Diyarbakır City Platform | February 6 Earthquakes Crisis Center Report

The report detailing the work carried out so far by the Crisis Desk established by the Diyarbakır City Platform during the February 6 earthquakes has been published.

The Diyarbakır City Protection and Solidarity Platform was founded on December 19, 2022, with the intention and ambition to take a more active role in the city’s agenda. Currently, the platform has 86 members, including representatives from the business sector, labor and professional chambers, unions, health organizations, media outlets, human rights groups, faith-based organizations, and civil society organizations working in fields such as women’s rights, children’s issues, urban development, environment, law, language, culture, and arts.

At the founding meeting, the platform declared a critical need for a city solidarity and protection platform that brings together all actors in the city—regardless of political views, ethnicity, religion, language, gender, or any other difference—to protect the city’s history, culture, architecture, art, economic resources, and social fabric, with the goal of identifying and solving its problems. The platform’s objectives were stated as follows:

• Ensure sustainable economic development by integrating social and environmental factors to provide a healthy and high-quality life; support quality education, gender equality, innovation, and sustainable urban living.

• Foster social and cultural relations and contribute to the preservation of cultural values.

• Promote participatory, multi-actor, and partnership-based governance.

• Support the development of civil society and strengthen communication between civil society organizations and local and public administrations.

• Contribute to the development of urban culture and identity, increase attachment to the city and urban consciousness, and ensure the effective, efficient, and equitable use of the city’s economic, social, and environmental resources.

• Assist coordinated and comprehensive efforts by the city’s various dynamics, actors, and public institutions to combat any risks, threats, or adverse situations that may arise in the physical, environmental, social, and economic dimensions.

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Immediately after the first earthquake struck at 04:17 AM on February 5, the platform called all its members to convene at 05:00 AM at the Diyarbakır Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DTSO) building. It was decided to establish an “Earthquake Crisis Center” that would operate 24/7.

This report covers the work of the Crisis Center.