The second Steering Committee meeting of the joint European Union/Council of Europe action “Strengthening the human rights protection in the context of migration in Türkiye” was held on 27 October 2023 online.

The meeting was opened by the Head of the Council of Europe Programme Office in Ankara, William Massolin who highlighted that human rights and migration remain a priority area for the Council of Europe and thanked all the beneficiaries and partners of the action for the excellent co-operation.  The Sector Manager at the European Union Delegation to Türkiye, Banur Ozaydin acknowledged the relevance of the action in light of the current needs in the field.

Following the opening remarks, the project team provided a comprehensive overview of the objectives of the action and the activities completed thus far. The participants were also informed about the upcoming activities, which among others include, trainings, needs assessments, publications, international events, etc. that will be organised over the next six months.

The meeting concluded with valuable contributions and suggestions for co-operation from representatives of the beneficiary institutions. More specifically, representatives from the Gendarmerie General Command and the Presidency of Migration Management stressed the importance of the training programmes for their personnel and expressed their commitment for the continuation of such events.

The representative of the Ministry of Family and Social Services underscored the necessity of more direct engagement of children in the different activities of the action and the need for targeted support on aspects related to transition to adulthood. Finally, the representative from the Ombudsperson’s Office highlighted the relevance of the upcoming training materials for the institution and its readiness for collaboration within the framework of the action.

The action “Strengthening the human rights protection in the context of migration in Türkiye” is implemented within the framework of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.