New York, Sept. 24 (SANA) Syria outlined its vision for ending reliance on displacement camps and creating conditions for safe and sustainable returns during a high-level event in New York, where senior UN officials backed the initiative and called for greater investment in the country’s recovery.
The event, titled “Regional Stability, Security and Sustainable Return: The Imperative of a Camp-Free Syria,” was organized by the Permanent Mission of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
It brought together Syrian officials and senior representatives of UN agencies to discuss Syria’s “Camp-Free Syria” and “No Camps, No Tents” vision, the return and reintegration of displaced Syrians, reconstruction and the transition from humanitarian assistance toward sustainable recovery.
Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh said the initiative was not about simply dismantling camps or moving displaced families from tents to damaged communities lacking basic services.
“Our goal is not to remove the camps, but to remove the need for them,” al-Saleh said.
He said returns must be voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable, with families able to access housing, water, electricity, schools, healthcare and employment.
Camps had saved lives during years of war but were always intended as a temporary humanitarian response, al-Saleh said.
“We are not talking only about rebuilding buildings, but about restoring the ability to live,” he added.
From camps to sustainable communities
Al-Saleh said sustainable returns would require clearing mines, unexploded ordnance and other remnants of war, removing rubble, reopening roads, rehabilitating damaged areas and restoring essential infrastructure.
He called for international support to shift from financing displacement toward financing long-term solutions, including rebuilding schools and healthcare facilities, restoring water and electricity networks and supporting small businesses, women, jobs and local economies.
“The international community is not being asked to finance the closure of camps, but to help build the conditions that allow Syrians to leave them,” al-Saleh said.
Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ibrahim Olabi said the initiative built on work already underway inside the country and that the Syrian delegation was presenting progress made and discussing ways to continue and expand those efforts.
Recovery begins with return
UN Development Programme Administrator Alexander De Croo said returning home should be viewed as the beginning of recovery rather than the end of displacement.
He said reconstruction was already underway in Syria, including rubble and mine clearance and the restoration of healthcare services, while pointing to young Syrians’ desire to rebuild and the determination UNDP had witnessed in its engagement with the Syrian government.
De Croo said Syria was dealing with about two million internally displaced people alongside roughly two million people returning to the country, requiring significant investment, effective policies, regulation and long-term planning.
Mine clearance remained one of the biggest obstacles to development because of the sustained effort and financing required, he said, calling for support for Syria’s recovery and its goal of becoming camp-free.
UN backs ‘No Camps, No Tents’ vision
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher said the United Nations was ready to help translate the “No Camps, No Tents” vision into practical measures.
Fletcher said he and the UNDP administrator had visited Damascus six months earlier, when humanitarian response and needs plans were launched in cooperation with the Syrian government.
He described President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s meeting with the UN secretary-general as one of the most positive meetings he had attended over the past two years, saying it demonstrated the progress made.
“As the United Nations, we have failed the Syrian people for far too long. We must not fail them now, and we must shoulder our share of this responsibility alongside them,” Fletcher said.
He also recalled Syrian teams preparing several months earlier to travel to Venezuela to support earthquake relief efforts, saying he felt proud to see Syrians helping save lives.
1.8 million return from neighboring countries
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih said 1.8 million displaced Syrians had returned home from neighboring countries.
Salih said the destruction he witnessed during his visit to Syria reflected decades of war, mismanagement and repression, but said the country now faced a major opportunity for recovery.
He praised the determination of Syrians and government efforts to promote recovery, revive the economy and reintegrate displaced people, particularly initiatives he witnessed in Aleppo, Damascus and other areas.
Salih said Syria had the capabilities needed to make progress and called for international pledges to be translated into tangible projects benefiting local communities.
He said UNHCR had understandings with the World Bank and UNDP and was also working with the private sector to mobilize resources for economic projects that could enable displaced people to return, including to remote areas, without creating another cycle of aid dependency.
“Return is not the end of the journey, but the beginning,” Salih said, adding that the opportunity to move Syria “from tragedy to hope and success” should not be missed.
From aid to sustainable solutions
International Organization for Migration Director General Amy Pope said the process required government engagement and political will, as well as a transition from humanitarian assistance toward more sustainable solutions.
Pope said 2.9 million displaced Syrians had returned to Syria since December 2024, adding that a stable and prosperous Syria would contribute to regional stability and encourage more Syrians to return.
Assistant Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Ahmad Aqziz said the ministry aims, in line with government directives, to end the presence of tents during 2026.
N.J/ ABD
