Between hope and risk UN expert: "One million people are returning to Syria"
Fourteen years of war have devastated Syria. Despite this, over a million people are returning to a country full of ruins, but also full of determination. UNHCR spokeswoman Céline Schmitt explains why this return requires a great deal of courage.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, over a million Syrians have returned from abroad.
- Many families come despite a third of their homes being destroyed and a lack of jobs.
- Humanitarian aid is dwindling. The funding gap is bigger than it has been for years.
- Families with children in particular are facing challenges: lack of schools, documents, psychological stress.
- The UNHCR is calling for investment in housing, work and education to make return sustainable.
- Spokesperson Céline Schmitt: "The courage of the people gives us hope."
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been drawn back to their homeland. Around 13.4 million people are currently displaced. 7.2 million within the country and a further 6.2 million abroad. Before the war began, Syria had a population of around 22 to 23 million, meaning that more than half of the population is displaced.
According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, around 1.8 million internally displaced persons have now returned to their regions of origin since the beginning of December last year. In addition, there are over one million refugees who have returned to Syria from neighboring countries.
People who have lived for years in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan or Europe are venturing into regions and cities that have been affected by the civil war but are comparatively safe - Damascus, Aleppo, Homs or Hama. "These people return with the will to stay in Syria," says UNHCR spokesperson Céline Schmitt, who lives in Damascus, in an interview with blue News.
Great solidarity among relatives
The UNHCR supports and accompanies returnees at the border crossings of neighboring countries to Syria. Many travel with all their belongings. After 14 years of war, they are often full of hope and joy to see their relatives again.
"I have witnessed many touching arrivals and reunions. Buses arrive at their destination, family members fall into each other's arms after years of separation due to the war. These moments are incredibly emotional," says Céline Schmitt.
The fact that people want to live in Syria again is often an act of almost defiant perseverance. "I met a man over 100 years old who returned home from Lebanon after eleven years. His house in Homs was destroyed. He slept in a tent on his land. He was happy to finally be back home," says the UNHCR employee.
Everyday life presents returnees with enormous hurdles. A third of all houses in Syria are considered destroyed, many people have to clear rubble, struggle with high rents and an uncertain economic future.
And yet, says Céline Schmitt, "we are seeing incredible solidarity in the private sector. Even displaced families are giving shelter to returning friends and relatives. This helps, but puts an additional material burden on them." Solidarity alone is not enough to sustain return in the long term.
No new start without jobs
The returnees are aware of these difficulties and still decide to make a fresh start. In addition to ruined homes and expensive rents, the main thing they lack is a sustainable income. "The people tell us clearly: 'We need jobs. We don't want to be dependent on humanitarian aid forever'," says Céline Schmitt.
The UNHCR pays particularly vulnerable returnees a one-off cash grant of 600 US dollars per household, mostly for rent, clothing or medicine. The organization also supports repairs to slightly damaged houses and provides grants of up to 1,500 US dollars for micro-enterprises.
Many initiatives are successful, reports the UNHCR spokesperson: "In Aleppo, a woman opened a sewing workshop with a small grant. Her husband was wounded in the war and her son had to drop out of school. Now she earns her own income and the children have started school again."
Declining support for reconstruction
However, long-term investment in housing, jobs and infrastructure is absolutely essential, especially now that international funding is drying up. "The need for humanitarian aid is huge. We urgently need more support," says Céline Schmitt.
Several major donor countries, including the USA and the UK, have significantly reduced their Syria budgets. Only around a quarter of the funds required for 2025 have been covered, the lowest level in years. The UNHCR is talking about the biggest funding crisis in its history.
Hope is coming from the region: Saudi Arabia and Qatar recently took over Syrian debts to the World Bank Fund in order to facilitate new loans.
Children between new beginnings and hurdles
One detail that strikes Schmitt: "In the weeks before school started in September, we saw a significant increase in the number of returnees. Families were desperate for their children to start the new school year in Syria."
A new start is not easy here either. Many schools have been destroyed and the lack of documents makes it difficult to enrol children. "The authorities now allow temporary admission even without papers in order to avoid delays," says Céline Schmitt.
The UNHCR is helping families to obtain missing documents from the authorities, from birth certificates to school reports or proof of ownership. Without such documents, access to education, healthcare and property rights often remains blocked.
Children who have grown up abroad and only know Syria from stories need additional support when they arrive. "Parents report that their children need tutoring in Arabic because some of them have learned according to a completely different curriculum. And they need psychological support. They leave friends behind and enter a completely new world."
The UNHCR currently operates 71 community centers across the country, which offer legal advice, psychosocial support and child protection. "This work is crucial," says Schmitt. "But significantly more investment is needed in schools, staff and equipment so that children can really arrive."
Violence, hunger, economic crisis
Many returnees say that they feel "back where they belong", says Céline Schmitt. "Families enjoy sitting together in their homes, spending a quiet day together after years of flight."
However, not all displaced people are able to return. In addition to destroyed infrastructure, a lack of job opportunities, bureaucratic hurdles or a new life that many Syrians have established elsewhere after years in exile, the lack of security is too great a risk for many.
The situation remains fragile on many fronts. Fighting between Bedouin tribes and Druze groups escalated in Suweida in September. There was also heavy fighting around Damascus.
No memory of life without war
After almost a decade and a half of war, countless weapons are still in circulation. Many former fighters have to find their way in a civilian life that they hardly know. For the younger generation, a life without violence is often just a memory.
At the same time, the new transitional government is struggling to establish state institutions. It remains doubtful whether it will include all sections of the population.
Added to this is the economic hardship: the reconstruction of Syria is estimated to cost between 250 and 400 billion US dollars. More than half of the population is affected by food insecurity, with almost three million people suffering from acute hunger. The country has not experienced climatic conditions as bad as those in 2025 for sixty years. Droughts have destroyed around three quarters of the wheat harvest.
Hope needs investment
With all these challenges, it is therefore crucial for the UNHCR that the return to Syria is voluntary and well-informed. Céline Schmitt says that the UNHCR's goal is to facilitate return to Syria, not to force it: "The will is great, but the timing depends on conditions in Syria and abroad. That is why it is important to support both those who cannot or do not want to return and those who do."
To this end, the organization has created the "Syria is Home" platform, which provides information on border procedures, available services and document issues. Particularly vulnerable families are supported in organizing their return home, but most organize it themselves. The UNHCR then provides reintegration assistance in Syria.
In the end, one image remains with Céline Schmitt: "The courage of the people gives us hope. Their resilience is impressive. After years of war, flight and a new start in a foreign country, they decide to return, despite all the difficulties. They want to be at home, reunite families and help rebuild. This inspires us to do everything we can to support them."
Céline Schmitt, Sprecherin des UNHCR in Syrien
Céline Schmitt heads the UNHCR's Communications and Partnerships team.
She is committed to ensuring that refugees and displaced persons can return to their homes in a dignified and sustainable manner.
