Istanbul, Sunday, 12 February – In Türkiye, local businesses are on the frontlines of emergency relief operations being organized in the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes. The Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation (TÜRKONFED) and Business for Goals, members of the OCHA-UNDP Connecting Business initiative (CBi), have mobilized more than 54,000 Turkish businesses to provide in-kind contribution, critical equipment and logistical services to the affected areas. In addition, CBi Member Networks from all over the world are providing additional in-kind support and deploying search and rescue experts.
TÜRKONFED has set up an emergency center and crisis hotline to coordinate requests for support from local businesses and has launched a domestic in-kind donations campaign.
CBi in Türkiye is collecting donations from individuals and businesses and responding to urgent requests from emergency responders for equipment, resources, and logistical and transportation support. CBi Türkiye members are providing hotel rooms for first responders in Adana (near the epicenter of the earthquake), trucks to transport relief materials, and translations services. TÜRKONFED as a member of CBi Türkiye has delivered 176 trucks with donations of food and non-food items, including over more than 21,000 blankets, 391 shelter containers, more than 1000 tents, more than 15.000 beds, four soup kitchens and three mobile kitchens, more than 100 portable toilets and bathrooms, nearly 250 trucks, three generators, 1000 heaters, and much more to affected areas.
According to the latest humanitarian updates, over 23,000 people have perished in the earthquakes and the more than 1,200 aftershocks that struck south-east Türkiye and north-west Syria on Monday 6 February. Over 8,000 buildings have collapsed, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless. With the harsh winter conditions and collapsed infrastructure, it is urgent to provide food, shelter, clothes, water and sanitation, as well as heating services, psychosocial support, and protection services for displaced and distressed families.
The transportation of relief aid and humanitarian workers remains a challenge, especially since most of the main roads and infrastructure have been damaged. The assistance provided by local companies on the ground, who have transportation and logistics capacities in the affected regions, has been crucial.
Other CBi Member Networks around the world are also mobilizing in support of the earthquake response.
- The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) is deploying search and rescue professionals from member companies and donating hygiene kits and infant formula from its local member companies.
- The Asia-Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management – Sri Lanka (APAD-SL) is working with Peace Winds Japan and has deployed a search and rescue team.
- The National Center for Epidemiological Emergencies and Disasters (CENACED) in Mexico has deployed a search and rescue team in partnership with the CADENA Foundation.
- The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) is leading a donation drive among the local business community in partnership with the Indonesian Red Crescent.
For the latest updates and resources customized the private sector, please visit the CBi emergency page for the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.
Already, CBi Türkiye is thinking about reconstruction. “As we have experienced in the past, the economies of disaster areas are seriously affected and it is difficult for them to recover,” said Arda Batu, Secretary-General of TÜRKONFED. “That’s why it’s so important to start collectively thinking medium- and long-term and how business can be an integral part of recovery, even as search and rescue efforts continue as part of the emergency response.” The network is planning to support with reconstruction and economic recovery.
For businesses operating in Türkiye, you can reach out to the TÜRKONFED crisis hotline for local resources on recovery and guidance.
Article by: Connecting Business initiative
