Syria: Syrians return home in historic wave of return - Briefing | United Nations

Briefing by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on the situation in the Middle East (Syria). In his address to the Council, humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher said, “since December 2024, more than 2 million internally displaced Syrians, 1.8 million refugees have gone home voluntarily. This is a historic wave of return – the highest in Syria in two decades – is a profound sign of hope.” Fletcher said, “through 300 partners, we’ve reached over 2.5 million people monthly this year with humanitarian support, reopening key routes into Al-Hassakeh and flights to Deir ez Zour in August. However, four major obstacles threaten this progress: continued displacement, localized insecurity, regional escalation, and landmines.” He said, “as winter approaches and the regional situation remains unstable, funding will be vital as a bulwark against losing those advances Syria has fought so hard to achieve. If we fail to invest today, the costs will be higher tomorrow – in renewed displacement, deteriorating services and lost opportunities to consolidate stability and transition towards reconstruction and development in Syria.”


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