While there is a growing body of research on the state of localisation of aid across the humanitarian system, especially in conflict settings, there has been less examination of local actors’ specific role in advocacy on the protection and rights of refugees and host communities in displacement contexts. Protection advocacy is an important tool for humanitarian actors, with the potential to influence decision-makers and the wider public to improve protection outcomes for refugees as well as the communities that host them.
This paper explores the interplay between local and international actors with regard to protection advocacy in displacement settings, using Turkey as a case study. Turkey hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees, plus more than 370,000 non-Syrian refugees, with around 98% living in urban areas alongside the local host communities.