Led mainly by governmental and multilateral agencies, Turkey’s growing international development sector is steadily solidifying its position as a regional powerhouse.
Turkey remains listed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development as an aid recipient. Nonetheless, its official development assistance in 2012 exceeded $2.5 billion, double what the fledgling donor gave in 2011. Of this, $2.4 billion was disbursed bilaterally and the rest was coursed through multilateral channels.
Central Asia, the Balkans and the Caucasus have traditionally been the main beneficiaries of Turkey’s assistance as Turkish kinship plays an important role in its foreign aid strategy. Over the past decade, however, the Turkish foreign aid program has expanded beyond its traditional development partners — particularly to fragile states, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Myanmar.