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UNHCR calls for global support for Syrian refugees returning home

Damascus, Jan 28 (Prensa Latina) The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, called on the international community to implement bold and decisive measures to help displaced Syrians return home.

“We must seize this critical window of opportunity to help the country emerge from years of crisis and bloodshed,” Grandi said, concluding his visit to Syria.

The High Commissioner noted that the world must act and cooperation between neighboring countries, donors, and the Syrian interim authorities is essential to bring much-needed peace and stability to Syria and the entire region. He also explained that many families are taking the brave step of returning home, yearning for a better future, but are facing overwhelming difficulties such as ruined or damaged homes, shattered infrastructure, and widespread poverty.

Since September 2024, more than 500,000 refugees have returned, 200,000 of them after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s government, Grandi said, adding that nearly 600,000 internally displaced people have also returned. However, he noted that 7.4 million Syrians remain internally displaced and there are more than six million Syrian refugees worldwide.

Grandi also called on donors to support efforts to respond to the immediate enormous humanitarian needs of the population, to ensure the country’s long-term recovery, and to prevent further displacement.

The Commissioner called for investing in jobs, restoring health care, rebuilding schools, and restoring essential services such as electricity and clean water. He said that Lifting sanctions should act as a vital catalyst for recovery, paving the way for more Syrian citizens to return home.

According to UNHCR, 27 percent of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq planned to return home in the next 12 months, up from less than two percent before the fall of the Assad government just weeks ago.

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