Summary
The Strengthening the Turkish Coast Guard's Human-Rights Based Response Capacity to Irregular Migration at Sea (TURCG SEA) Project is funded by the United Kingdom Border Security Command (UK Home Office) and implemented by ICMPD in cooperation with the Turkish Coast Guard Command (TURCG). The project was developed as a multi-year (two-year) intervention. The project was originally submitted as a two-year initiative. While funding for the first year has been approved by the donor, the implementation of the second year remains subject to the donor's review and approval, based on project progress, results achieved, and the availability of funding.
The project has been designed as a follow-up initiative to the successful ESSENCE Project, which strengthened TURCG's institutional capacity through training on human rights, international migration law and gender-sensitive approaches to irregular migration. Building on the lessons learned and needs identified under ESSENCE, particularly the need to further strengthen operational and technical capacities and enhance institutional cooperation mechanisms, the TURCG SEA Project aims to support TURCG in addressing evolving irregular migration and migrant smuggling challenges at sea.
The project focuses on strengthening human-rights-based operational procedures, enhancing the capacity of newly recruited personnel, improving operational risk analysis and counter-smuggling capabilities, and promoting coordination and knowledge exchange. Through training, development of operational tools and specialised capacity-building activities, the project will contribute to safer search and rescue operations, strengthened maritime migration management and more effective responses to irregular migration and migrant smuggling at sea.
Objectives
Overall Objective of the project is to strengthen the Turkish Coast Guard Command’s (TURCG) response to irregular migration and migrant smuggling at sea through a human-rights-based approach, contributing to safer search and rescue operations and enhanced maritime migration management.
Specific Objectives
- Strengthen the operational capacity of TURCG personnel through training, guidance materials and capacity-building activities that promote rights-based maritime procedures during search and rescue, interception and initial processing operations.
- Enhance institutional training capacity and sustainability through the development of standardised training materials, operational guidance tools for TURCG frontline personnel.
- Improve operational risk analysis and counter-smuggling capacities by developing specialised curricula and delivering advanced training programmes on migrant smuggling, operational risk analysis and investigative techniques.
- Promote coordination, cooperation and knowledge exchange among relevant stakeholders involved in maritime migration management, search and rescue operations and counter-smuggling efforts.