A pair of catastrophic earthquakes struck Türkiye and neighbouring Syria on 6 February, killing tens of thousands of people and injuring many more. Among the over 15 million people who have been affected in Türkiye: 226,000 pregnant women who need access to maternal health services. 25,000 of them will give birth over the next month.
“UNFPA is committed to support the people of Türkiye and Syria affected by the earthquakes, including the pregnant women who are expected to give birth in the coming weeks under these difficult conditions,” said Dr. Natalia Kanem, the Executive Director of UNFPA. “Their ability to access quality care before, during and after delivery must not be an afterthought.”
The initial 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck in the early hours of the morning while people slept, with the second 7.6 magnitude quake hitting later in the day amid a series of aftershocks, compounding the devastation. The government of Türkiye has declared a national emergency and called for international support.
UNFPA, which has operations in the affected areas, was immediately on the ground assessing the impact and preparing to support the emergency response in coordination with authorities and partners. Thousands of buildings, including UNFPA-supported safe spaces for women and girls, were severely damaged or destroyed. UNFPA’s urgent priority is to provide supplies and support the restoration of services that are crucial to the health and well-being of women and girls.
UNFPA is providing reproductive health services to survivors, in addition to distributing dignity kits that contain basic hygiene items and maternity kits with essential items for new mothers and their babies.
UNFPA has launched an appeal detailing current funding requirements of close to USD 20 million for lifesaving reproductive health and protection interventions in Türkiye’s earthquake-affected areas.
“The lives of so many people have been torn apart,” said Dr. Kanem. “Amidst the devastation and uncertainty that natural disasters bring, UNFPA will continue to do what is needed and what it does best: respond to women’s and girls’ emergency healthcare and protection needs.
