Damascus, March 9 (SANA) President Ahmad al-Sharaa said the government’s top priority in the coming phase is to end displacement camps and enable residents to return to their towns and villages, stressing the important role played by civil society organizations in supporting Syrian communities during the years of war and in the current stage of reconstruction.
During a meeting on Saturday with representatives of civil society organizations in Syria at the People’s Palace, President al-Sharaa expressed appreciation for the work carried out by these groups over the past 14 years, particularly during the years of the revolution and the humanitarian hardships experienced in displacement camps.
The Role of Civil Society
The president said civil society organizations had contributed in several fields, including humanitarian response, health and education services, and support for infrastructure in affected areas.
President al-Sharaa noted that the relationship between government institutions and civil society organizations is based on complementary roles, even if full agreement is not always reached on every detail.
“What matters most is agreement on the broader goals and sincere work to serve society,” he said, adding that mutual oversight between the two sides helps strengthen cooperation and avoid overlap in responsibilities.
President al-Sharaa said the meeting aimed to listen to challenges facing organizations in their work and to address them through government support in order to accelerate service delivery and improve responses to citizens’ needs.
Priority to Close Camps
The president said the government conducted studies on the camp situation at the end of 2025, expressing hope that 2026 will witness significant progress, enabling between 70 and 80 percent of camps to be closed and residents to return to their towns and villages.
He explained that reconstruction efforts follow two main tracks: rebuilding cities where the private sector can participate through investment projects, and rebuilding rural towns and villages where reconstruction will rely primarily on government institutions and civil society organizations.
President al-Sharaa noted that some efforts over the past year had been fragmented, with separate projects carried out without sufficient integration, stressing the need for organized work and clear sector-based priorities.
Committee Formed to Coordinate Efforts
In this context, the president announced the formation of a committee headed by Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh to determine priorities and coordinate efforts between the government and civil society organizations.
He added that the government will share data and statistics with organizations to help guide efforts toward areas where camps remain, particularly in the countryside of Idlib, northern Hama and areas surrounding Aleppo, with priority given to the most severely affected regions.
President al-Sharaa noted that some camps have gradually evolved into semi-permanent residential communities, while others remain composed of tents or temporary shelters because their residents’ original villages were completely destroyed.
The president stressed that returning displaced people to their homes requires more than infrastructure rehabilitation, emphasizing the need for comprehensive programs including basic services, employment opportunities and economic support.
Concluding the meeting, the president underscored the importance of coordinating policies and integrating efforts between the government and civil society organizations to achieve tangible progress in reconstruction and the return of displaced Syrians.
N.J
