UN Agencies Unite to Boost Coordinated Support for Syrian Refugee Returns

At the conclusion of a mission to Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, the Regional Directors of UNHCR, WFP, and UNICEF pledged to strengthen their collaboration to support Syrian refugees, both those wishing to return home and those still hosted in neighboring countries. During the visit, the directors met with governments, donors, and families to assess needs, identify gaps, and explore opportunities for more coordinated and efficient support. After more than a decade of displacement, around three million Syrians have been able to return home. In 2025 alone, approximately 179,000 people returned from Jordan and around 500,000 from Lebanon. Despite this progress, roughly 4.5 million Syrians remain hosted in neighboring countries, highlighting the need for continued assistance to enable voluntary, informed decisions about returning. Refugees across Jordan and Lebanon have emphasized that their wish to return depends on safety, access to education, essential services, and livelihoods. Return is not a single moment but a complex process that requires time to prepare, secure documentation, and ensure the well-being of children and families. Sustained support in host countries is essential to making return a viable and dignified option. UN agencies are enhancing inter-agency cooperation to support refugees’ aspirations and improve conditions in Syria. In governorates with high numbers of returnees, such as Deir ez-Zor, Aleppo, and Idleb, joint service delivery is being strengthened through community centers, providing mental health support, civil registration, and food assistance. In host countries, collaboration is expanding on childhood nutrition, cash assistance, and youth-focused programs like vocational training and learning-to-earning initiatives. Stabilizing Syria remains crucial for both regional stability and the safe, sustainable return of refugees. Fourteen years of conflict have left the country’s absorptive capacity fragile, with ongoing needs in housing, livelihoods, and basic services far outpacing available support. Recovery and reconstruction commitments have yet to yield meaningful change in many communities. Although food security in Syria has improved, humanitarian needs remain critically high, with only 18 percent of families able to consistently access sufficient and nutritious food. Ensuring access to food, services, livelihoods, and documentation is vital to making return a safe and empowering choice rather than a desperate one. The UN agencies emphasized that emerging opportunities in Syria must be nurtured through timely support, sustained recovery efforts, and large-scale reconstruction. Safety and security are central concerns for displaced families, and peace, stability, and the protection of rights are necessary to allow Syrians to rebuild their lives. While this work continues, support for families in host countries remains essential. A rapid return that exceeds Syria’s absorption capacity risks creating new humanitarian crises and further regional instability. With careful, responsible, and coordinated action, along with sustained and predictable donor support, UN agencies believe Syrian families can move forward not just to a place, but toward a sustainable and resilient future.