18 May 2026. The Ministry of Sports and Youth and UNICEF gathered 250 young leaders, officials and civil society groups to design Syria’s first National Youth Strategy, highlighting youth as partners, innovators and active contributors to community development.Read more at: LEVANT 24
18 May 2026. Syria’s Social Affairs and Labor ministry and the World Food Program opened the “T-Anmu” (I Grow) initiative, supported by France and Switzerland, aimed at building an integrated, just and sustainable social protection system with a focus on Syrian families with malnourished children.Read more at: SANA
18 May 2026. Health Minister al-Ali said Syria’s participation in the 79th World Health Assembly reflects a shift from crisis response to longterm system building, including rehabilitating hospitals and primary care centers, improving worker support, expanding drug production and utilizing digital tools to improve service.Read more at: SANA
18 May 2026. Syria’s television authority has begun filming ‘The Way Back,’ a seven episode series that portrays the effects of mass displacement and camp life during the revolution. It will utilize personal experiences and dramatic storytelling to convey the emotional and psychological impacts of violence and siege.Read more at: LEVANT 24
16 May 2026. The leader of the US Central Command, head of military operations in 20 Middle East and Asian countries, sees Syria as pivotal to shifting the Middle East from a zone of chaos into a zone of trade and stability, and he linked Syria’s stability to US security. He said the US is engaging with the Syrian government to “support a settlement that preserves dignity in the post-Assad phase.”Read more at: ENAB BALADI
16 May 2026. Sixteen students from Syria’s national physics team joined the two-day KAI International Physics Olympiad remotely, reflecting ongoing efforts to boost Syria’s scientific talent and expand its participation in advanced global academic competitions.Read more at: SANA
16 May 2026. Syria’s Emergency Ministry has filled and levelled more than 900 kilometres of war era trenches and berms in Idlib province. This work, critical to areas heavily damaged by years of conflict, serves to reconnect farmlands, ease access for civilians, and support economic recovery.Read more at: SANA
15 May 2026. Syria’s UN Ambassador, Ibrahim Olabi, cited developments in transitional justice, press freedoms, rebuilding institutions, launching strategic investment partnerships and other areas, while calling on Security Council members to respect Syria’s autonomy and support mutual goals as partners.Read more at: SANA
14 May 2026. In an interview with Euronews during the Brussels conference, Foreign Minister al-Shibani stated that Syria is prepared to reach an agreement with Israel that protects mutual sovereignty and security, but that normalization imposed through “military force or provocation” is unacceptable.Read more at: SYRIAN OBSERVER
14 May 2026. The Kurdish Culture Days festival opened in Damascus on Kurdish Language Day, with musical and dance performances, lectures on Kurdish language and history, and film screenings featuring Kurdish heritage and its contribution to Syria’s cultural landscape.Read more at: SANA
13 May 2026. The 23-member UN delegation met with Syrian officials to assess progress as Syria shifts from depending on emergency aid to leading a national recovery and development phase, focused on restoring essential services and enabling the return of displaced families.Read more at: SYRIAN OBSERVER
12 May 2026. UN-Habitat and Japan announced a project to improve service delivery and urban governance affecting some 870,000 people in 20 municipalities across 7 provinces. This grant is in addition to €58.51 million in previous grants from Japan to UN agencies on behalf of Syria’s recovery.Read more at: ENAB BALADI
12 May 2026. The first Syria–UAE Investment Forum laid the foundations for a long-term strategic partnership based on investment, economic integration and regional interests. The culmination of high-level contacts since Syria’s liberation, the new relationship reflects trust, brotherhood and shared interests, a Syrian official said.Read more at: SANA
12 May 2026. Syria honored its top Arab Reading Challenge participants, chosen from 1.3 million students at 6,000 schools to represent Syria in the final challenge along with students from 60 nations. The program highlights the value of reading for personal growth and preserving the Arabic language.Read more at: SANAWatch video at: SANA or YOUTUBE
11 May 2026. The EU and Syria held their first high-level dialogue after 14 years of Syria’s isolation. Syria presented recovery priorities and Brussels committed to spending €455 million in support of the Syrian people as the country rebuilds, while also coordinating support from other donors.Read more at: LEVANT 24EU pledges support for Syria’s recovery and reconstruction, 12 May 2026Watch video at: SANAEU Commissioner Šuica calls Brussels EU-Syria meeting a “historic day”Watch video at: SANA
10 May 2026. A criminal court in Damascus stripped Bashar and Maher al-Assad of their civil rights, placing their sizeable assets under state administration. The court issued similar rulings against other figures in the former regime, as part of the transitional justice process.Read more at: ENAB BALADI
9 May 2026. A UN delegation pledged support for a major government initiative aiming to move Syrian families displaced by years of civil war, still living in tent camps, into long-term permanent housing while also providing services to help them rebuild their lives.Read more at: LEVANT 24
9 May 2026. Syrian women showcased a variety of crafts, foods and creative products at a Damascus exhibition supporting small businesses. The event aims to strengthen family income, builds skills and expands women’s participation in community and economic life.Read more at: SANA
9 May 2026. Syria’s Distinction and Creativity Agency and the Syrian Virtual University began a programming marathon for children and teens, designed to build coding skills and logical thinking at a young age in preparation for the Informatics Olympiad and other competitions.Read more at: SANA
8 May 2026. Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa met an Emirati delegation to discuss development plans for projects in Damascus and Latakia, together valued at over $50 billion, including housing, hotels, and roads. Construction would create over 100,000 jobs supporting economic recovery and reconstruction.Read more at: LEVANT 24
8 May 2026. Speaking to figures in the field of justice from around the world, gathered in The Hague to discuss the role of justice in preventing conflict, Minister al-Wais stated that Syria is working to strengthen accountability and prevent impunity, while making reforms that promote the rule of law and civil peace.Read more at: SANA
7 May 2026. In a major push to restore schooling in eastern Syrian provinces, where education was disrupted by years of conflict and neglect, Syria’s education ministry reopened more than 2,200 schools in 100 days, enabling over half a million students and tens of thousands of teachers to return.Read more at: LEVANT 24
6 May 2026. The UN is closing a humanitarian corridor from Turkey to Syria that was used to deliver emergency aid, as Syria moves toward economic development. While humanitarian needs remain critical for nearly half the population, expanding trade across the border with Turkey will help restore Syria’s role as a trade bridge across the Fertile Crescent.Read more at: SYRIAN OBSERVER
5 May 2026. Jana Kharat arrived in Austria as a refugee at age seven, facing serious language and cultural challenges. She rose to be part of her school’s Junior Ambassadors team, the only Syrian, and participated in visits to several European institutions. Still identified with her homeland, she hopes to contribute to its reconstruction.Read more at: SANA
4 May 2026. The four-day event brought together 70 works by artists from across Syria, both professionals and newly emerging painters, highlighting themes of unity and shared experience. Participants expressed appreciation for being able to engage with fellow artists after years of isolation.Read more at: SANA
