Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
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Non-Syrians who register for protection in Turkey are assigned to one of 62 satellite cities.19
Syrians have the ability to register where they choose, and have registered mainly in cities
near the southern border and in Istanbul. Given the large number of Syrian arrivals, the
tremendous population growth in certain municipalities over the course of several years has
strained public resources. Figure 11 illustrates the top Syrian-hosting provinces in Turkey
both by number and relative to the Turkish population. With the exception of Istanbul, all
provinces highlighted are in the Southeast and Mediterranean regions of the country.
Figure 11: Registered Syrians, by number and ratio relative to Turkish population in
Turkish Host Cities with the largest Syrian populations, May 2016
Source: DGMM, “Geçici Koruma,” data updated as of June 23, 2016 [accessed July 66, 2016],],
3.1.2. Legal Frameworks for Forced Migrants
Turkey is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, joining in 1962, but has long
maintained the original geographic limitations of the Convention which restricted refugee
status to people whose need for protection derives from events occurring in European
countries.20 Despite its status as a Convention signatory, Turkey historically lacked a robust
national asylum regime, and has long relied on UNHCR to process and adjudicate asylum
claims. Extensive changes to the legal and institutional framework that guides policies on
forced migrants in Turkey over the last three years have sought to address this deficit.
The most far-reaching of recent reforms was the adoption of a “Law on Foreigners and
International Protection” (Law No. 6548). Preparation of the Law began in 2008 in the context
of Turkey's application for membership in the European Union, with a draft presented to the
Prime Ministry at the end of 2011. It was adopted in April 2013, and Part 5 of the Law,
establishing the Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM), came into force
19 Sığınmacılar ve Göçmenlerle Dayanışma Derneği (SGDD) / Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants
(ASAM), Current Situation in Turkey: Asylum Seekers and Refugees.
20 The Turkish government maintained this restriction even after becoming party to the 1967 Protocol which removed the
Convention's geographic and temporal limitations.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
Number of Syrians per ten Turkish
residents
Number of Registered Syrians
thousands
Number Ration of Syrians to Turkish residents