The agreement to open the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Istanbul was signed in New York.
After the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced the signing of an agreement to open the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Istanbul.
The agreement was signed by the permanent representative of Turkey to the United Nations, Feridun Sinirlioglu, with the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations for Humanitarian Affairs, Mark Lowcock, at a ceremony held at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Lowcock stated that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) will be an “important base” in Istanbul with its new office.
And that Istanbul is “an ideal location” and that they can coordinate their aid in the Middle East and Africa from here.
Noting that “I am grateful to the Turkish people and the Turkish authorities,” Lowcock stated that approximately 50 OCHA staff will be transferred to Istanbul.
“We are not only extending a helping hand to the most vulnerable in a wide geographical area, but we are hosting 20% of the refugees in the world and meeting their needs,” said Sinirlioglu.
It should be noted that Turkey has become a regional center for many UN organizations in Istanbul as a result of improved cooperation between the United Nations and the new OCHA office 5 years ago.
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