How INGO professionalisation in Türkiye is impacting humanitarian response

Following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011 – one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the last century – there has been a marked proliferation of international humanitarian aid organisations in Türkiye. Based on recent data from the Directorate of Civil Society Relations, as of 31 July 2024, there are 121 international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) operating in Türkiye, with 81 of these registered after 2011, underscoring the significant and rapid escalation in the number of INGOs since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war. This influx has led to the swift bureaucratisation and professionalisation of Türkiye’s long-standing volunteer-based civil society culture.

These international mega non-governmental organisations (NGOs), specifically funded by international donors to respond to humanitarian crises, have been actively engaged in various humanitarian aid activities. In particular, they work in provinces with large numbers of migrants from fragile and conflict-affected countries but also throughout Türkiye, with efforts including the February 2023 earthquake response. Over the past 13 years, they have expanded the labour market, which was previously characterised by the presence of a limited number of staff from the European Union, United Nations, and other international governmental organisations, creating significant employment opportunities. The workforce that has developed in this context has gained the capacity, to a certain extent, to respond as skilled humanitarian professionals to crises such as those in Ukraine and, more recently, Gaza. However, despite this professionalisation, significant challenges persist in national humanitarian actors being able to move into senior roles, as there are limited opportunities and employment contracts are typically short-term. This highlights the ongoing tension between the benefits of professionalisation and the barriers it imposes on advancing local humanitarian leadership and establishing a national humanitarian workforce profession in Türkiye.

Humanitarian professionals in Türkiye

To establish a professional humanitarian workforce capable of effectively responding to crises in Türkiye during the early days of the Syrian civil war, international humanitarian organisations primarily relied on a combination of strategies. This included deploying a limited number of expatriate workers from other crisis-affected areas to southern Türkiye, utilising existing humanitarian workers already employed by international organisations, and recruiting Turkish and Syrian national staff from the local labour market. Many of these local recruits had expertise in fields such as tourism, agriculture, retail, sales, etc., which were relevant to the labour needs of the region’s existing economy.

The need for rapid recruitment and the preference for cultural and language similarities influenced the initial recruitment efforts, which were characterised by two main shortfalls: a limitation to the regional labour market rather than leveraging the broader national labour market in Türkiye, and the ineffective use of recruitment channels such as agencies and well-known job portals. These shortcomings altogether impacted the desired heterogeneity of the candidate pool in the early days of Syrian conflict.

As the conflict has become protracted, INGOs have implemented a more structured and inclusive approach to human resources in the consolidation of the humanitarian profession. This shift has been shaped by several aspects of the evolving national context. For example, the division of labour across humanitarian programmes, from protection to livelihoods, from CVA (cash and voucher assistance) to food security, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) and shelter, has required human resource professionals to develop diverse strategies for recruiting, retaining and developing the necessary skills to address specialisation. Efforts to professionalise the existing workforce have been enhanced through capacity-building, assessing development needs, and conducting training gap analyses to maintain the high-quality services essential for sustainable humanitarian assistance and for securing funding.

Due to the rising costs of international staff compared to national staff and statutory limitations such as work and residence permits, the diminishing number of international staff has necessitated the immediate professionalisation of national experts, while the leadership cadre and most of the roles involving communication with donors have remained international.

In recent years, there have been dramatic changes in the regulation of international humanitarian aid, encompassing work permits, auditing and legal notification requirements. Despite the evolving legal framework surrounding humanitarian aid, the status of international aid agencies has remained ambiguous compared to their national counterparts.

Human resource strategies moulded themselves to these contextual forces, to include the promotion of workforce nationalisation, equal opportunity employment, gender equality, and adhering to legal requirements including work permits for expatriate staff and Syrian nationals, tax regulations, labour laws, and social security provisions. Human resources processes have become more structured to manage strategies, including recruitment, development, and employee relations, while demand has shifted from generalist roles towards more specialised and diverse positions.

In terms of human capital management and in the development of the national humanitarian profession, national experts have had the opportunity to gain significant professional experience in responding to crisis-affected populations in Türkiye and within Syria, often surpassing the expertise of international staff who have limited access to the field. Due to statutory restrictions on opportunities such as apprenticeships and volunteer programmes for international NGOs, on-the-job training is primarily shaped by individual mentorship, largely facilitated by international staff, and collective learning through working groups and humanitarian clusters aimed at enhancing humanitarian coordination. The profession is further bolstered by the rapid spread of national and international qualifications, professional certifications and academic degrees, which provide professionals with confidence, legitimacy and authority.

Succession planning and leadership development, on the other hand, have remained limited in scope due to a lack of prioritisation, and, possibly, a lack of desire to fully invest in these areas. Existing programmes are often characterised by the use of subjective performance indicators to select new trainees, primarily influenced by the bureaucratisation efforts of headquarters. The deployment of national humanitarian leaders into new crisis areas is still insufficient, with only a few leadership programmes available to enable national staff to assume such ‘international’ roles.

The dilemma

International humanitarian organisations rely on a donor-driven humanitarian system in Türkiye, which is mostly characterised by policies set by the headquarters, donor-driven agendas, and remote micro-management efforts that often overlook local needs and contextual realities such as legal requirements, national concerns (e.g. security issues), and cultural diversity. This results in the operational rigidity and bureaucratisation of INGOs, reducing participation, empowerment and representation, leading to a democratic deficit that reduces trust in organisational justice. While bureaucratisation necessitates increased professionalisation aimed at providing more accountable and consistently high-quality aid, it ultimately undermines staff empowerment.

INGOs prioritise the recruitment and development of a workforce committed to international principles and global interests. This approach automatically triggers value clashes and recruitment biases, attracting individuals with specific values and motivations aligned with the INGO’s mission. Such practices raise concerns about diversity and representativeness, leading to a homogeneous workforce in terms of values and worldviews and limiting the reflection of diverse national interests. In particular, INGO staff with less experience often face more pronounced value clashes. Headquarters operational demands for efficiency and donor compliance over national realities and statutory compliance can sometimes lead to ethical dilemmas and questions about the integrity of the organisation. This, in turn, creates decreased morale, job dissatisfaction, and reduced commitment among staff. In terms of recruitment, the selection criteria used may explicitly or implicitly favour candidates from certain academic institutions, with educational qualifications, professional experiences, or personal values to maintain targeted professionalisation. This can result in a lack of diversity in the workforce, as individuals from different backgrounds may be underrepresented.

Current challenge

As humanitarian work evolves into a profession, entry barriers have become high due to increased specialisation and selective hiring biases, driven by ongoing bureaucratisation and professionalisation. However, advancing within this field is also challenging due to shrinking portfolios, inadequate leadership development, and succession planning. This specialisation often does not include broader labour market skills, making it difficult for professionals to pursue international careers or transition out of the field.

Insufficient functional training and development programmes, inadequate career development processes, and the increasing bureaucratisation of international agencies often result in alienated, disengaged, underrepresented and dissatisfied staff. These employees become more concerned with their job security than with humanitarian values and needs, a situation exacerbated by the shrinking portfolios of such organisations.

Directing INGOs to develop inclusive policies that reflect national needs and contextual realities, ensuring diversity and representativeness in the workforce, and establishing robust staff development and career management processes will enhance employee motivation and job satisfaction among humanitarian professionals. Prioritising succession planning, career progression opportunities, and supporting the development of labour market-specific skills and competencies will prevent over-specialisation and provide an exit strategy for staff members. A comprehensive human resources strategy focusing on employee wellbeing and experience in this labour-intensive sector is crucial. Such a strategy should address key aspects of motivation and job satisfaction to prevent staff alienation, reduce value clashes, and create an inclusive work environment, thereby maintaining the quality of aid.

Sadık Sözer Çizmeci is a human resources professional.