SGulsen
Country: Turkey
Fourth Main Committee: Special Political and Decolonization
Topic: The Protection of Migrant Workers
There are over six million Turks living as migrant workers in the world today and hosts more than 2.9 million. International migration has always been part of Turkey. It was one of the driving forces of the post-World War II period when Europe was rebuilt using the assistance of migrant communities. The country doesn’t only stand out as a particularly significant center of migration flows for regular migrants, but also for the irregular and in transit. Turkey has a strong tradition of responding to affected peoples in need without distinction. The country hosts more than 2.7 million Syrians, and around 300,000 Iraqis, making it the biggest refugee-hosting nation in the world. They were allowed to access the labor market, and were provided with food, health and education services as well as psychological support.
The world is going an unprecedented period, with displacement at the highest level ever recorded. According to Mehmet FerdenÇarikci, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations Office at Geneva, we have a strong tradition of responding to affected peoples in need, without distinction. The landmark Law on Foreigners and International Protection, enacted in 2013, has established the Directorate General for Migration Management, which was in charge of fulfilling policies and strategies on migration issues. The law has given a legal basis to the principle of non-refoulement, and has established the procedure relating to humanitarian residence permit. In addition to action plans and strategies designed for the implementation of this law, a joint project has been conducted with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to harmonize migration management. IOM Turkey is supporting the government to reduce irregular employment and vulnerability of economic migrants, to promote registered employment, to build central and local capacity of institutions and to attract qualified foreign labor in line with the needs of the labor market.
Turkey has made great strides to enhance its labor migration policies, not only for Syrians but also for all migrants. For example, the 2013 Law on Foreigners and International Protection institutionalized migration management by establishing the Directorate General of Migration Management. IOM Turkey and Ministry of Labour and Social Security assesses the foreign labor needs of Turkey’s labor market, to support its institutional partners on national employment policy, to counter irregular labor migration, and to advocate for the rights of migrant workers. We are committed to supporting to strengthen institutional capacity to combat labor irregular migration, labor exploitation, human trafficking and to promote the registered employment of foreigners in Turkey.
Turkey needs more States to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, which 25 years after its adoption remains highly relevant. There are over six million Turks living as migrant workers, mainly in Europe, and taking care of their needs as well as supporting their return back home is a priority for Turkey. The fact that no European State and few Asian States has ratified the Convention means that millions of migrant workers in those countries are deprived of the protection its provided. For its part, Turkey firmly upheld the principles of equality and human rights without discrimination, as enshrined in our Constitution. A determined human rights reform process is being conducted, including through the adoption of a set of Constitutional amendments and efforts to review legislation in line with Turkey’s international obligations and commitments.