Marmara Urban Forum was held by Marmara Municipalities Union in Istanbul Congress Centre. International Blue Crescent Relief & Development Foundation (IBC) participated to city forum which is planned to be held biennially.
IBC, which works effectively through PEP Projectin the districts of Küçükçekmece and Sultanbeyli in Istanbul, shared its experiences and exchanged ideas on migration which was one of the 12 main themes of the forum.
PEP Project; aims to support the economic conditions of Turkish citizens in need and Syrian beneficiaries under temporary protection, to increase social services for those in need and to contribute to environmental improvements. It also improves the living conditions of the beneficiaries as a result of the employment which is created by the project.
In this context; IBC team participated in the ”City experiences: Roles and Challenges in Migration Management” session; later, the team visited Hüseyin Keskin, who is Mayor of Sultanbeyli, with many other non-governmental organizations. During the meeting; The importance of cooperation between local government and non-governmental organizations was emphasized in the process of international human mobility, social cohesion and migration management in Sultanbeyli, where approximately 20,000 refugees live. It is also emphasized that the active participation of refugees in economic and social processes will turn the concept of “Migration” into an advantage on behalf of our districts and our country.