US$ 3 million as a swift response to supply urgent humanitarian food, non-food items, and essential medical supplies to the severely affected population. In collaboration with the government of Türkiye and development partners, the IsDB Group will rely on its experience in responding to previous global crises to support, where needed, the strengthening of disaster preparedness and management to build more institutional and structural resilience to future earthquakes and natural disasters. Given that the earthquake also affected the Syrian refugees and IDPs, the IsDB will support those in the cross-border areas severely affected by the recent crisis. The Bank will be working closely with international organizations and UN agencies active in these areas. 

• In the medium-to-long term, the IsDB will engage with the authorities and development partners to develop a program for rehabilitation in the affected areas to contribute towards robust and resilient development that improves lives, livelihoods, economies, and infrastructure. IsDB will be agile and responsive to the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA). Furthermore, the private sector arms of the IsDB Group (ICIEC, ICD, and ITFC), who are very active in Türkiye, would be expected to orient towards providing similar support to institutions working on the recovery agenda. The interventions may fully support recovery efforts or have a particular focus on the beneficiaries from the disaster-affected areas. 

Given the enormity of the task of acting swiftly and collectively at the local and global levels, in line with SDG 17, it is imperative to leverage partnerships and work concertedly with others in tackling the crisis while minimizing duplications. Therefore, the IsDB Group calls upon the international development community, its partners of the Arab Coordination Group (ACG), UN agencies, international organizations, civil society organizations, development finance institutions, and private sector stakeholders to join hands in these much-needed development efforts.  

The IsDB Group reiterates its commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with the government and people of Türkiye to respond to the nation’s development priorities and to support initiatives targeting recovery from the tragic impacts of the deadly earthquakes.