Syria Presents UN Plan to End Camps in Idlib, Aleppo

The Syrian government delegation presented, during the UN General Assembly session in New York, a vision aimed at ending the era of camps housing tens of thousands of families in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo, shifting from emergency response to sustainability and recovery.

Key Elements of the Vision

Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh told Syria Now that the latest figures, statistics and studies were presented, outlining how to move from funding displacement to funding solutions. He added that his ministry is working to rebuild international partnerships under Syrian national leadership across the files of mines, rubble and camps.

Project Financing

The minister said the plan relies mainly on domestic resources alongside international support, noting the announcement of 300 projects funded from the state budget, in addition to other pending projects, some financed by businesspeople and UN and international institutions.

Four Pillars for Sustainable Return

During his speech at the Syria Without Camps event, the minister outlined four pillars for achieving sustainable and voluntary return, implemented under Presidential Decree No. 59:

• Establishing safety through clearance of mines, unexploded ordnance and war remnants
• Rehabilitating affected areas through rubble removal and road clearance
• Restoring basic services including schools, health centers, and water and electricity networks
• Enabling livelihoods and job opportunities to support local economies

The minister stressed that the Syrian vision does not mean removing camps as such, but removing the need for them, adding that no family will be forced to return, and that the plan is based on rehabilitating infrastructure and services to eliminate the need for camps.

Current Situation in the Camps

Despite an accelerating pace of return for tens of thousands of families during 2025 and 2026, around 138,000 families still reside in camps in northwestern Syria, where most face challenges preventing their return, chiefly destroyed homes and weak infrastructure in their original towns.