UN OCHA Launches Targeted Winter Cash Assistance for 11 Turkish Provinces Affected by 2023 Earthquakes

During an online Technical Working Group session on October 6, 2026, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) outlined a winterisation cash assistance programme for the 2026‑27 season. The initiative will focus on 11 provinces that suffered the February 2023 earthquakes. Assistance will be delivered at the household level and will include non‑SSN recipients, with a particular emphasis on shelter and living conditions that are vulnerable to winter weather. Additional targeting criteria will consider protection referrals, health status (including disability and chronic disease), socio‑economic factors such as income‑expenditure gaps, dependency ratios, and female‑headed households. The programme aims to address the most pressing needs of the most vulnerable households during the upcoming winter months.