UNFPA will continue supporting the most vulnerable women and girls in health and protection in Adıyaman and Hatay with the partnership of the Association for Social Development and Aid Mobilization (SGDD-ASAM) thanks to the new financial support of the Government of Japan. The Japan-supported service units will provide urgent and life-saving sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and information, and gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response services, promoting the rights and choices of the most vulnerable as of February 2025.

Ankara, Türkiye – Despite the 2 years that passed since the major 6 February 2023 earthquakes, the impact of the disaster continues to limit people’s access to health and protection information and services in the earthquake region. Women, girls, persons with disabilities and refugees have borne the brunt of the challenges caused by the disaster. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) continues to safeguard the health and dignity of the most vulnerable women and girls in the earthquake-affected provinces of Adıyaman and Hatay in partnership with the Association for Social Development and Aid Mobilization (SGDD-ASAM) with a new funding from the Government of Japan. The project aims to improve access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and gender-based violence (GBV) information and services for vulnerable groups in Adıyaman and Hatay provinces, particularly earthquake-affected women, girls, young people, persons with disabilities, and refugees through static and mobile service units. Further, it focuses on strengthening local health systems by supporting the Adıyaman and Hatay Provincial Health Directorates by strengthening the staff with capacity building training for more effective service provision and providing essential medical supplies.

UNFPA's response with the project focuses on service provision and system strengthening. Through static and mobile service units, the project will support women's reproductive health through services such as safe motherhood counseling, specialized obstetric and maternal care, and follow-up. Further, UNFPA will deliver services for women and girls, such as counseling, psychosocial support, and cash and vouchers. Simultaneously, UNFPA will work to strengthen local health systems by supporting technical capacity and material needs of Adıyaman and Hatay Provincial Health Directorates, ensuring long-term sustainability.

“The needs of women and girls in the earthquake-affected regions remain urgent,” said UNFPA Türkiye Representative Mariam Khan, and added; “Many still live in precarious conditions with limited access to basic services, including critical SRH and GBV support. The project we continue with the Government of Japan’s support will directly address these gaps, ensuring that the most vulnerable have access to the care and essential materials they need to rebuild their lives.”

The ongoing challenges in the earthquake region in Türkiye, such as limited number of specialized doctors, proper interpretation support, and challenges in transportation from container cities to health facilities underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions to ensure access to vital SRH care. 

Furthermore, the threats that risk the dignity of women and girls in earthquake-affected areas, especially those in container cities, have become increasingly salient. Gender-based violence (GBV) risk is on the rise due to the challenges in security, issues with the features of infrastructure such as street lighting and transportation, and the lack of privacy in containers. As a consequence of these issues, school drop outs by girls in the region increased, exacerbating their exposure to the risk of child marriage. 

UNFPA has been on the ground with its partners since the first day of the earthquake, delivering life-saving services in the region. In the last year only, UNFPA provided 39 metric tons of reproductive health kits to service delivery points in the most affected earthquake provinces to meet the needs of 1 million people. With the financial support of the Government of Japan and in partnership with SGDD-ASAM, UNFPA continues its work in Adıyaman and Hatay in line with the Leave No One Behind principle.