ICMC Turkey: Non-Iraqi Refugees and Regional Activities

In addition to the 830 Iraqis provided CO in FY2007 through ICMC in Turkey, other substantial populations served in Turkey were Iranians, with a total of 993 provided CO in FY2007.  Overall, ICMC Turkey provided CO to 876 cases of 1825 individuals in Turkey (divided between the cities of Istanbul and Kayseri) during the last federal fiscal year. 

ICMC Turkey also customarily provides CO in Lebanon, Pakistan, and Yemen as well as on an ad-hoc basis in other countries of the Near East and South Asia as circumstances require. 

During FY2007, ICMC Turkey provided CO to 48 Iraqis in Lebanon; 40 refugees (39 Afghans and one Somali) in Pakistan; and 61 Somali refugees and 1 Ethiopian refugee in Yemen.  ICMC Turkey also provided CO to 56 Afghan refugees in India; 90 refugees from nine different ethnic groups (with Bhutanese and Pakistanis best represented) in Nepal; and 45 refugees from seven different ethnic groups (Afghan, Bhutanese, Burmese, Iranian, Iraqi, Syrian, and Ugandan) in the United Arab Emirates.

In summary, ICMC Turkey provided CO in seven countries, to 1,042 cases comprised of 2,126 individuals, representing 13 different ethnicities. Caseloads of particular interest are noted below.

Pakistan: The ICMC Pakistan office continued to process small numbers of primarily Afghan cases, conducting a total of three eighteen-hour courses for the regular Afghan caseload and an additional four one-day courses for Afghan V-93 cases.  In the 4th quarter of FY2007, no training was offered in Pakistan as the office’s staff was assisting ICMC Turkey with the Afghan caseload in India. Normal case flow resumed in FY08. 

India: In New Delhi, 29 Afghan cases consisting of 56 people received training. The training was conducted in a new facility and the ICMC Turkey program director attended in order to observe, meet the people in the new caseload, and work with the trainer to adapt the curriculum appropriately to the caseload’s needs. The curriculum was modified to emphasize employment for this group as most had been working in good jobs in India and had great concerns about their ability to maintain the same standard of living in the US.

Nepal*: In addition to a diverse group of urban refugees in Kathmandu, ICMC Turkey provided CO to 44 Bhutanese refugees (from 28 cases) in Damak. The ICMC Turkey program director traveled with the trainer to the site to ensure that the venue and the training materials were appropriate for the participants. The program had to be modified to address concerns specific to this group, since the refugees had heard rumors that they would be unable to practice their religion in the US and that they would be used as slaves in the U.S.  Therefore there was a greater emphasis placed on U.S. law, religious freedom, employment rights, and U.S. culture.  

*Please note: the International Organization for Migration will now be providing CO in Nepal, and its program there will be featured in an upcoming Overseas CO Program Highlight.

If you would like to share your agency’s experience of resettling refugees provided CO by ICMC Turkey with the ICMC Turkey program, please click here.

 

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Highlights

Learn more about other programs we have spotlighted by choosing from the list below.

• Refugees from Burma in Malaysia and Thailand
  
  
• Refugees Served by IOM Central Asia and Europe
  
  
• Eritrean Refugees in Shimelba, Ethiopia
  
  
• Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal
  
  
• Iranian Religious Minorities in Vienna
  
  
• Groups in West Africa
  
  
• Groups in East and Sub-Saharan Africa
  
  
• Refugees from Iraq
  
  
• The "1972
  Burundians"
  
  

These archived highlights are no longer current but may provide interesting additional information and images:

• Karenni Refugees in Mae Hong Son, Thailand
  
• 
  
• Refugees from Burma in Thailand and Malaysia