Additional SEK 30 million in humanitarian support and experts to Türkiye and Syria

“The core support that Sweden is already contributing makes a big difference on the ground in Türkiye and Syria. The Government is acting swiftly and resolutely to improve the situation in the affected areas. The Government decided today to provide SEK 30 million in humanitarian support, in addition to the SEK 7 million announced yesterday,” says Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell. 

Of the SEK 30 million pledged today, SEK 20 million will go to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and SEK 10 million to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund. The decision was based on the needs assessments undertaken by the humanitarian actors. Over the past 24 hours, IFRC staff and volunteers have worked under very difficult conditions to rescue people from the rubble, care for the injured and support traumatised survivors. Through the UN Central Emergency Response Fund support can quickly be allocated to the UN agencies in Türkiye and Syria that are best placed to meet the urgent needs on the ground.

Via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, Sweden has today sent Swedish experts to Türkiye. Among them are construction engineers, IT experts and logistics experts. Tonight, equipment in the form of accommodation and office facilities will also be sent. 

At an extraordinary government meeting, the Government also decided to authorise the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency to provide assistance to Türkiye through NATO. This means opening up a new channel for support and Sweden will meet Türkiye’s needs. Sweden has offered to send more than 300 family tents that accommodate four to five people. 

“Sweden wants to provide the help that Türkiye asks for. The first group of Swedish personnel flew to Turkey twenty-four hours after the earthquake. The decision to enable assistance through NATO creates more opportunities to help Türkiye in this extremely vulnerable situation,” says Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin.

The Government is closely monitoring developments and stands ready to continue to support those suffering and in need in Türkiye and Syria.