UN refugee commissioner Barham Salih has met Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara to discuss the issue of displaced Syrians.
“In Damascus today, I met President Ahmad Al Shara to discuss the rising number of Syrians returning home, the millions still displaced and the support needed to rebuild lives after years of conflict,” Mr Salih wrote on X following the meeting on Monday.
Mr Salih, an Iraqi Kurd, was the president of Iraq from 2018 to 2022. He took up his role at the UN refugee agency last September, and pledged to ensure that refugees are not trapped in what he called cycles of dependency, lacking access to education and jobs.
On Sunday, Mr Salih met a steering committee that aims to close all refugee camps in Syria.
With a 14-year civil war that ended when long-time dictator Bashar Al Assad was toppled from power in late 2024 by current President Ahmad Al Shara, Syria is home to one of the largest and most protracted displacement crises, the UN has said.
Since 2011, at least 14 million people have been displaced inside and outside of Syria. As of 2024, 3.7 million refugees and internally displaced people had returned home. At present, about 5.5 million people remain internally displaced, UN figures show.
Additionally, the road to reconstruction remains long, requiring at least $216 billion.
“Syrians are determined to rebuild. The international community must match that determination with sustained support, investment and solidarity,” Mr Salih said.
The agency, under his leadership, has pushed for a new initiative to reduce long-term displacement and dependence on humanitarian aid by 2035, along with expanded access to education and employment.
Syria's economic recovery is accelerating but is being felt unevenly across the country, said the International Monetary Fund after its mission chief visited Syria last month.
“Growth is uneven across regions, however, and poverty, while somewhat reduced, remains widespread,” Ron van Rooden said.
