Geneva, Feb. 03 (SANA) UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih said humanitarian needs in Syria remain “immense,” underscoring the necessity of increased international support to ensure the success of recovery efforts and the sustainability of refugee returns.
In a statement released Monday following his visit to Turkey late last month, Salih said around 600,000 Syrian refugees have returned from Turkey to Syria since the fall of the ousted regime in December 2024
“The needs inside Syria remain immense,” Salih said. “To ensure that returns are sustainable, increased international support for recovery efforts – including schools, hospitals, housing and basic services – is absolutely critical.”
He added that, at the same time, continued support for Syrians who remain in Turkey is “a vital matter,” stressing the importance of maintaining assistance for host communities.
Salih said that lasting peace and stability in Syria are indispensable for achieving durable solutions to displacement, noting that security and recovery efforts are essential to enable Syrians to rebuild their lives safely and with dignity.
He also emphasized the need for continued international support for Turkey, which hosts one of the world’s largest refugee populations.
Separately, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in January that around 3 million Syrians have so far returned to their areas of origin. This includes nearly 2 million internally displaced people, along with more than 1 million refugees who returned from neighboring countries. The IOM said the success of returns in Syria is closely linked to the establishment of a safe and stable environment.
