Page 25 - Syrians in Türkiye - Special Report

GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF TÜRKİYE THE OMBUDSMAN INSTITUTION

The Ombudsman is one of the most important institutions of the citizen-centered
structure of today’s modern democratic states. The first examples of it in history were
seen in the Seljuk and Ottoman empires. In its modern form, it was first established
in Sweden by a 1713 edict of King Charles XII (Iron Head), who had taken refuge
in the Ottoman Empire in 1709, after his experience in Ottoman lands, and it soon
spread to Northern European countries and then to the whole world. The Ombudsman
Institution of the Republic of Türkiye, which was established as a constitutional
institution by Law No. 6328 and published in the Official Gazette of June 29, 2012,
strives to receive and resolve grievances against the administration in the fastest way
possible. The ombudsman is the institutionalized form of the proverb of our Prophet
Mohammad (may peace be upon him) “The most blessed of mankind is the one who
helps others,” and as Sheik Edebali’s advice to Osman Gazi, founder of the Ottoman
state, “Let the people thrive so that the state thrives.” In other words, it is the proof of
a public and individual-based administration philosophy and an essential element
of our culture.

The ombudsman institution follows all developments in society within the scope of its
duties, evaluates complaints, and reports on them, based on fundamental rights for any
individual living in Türkiye, regardless of religious, cultural, and/or ethnic affiliation. Its
responsibility as a constitutional institution is to assess the requests submitted within
the scope of its duties and powers and to endeavor to present to policy makers what
needs to be done as well as the structures for these actions. In this respect, the purpose
of the institution is to evaluate the complaints to reduce the number of complaints.

II. WHY THE OMBUDSMAN NEEDED TO PREPARE A SPECIAL REPORT ON SYRIANS

Within the scope of its mission and vision, the Ombudsman Institution of the Republic
of Türkiye has undertaken an initiative to conduct a comprehensive study of the situation
of the Syrians who started to come to Türkiye in groups or individually starting in April
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2011 and who now number 3.4 million under temporary protection and to present this
study to relevant institutions in the form of a report including policy proposals.

The presence of such a large Syrian population in our country, which alone hosts more
than half of the Syrians who were escaped from the war in their country and were
forced to take refuge in other countries, has led to important effects on the social,
economic, political, and security sectors. More importantly, even as efforts to ensure
peace in Syria and to facilitate the return of Syrians to their homes continue unabated,

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DGMM

SYRIANS IN TÜRKİYE SPECIAL REPORT 25