Crisis Overview
The December 2024 fall of the Assad Government marked a pivotal moment in Syria’s nearly 15-year displacement crisis, one of the world’s largest humanitarian emergencies. Around 11 million Syrians remain displaced—including 4 million refugees, mainly in Türkiye, Lebanon, and Jordan, and 7 million internally displaced inside Syria. Political shifts have sparked hope for peace and eased some sanctions, but conditions inside Syria remain fragile, with widespread destruction, damaged infrastructure, unexploded ordnance, poor public services, and fragmented governance.
Since 8 December 2024, over 1.2 million Syrians have returned from neighboring countries, and 1.9 million internally displaced persons have returned to their areas of origin. UNHCR’s latest intentions survey, conducted in June-July 2025 and published in September, indicates that 18 per cent of refugees plan to return within a year, while 80 per cent hope to return eventually. Decisions are shaped by pull factors such as improved security, family reunification, and rebuilding opportunities, alongside push factors including high living costs, limited services, and job scarcity in host countries. Key barriers to return include inadequate housing, damaged infrastructure, lack of livelihoods, and safety concerns. Property ownership strongly influences return intentions, highlighting the need for targeted investment in housing and land systems.
Mafraq, Jordan
Ghazal Al-Hassan and her sister Ayat are Syrian refugees who live in Zaatari camp with their parents and siblings. They are excited to head back to school to learn and meet with their teachers and peers.
UNHCR/Shawkat AlharfoushHost countries face mounting challenges linked to worsening economic conditions and the constrained funding environment. Over 70 per cent of Lebanese households struggle to meet basic needs, Jordan experiences declining international support while refugees face surmounting debt and reduced service availability, and Türkiye hosts 2.5 million Syrians amid rising inflation eroding purchasing power. Women, children, and people with disabilities face disproportionate protection risks as well as barriers to employment, social security, education and healthcare. Despite having transitioned out of the 3RP, Egypt and Iraq continue to host sizable Syrian refugee populations; national and regional authorities there have included them in development plans. As some returns have also been happening from both countries, partners will continue to support those opting for return as well as any residual humanitarian needs.
As the 3RP enters a critical phase in 2026, partners emphasize informed decision-making, voluntary returns, and continued support for host countries. Recognizing most Syrians will remain displaced, and returns will be gradual, sustained investments in both host nations and Syria remain essential.
Response priorities and financial requirements for 2026
In 2026, the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) focuses on maintaining protection, strengthening inclusion, and building resilience for Syrians and vulnerable host communities in neighbouring countries, while also supporting those who choose to voluntarily return to Syria. The 3RP will continue to balance immediate humanitarian needs with longer-term investments that enable durable solutions.
Building on eRPIS insights outlined above, 3RP partners will continue providing counselling, legal aid, civil documentation support, transportation, and cash grants, while coordinating with humanitarian and development actors inside Syria to create conditions for sustainable safe and voluntary returns. At the same time, critical assistance in host countries will be maintained, recognizing that returns are expected to remain gradual.
The 3RP will continue to evolve to remain fit for purpose. Each country’s response will be increasingly grounded in national realities while maintaining regional coherence. The 2026 approach is structured around two key pillars, return and inclusion, to ensure sharper coordination and practical linkages with the response inside Syria. Efforts will focus on the quality and sustainability of returns, preserving protection and inclusion space in host countries, and narrowing priorities to achieve realistic targets amid severe funding constraints.
The 3RP’s regional strategy for 2026 is guided by its four strategic directions:
- Protecting people, by ensuring safety from exploitation, violence, and mental health risks while empowering communities and promoting social stability;
- Supporting durable solutions, through voluntary repatriation, resettlement, and inclusion opportunities in line with international standards;
- Contributing to dignified lives, by addressing poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, and protection risks that are linked to legal status, gender, age, and disability; and
- Enhancing local and national capacities, by fostering partnerships that strengthen national systems, create jobs, promote economic growth, and support social cohesion.
Mafraq city, Jordan
Mohammad Albaker, 7, a Syrian refugee, is a beneficiary of the literacy initiative in the camp. The literacy initiative in Zaatari camp was launched in 2021 by the refugees themselves to support other refugees of all ages in developing the ability to read and write.
UNHCR/Shawkat AlharfoushThe 3RP will continue to uphold protection principles, advocate to expand social protection services, and promote socio-economic inclusion and resilience across 3RP countries. In Türkiye, where around 2.4 million Syrians live under temporary protection, the focus will remain on inclusion in national systems and municipal service delivery, alongside monitoring and assistance for voluntary returns. In Lebanon, the government-led Lebanon Response Plan (LRP) will consolidate its structure, including a new Return Chapter linking in-country assistance to sustainable reintegration inside Syria, while maintaining essential humanitarian services in an extremely fragile economy. In Jordan, coordination will be streamlined to direct resources toward priority sectors, ensuring that key life-saving programmes continue even as voluntary returns rise.
Localization and national ownership remain central to the 3RP’s approach. Local authorities, national NGOs and refugee-led organizations are engaged in planning and delivery, ensuring that assistance is sustainable and aligned with government priorities. Collaboration with IFIs and development partners will further strengthen national systems, promote inclusion, and build resilience among host communities.
Preliminary planning foresees the 3RP targeting 3.7 million refugees and 4.9 million vulnerable host community members across Türkiye, Lebanon, and Jordan in 2026, with financial requirements estimated at $2.8 billion.
A regional and country-specific prioritization exercise was undertaken in October 2025 to ensure that the limited resources are directed toward the most urgent needs, guided by severity analysis and operational capacity. As of end-November 2025, the overall financial requirements for 2026 are estimated to be around 40 per cent lower than in 2025, reflecting the ongoing prioritization and streamlining of the response to align with realities on the ground.
Despite progress with prioritization, funding shortfalls continue to challenge operations across the region. Sustained donor engagement and flexible, multi-year financing will be necessary to preserve protection space, maintain essential services, and support pathways toward durable solutions.
2025 in review: Response highlights and consequences of inaction
Response highlights
Returnees | Regional
Across the region, 3RP partners continue to sustain protection services, provide solutions and resilience opportunities for millions of Syrians and host community members. By late 2025, more than 1.2 million Syrians had returned home since 8 December 2024, marking a significant shift following the political transition in Syria. Through the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), nearly $27 billion has been mobilized since 2015 to help neighboring countries maintain essential services and stability. This in turn has helped both Syrian refugees in making informed decisions about their future while supporting vulnerable host communities that have generously opened their doors for more than a decade.
Refugees | Regional
While the number of returns continues to rise, some 4 million Syrian refugees remain in host countries, 90 per cent of whom still live below the poverty line, underscoring the need for sustained international investment both inside Syria and across host countries.
Food | Egypt
Thousands of Syrian families were able to put food on the table thanks to food assistance, helping over 37,000 vulnerable Syrian refugees meet their essential nutrition needs and easing the daily stress of survival.
Cash Grant | Egypt
Multi-purpose cash grants gave nearly 8,000 Syrian refugees the power to choose, whether it was paying rent, buying clothes for their children, or covering medical costs. This flexible support helped restore a sense of dignity and control in uncertain times.
Localization | Jordan
The Localization Task Team (LTT) under the Jordan Strategic Humanitarian Group (JoSH) was revitalized, with leadership from UN Women, the Jordan National NGOs Forum (JONAF), and the Jordan INGO Forum (JIF). Localization featured prominently on the agendas of both the ISWG and JoSH throughout 2025 and remains a strategic priority moving forward.
Local and national actors | Jordan
The number of local actors co-leading sectoral responses increased significantly, with organizations such as the Royal Health Association co-leading the Health Working Group and ARDD co-leading the Economic Empowerment Working Group. This shift reflects a broader commitment to local ownership and sustainability.
Protection | Türkiye
By the third quarter of 2025, 341,200 individuals across Türkiye accessed protection services and support through a network of community centres and humanitarian outreach efforts, strengthening their access to rights and essential assistance.
Information campaigns | Türkiye
As of the third quarter of 2025, 726,875 individuals were reached through information campaigns and awareness-raising initiatives on rights, entitlements, services, and assistance, including information on voluntary return procedures and conditions, contributing to more informed decision-making and improved access to protection and assistance mechanisms.
Cash Assistance | Lebanon
By mid-2025, a total of 842,260 individuals received regular unconditional and unrestricted Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance by Basic Assistance sector to meet basic needs, representing 29.5 percent of the targeted population (569,489 households). This included 129,955 displaced Syrian households (77.3%), 12,286 Lebanese households (7.3%), 8,850 Palestinian households from Syria (5.3%), 15,775 Palestinian households from Lebanon (9.4%), and 1,356 households of other nationalities (0.8%).
Health | Lebanon
By mid-2025, 1.19 million subsidized health consultations were provided through the Health sector nationwide, including 75,000 antenatal care and 57,000 mental health session.
Nutrition | Lebanon
The Nutrition sector reached 77,000 children with Vitamin A supplementation and 13,000 caregivers with infant feeding counselling. Through the Education sector, 406,000 children accessed formal education and 45,000 participated in non-formal learning.
Protection | Lebanon
The Protection sector reached 684,000 individuals, including 53,000 survivors and at-risk persons accessing specialized protection services. Under Child Protection, over 52,000 children received psychosocial support and case management, while under GBV, more than 52,000 women and girls accessed quality response services and 77,000 participated in prevention and empowerment activities.
Food | Lebanon
The Food Security and Agriculture sector assisted 1.8 million people through food or cash assistance and supported 5,000 farmers with livelihood inputs.
WASH | Lebanon
WASH partners ensured access to safe water for nearly 187,000 people and repaired or solarized key water stations, while the Shelter sector supported 57,000 individuals through weatherproofing, repairs, and cash-for-rent assistance, and rehabilitated 85 collective sites for displaced families.
Livelihood | Lebanon
The Livelihoods sector enabled 9,600 MSMEs to sustain operations and created or maintained 12,900 jobs, while Social Stability partners implemented 55 basic service delivery projects, investing USD 7.2 million to strengthen municipal resilience and reduce local tensions across high-risk areas.
Mafraq city, Jordan
Suna Attieh from the UNHCR protection unit was building Lego bricks with Waleed Khalid, 10, a Syrian refugee, as part of the playful activities at the children's summer club
UNHCR/Shawkat AlharfoushConsequences of funding cuts
Refugees | Jordan
With a large proportion of Syrian refugees expected to remain in Jordan in 2026, a reduction in humanitarian assistance risks further deterioration of socio-economic conditions, increasing poverty, debt, and harmful coping mechanisms among both refugees and vulnerable Jordanians.
Underfunding | Lebanon
If funding does not improve, more than 300,000 vulnerable households will remain without critical cash support through 2026, forcing families to resort to harmful coping mechanisms such as reducing meals, accumulating debt, or engaging in child labour and child marriage. MPCA is often the first line of support enabling households to access essential services.
Health | Lebanon
In Health, around 1.4 million people risk losing access to primary healthcare, with essential refugee health services expected to phase out by November 2025. In Nutrition, an estimated 30,000 children under 2 years of age are at increased risk of malnutrition and developmental delays due to reduced infant feeding and maternal nutrition support.
Education | Lebanon
In Education, underfunding threatens learning continuity for over 200,000 children, increasing dropout and child labour risks.
Protection | Lebanon
In Protection, service gaps leave survivors of violence and at-risk groups without timely support, while 87% of displaced Syrian households have already taken on debt to cope. In Child Protection, thousands of children risk losing access to psychosocial support, case management, and safe spaces, while in GBV, survivors face growing barriers to specialized services and dignity kits.
Food Security | Lebanon
In Food Security, agricultural livelihoods remain unrecovered, heightening dependence on aid. Many more vulnerable people currently in IPC Phase 3 could deteriorate into Phase 4, facing severe food insecurity and resorting to harmful coping mechanisms
Refugee households | Türkiye
90% of refugee households in Türkiye continue to report being unable to fully meet their basic needs, while 40% indicate that they are completely unable to do so. Among those employed, 81% report working in insecure and informal daily labour.
Children | Türkiye
Approximately a quarter of a million refugee children remain out of school, with 32% of families citing financial difficulties as the primary barrier to enrolling and retaining their children in education.
Threads of Hope: How Nashwa El Abrash Weaves Resilience and Heritage
Syrian refugee Nashwa El Abrash arrived in Egypt in 2012 with her husband and six children. After completing a UNHCR-supported macramé training, she now crafts handmade pieces sold through the MADE51 initiative, connecting refugee artisans to global markets. Her work provides income and preserves cultural heritage, demonstrating the resilience and creativity that sustain many Syrian families in exile.
References
- [1] UNHCR Operational Data Portal, Syria Regional Refugee Response, accessed on 26 October 2025; NB: Additionally, approx. 700,000 refugees known to UNHCR in Lebanon are not formally registered hence not included in the data portal
- [2] UNHCR CORE, Syria Governorates IDPs and IDP Returnees Overview (As of 1 October 2025)
- [3] As of 07 November 2025.
- [4] UNHCR’s Enhanced Regional Perceptions and Intentions Survey (eRPIS, September 2025)
- [5] UNHCR’s Enhanced Regional Perceptions and Intentions Survey (eRPIS, September 2025)
- Efforts are now coordinated under the Egypt Refugee and Resilience Response Plan (ERRRP), the first nationally endorsed refugee and resilience framework.
- [1] Financial requirements, as well as the figures for people in need, people targeted, and people prioritized under the 2026 3RP, are preliminary and pending finalization and approval by partners and host governments.