L-R: Alain Becker, Ministry of Home Affairs; Taina Bofferding, Minister of Home Affairs; Joé Beckius, HIT member; Paul Schroeder, CGDIS Director; Yves Legil, HIT deputy group leader; Bram Krieps, HIT group leader;
Credit: MINT
Faced with the humanitarian needs in Turkey and Syria following the devastating earthquakes of Monday 6 February 2023, Luxembourg's development cooperation programme has pledged to contribute, in a first phase, nearly €1 million through various partners active in the two countries to support them in their humanitarian operations.
According to Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs is currently planning a financial contribution of €500,000 through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The funds managed by the IFRC will support the efforts of the Turkish Red Crescent and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in their humanitarian response to the earthquake and to help the affected populations in both countries. In addition, Luxembourg annually supports the IFRC's Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF), which has already released 3 million Swiss francs in response to the disaster.
In this context, Luxembourg's development cooperation programme also plans to support various Luxembourg humanitarian NGOs in their efforts to meet the most immediate needs of the affected populations. Handicap International Luxembourg, Care in Luxembourg and the Caritas Luxembourg Foundation have already announced that they will submit emergency project proposals.
Moreover, through its annual contribution to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which will amount to €5 million until 2023, Luxembourg is also supporting the efforts of the international community to enable the United Nations (UN) to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those affected as quickly as possible. In the case of Turkey and Syria, the UN has announced $25 million in aid through CERF to kick-start the humanitarian response.
In addition to the deployment of a first "emergency.lu" mobile satellite telecommunications platform in the Hatay province in Turkey, Luxembourg has provided a second unit to the Belgian First Aid and Support Team (B-FAST).
The Foreign Ministry added that Luxembourg is ready to deploy additional systems, if needed, in coordination with the World Food Programme (WFP), the UN's lead agency for emergency communications.
Moreover, Luxembourg's Ministry of Home Affairs and the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS) announced that an additional member of the CGDIS Humanitarian Intervention Team (HIT) left for Turkey as part of a humanitarian mission on Thursday 9 February 2023. This forms part of the International Humanitarian Partnership (IHP) network (of which the CGDIS is a member) and aims to support the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) emergency response team.
