This report presents the findings and recommendations from the post-appeal review of the Disaster Emergency Committee’s (DEC) response to the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Türkiye and Northwest Syria on 6 February 2023. DEC’s efforts focused on the most affected areas, including six provinces in Türkiye— Gaziantep, Hatay, Adıyaman, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, and Şanlıurfa—and two operational hubs in Syria: government-controlled areas (Aleppo, Hama, Latakia) and opposition-held regions in Northwest Syria (Idlib and parts of Aleppo).
Using outcome harvesting, the review examined the impact of DEC’s response and identified lessons for future humanitarian efforts. This review reveals that the collective impact of the DEC appeal was shaped not only by the scale of the response, but by the capacity of DEC member agencies to adapt strategically across complex and diverging operational environments. In particular, the DEC’s contribution to humanitarian outcomes took place amid severe, unmet needs, ongoing displacement, and a “crisis within a crisis.” The earthquakes created urgent demand for WASH, food, shelter, and healthcare in areas with little to no access to basic services. On the one hand, the DEC’s contribution to systemic outcomes were critical in strengthening equitable partnership practices amongst DEC member agencies, putting wellbeing and duty of care for humanitarian workers at the centre, and galvanising efforts to ensure the environment and climate are highly considered response.
