Syrian Arab Republic

  • Humanitarian Response Priorities
  • From: 01/01/2026 to: 31/12/2026
  • Published: 02/04/2026
  • Coordinated by: OCHA

Syria Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2026 / Part 4: Refugee Needs and Response Plan

4.1 Syrian Refugee Returns

Situation overview

  • In 2025, about 1.4 million Syrian refugees returned to Syria from neighbouring host countries, with Türkiye accounting for the largest share (41 per cent), followed by Lebanon (34.7 per cent), Jordan (19.3 per cent), Iraq (2.8 per cent), and Egypt (1.9 per cent). Returns are primarily directed to Damascus, Aleppo, Idleb, Rural Damascus, and Homs, with significant numbers also recorded in Hama, Ar-Raqqa, Dar’a, and other governorates across the country. This was in spite of significant humanitarian challenges that Syrians continue to face inside Syria due widespread infrastructural damage, a deteriorated economy, inadequate access to essential services and a lack of livelihood opportunities.
  • The rate of refugee returns is expected to continue increasing into 2026, contingent on a range of factors including maintaining stability and gradual improvements to socio-economic conditions on the ground. According to the findings of series of Refugee Perceptions and Intentions Survey (ERPIS) conducted by UNHCR, 80 per cent of surveyed refugees expressed a desire to return to Syria at some point, with 18 per cent indicating an intention to do so within the next 12 months. With Türkiye not included in this survey and accounting for the majority of observed returns, these figures likely understate the full scale of return intentions.

Summary of needs

  • While return aspirations are high and observable movements are significant, the sustainability of these returns is constrained by prevailing conditions inside Syria. A socio-economic assessment conducted by UNHCR in 2025 confirms the criticality of both immediate humanitarian support and early recovery interventions for durable reintegration. Returnee households, already in vulnerable socio-economic circumstances following years of displacement, commonly report that their most pressing needs upon return are food security, housing and shelter, and livelihood opportunities, indicating acute gaps in meeting even basic survival needs before broader access to critical services such as water, electricity, health, and education can be considered.
  • The many years of conflict have left much of Syria’s housing stock damaged or destroyed, creating a major obstacle to sustainable return. The situation is compounded by widespread Housing, Land and Property challenges (HLP), including the extensive loss of ownership documents and administrative records. Over 7 million people across the country are estimated to be in need of shelter support, with concentrations particularly severe in Aleppo, Idleb, and Deir-ez-Zor. The constrained economy offers severely limited livelihood opportunities, while access to essential services remains inadequate in many areas of return. UNHCR’s monitoring reports have confirmed that women and girls are disproportionately affected by the hardships of return, underscoring the importance of gendersensitive programming throughout the response.
  • Based on observed trends and dependent on continued improvements in security and socioeconomic conditions inside the country, UNHCR projects that between 1 million and 1.6 million Syrian refugees will return in 2026. Without urgent and sustained investment in both humanitarian assistance and reconstruction, the risk of secondary displacement remains high if these issues are left unaddressed, and the window to consolidate the gains achieved thus far is rapidly narrowing.

Response strategy

  • UNHCR released its 2025 Operational Framework on the Voluntary Return of Syrian Refugees and IDPs in February 2025, marking a formal transition to actively facilitating voluntary returns. The response is structured around three pillars: pre-return preparatory activities; the return process itself; and post-return reintegration and protection.
  • Pre-return preparatory activities include providing information to potential returnees on conditions in areas of return, building institutional capacities at border crossings and civil registration offices, and coordinating with the relevant authorities in the host countries and in Syria. UNHCR, in coordination with local and national partners, supports the restoration of key governmental departments, including Immigration, Civil Affairs, the Cadastre Registry, the Justice sector, and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (MoSAL),whose functional capacities were significantly weakened during the years of crisis. This encompasses the rehabilitation of infrastructure and the provision of equipment at border crossings, civil affairs and Cadastre registries to enable the timely and quality delivery of services to returnees. UNHCR also advocates for the waiving of prohibitively high fees for the delayed registration of vital events and for the application of more flexible registration procedures.
  • Border Monitoring and Support. UNHCR works closely with the General Authorities for Ports and Customs to ensure continuous border monitoring and analysis at functional crossing points to track cross-border movement trends and return dynamics, enabling identification of vulnerable individuals and facilitating protection-sensitive responses. Designated returnee support windows have been established at immigration offices at all road border crossings. Close coordination with national authorities and humanitarian partners also ensures the identification of vulnerable individuals, continuity of care, and joint planning based on accurate, context-informed data.
  • Movement Facilitation. Providing return assistance (through a combination of cash and transportation) is a key element of ensuring dignified, safe, and voluntary return for refugees and IDPs. UNHCR, in coordination with national authorities, IOM and humanitarian partners, facilitates organized travel for vulnerable individuals and their possessions, enabling them to reach their areas of return safely and in dignity. Presence at departure and arrival points ensures the availability protectionsensitive assistance and referrals, underpinning a coordinated and principled return process that supports sustainable reintegration.
  • Refugee Return Grants. One-time multipurpose cash grants of $ 600 per household are provided to eligible vulnerable refugee returnee households to meet immediate post-arrival needs and support early reintegration. The assistance is tailored based on household profiles, vulnerability criteria, and market functionality in areas of return. Refugee returnees previously assessed as vulnerable and eligible for cash assistance in host countries, including Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, are a priori eligible to receive the Return and Reintegration Grant in Syria. Returnees not pre-identified through host country assessments are able to enroll and be assessed at UNHCR community centres inside Syria for this support as well as eligibility for other services provided in areas of return.
  • Interagency Multisectoral Coordination on Solutions. Post-return reintegration is supported through conflict-sensitive, area- and communitybased approaches designed to strengthen social cohesion and build resilience in communities receiving returns. The restoration of essential services, rehabilitation of communal infrastructure, and creation of livelihood opportunities in areas of return are both urgent and critical and require multisectoral nexus programming and strong linkages with development actors to ensure that returns remain sustainable in the years to come. The SWG serves as the primary coordination platform, aiming to bring together UN agencies, international and national NGOs, government counterparts, civil society and donors, to promote coordinated, evidence-based, and locally tailored interventions for returnees and their host communities. The SWG links Humanitarian Response Priorities with the Early Recovery Strategy and the UNSDCF for nexus and area-based programming. Activities to date include the collective drafting of a joint solutions workplan, development of a ‘Data For Solutions’ platform, and the development of tools to support the strategic targeting and prioritisation of return areas with high needs.

Targeting and prioritisation

  • Of the estimated 1 million to 1.6 million refugee returnees projected to arrive in 2026, UNHCR plans to target approximately 600,000 people for direct assistance under the HNRP, primarily those identified as vulnerable in host countries who were dependent on humanitarian assistance, as well as returnees assessed as vulnerable through screening upon arrival inside Syria. The remaining returnees not directly targeted under the HNRP will be integrated as beneficiaries within the broader sectoral response in intersectoral severity 3-4 locations through an area-based and inclusive approach, ensuring complementarity between humanitarian and early recovery programming.
  • Geographic prioritisation focuses on areas receiving the highest concentrations of returnees and facing the most acute needs: Aleppo, Idleb, Damascus, Rural Damascus, Homs, Ar-Raqqa, and Deir-ez-zor constitute the primary priority areas, followed by Hama, Dar’a and Al-Hasakeh for returnees moving to severity 4 locations. For IDP returnees, efforts will be anchored in interagency frameworks with a greater focus on campbased populations.

Promoting accountable, quality, and inclusive programming

  • AAP: In April 2025, UNHCR Syria launched Syria is Home, a one-stop digital platform providing clear and reliable information to Syrians considering return, including guidance on available humanitarian services, legal procedures, and how to access assistance upon return. The platform has been developed in partnership with other agencies including UNICEF and WFP, which contribute sector-relevant information and links to community centres and contacts. A dedicated call centre complements the platform, addressing individual returnee inquiries and facilitating access to reintegration cash assistance, with a longerterm vision of serving as a centralized, two-way communication channel for all returnees.

At the coordination level, the AAP Working Groups of Damascus and Gaziantep have been merged into a single unified entity based in Damascus, co-led by WFP, UNHCR, Shafaq, and OCHA. The group is currently finalizing the Syria AAP Strategy and developing terms of reference and workplans for 2026–2027, anchored in a people-centred approach grounded in participatory methods. Returnees are provided with accessible information on how their feedback is used to inform the response, including through transparent communication on the limits of what humanitarians are able to deliver.

Protection, Gender, and PSEA. A do-no-harm approach is embedded across all returnee response activities, encompassing both refugee and IDP returnees. UNHCR implements comprehensive protection monitoring through field missions, partner networks, and data collection tools to identify risks, barriers, and gaps in access to services. Gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response, including awareness sessions, case management, and referral to specialised services—are integrated throughout the response. Child protection services, including mine risk education, remedial classes, non-formal education programmes, and recreational activities, are delivered for minors and caregivers. MHPSS are provided across all age groups, with particular focus on people with disabilities and older people. Legal counselling and civil documentation support-including assistance with the issuance of national IDs, birth and marriage certificates, and advice on HLP issues, is delivered through UNHCR’s legal partners. UNHCR monitoring has confirmed that women and girls bear a disproportionate burden of the hardships of return; the response is designed to address their specific protection needs and to promote their meaningful participation. PSEA awareness and referral pathways are integrated across all service delivery points, consistent with the HCT’s collective inter-agency PSEA commitments.

Cost of Response

  • The refugee returnee response for the initial returns phase requires a total of $159.8 million, targeting about 600,000 people. The largest component is cash-based assistance: $ 84 million is allocated under the Cash sector to provide return and reintegration grants to 107,000 households. Over $75.8 million is allocated under the SNFI sector to provide non-food items, winterization packages, and shelter repair support to 40,000 households. An additional $ 14 million is allocated under the Protection sector to deliver comprehensive protection services to 80,000 households.
  • Beyond the initial returns phase, reintegration programming, encompassing general, legal, and community-based protection for the most vulnerable, will be costed across relevant HNRP sectors in severity 3-4 locations and under the UNSDCF for nexus and area-based programming at the individual and community level, ensuring continuity of support through the transition from humanitarian to recovery frameworks.