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Students from Syria’s national physics team join the KAI Physics Olympiad remotely from provincial centers across the country. (SANA)
Students from Syria’s national physics team join the KAI Physics Olympiad remotely from provincial centers across the country. (SANA)

Students of physics augment Syria’s global presence through international Olympiad

    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

    Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management teams fill war-era trenches and earthen berms in Idleb Governorate. (Syrian Emergency Ministry)
    Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management teams fill war-era trenches and earthen berms in Idleb Governorate. (Syrian Emergency Ministry)

    Emergency Ministry restores infrastructure in war-damaged areas, reviving farmland and helping civilians return home

      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

      Syria’s permanent representative to the UN Security Council, Ibrahim Olabi. (UN)
      Syria’s permanent representative to the UN Security Council, Ibrahim Olabi. (UN)

      Syria’s UN ambassador presents progress in nation’s transformation to Security Council

        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

        Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad-al Shibani speaks in Brussels during the EU–Syria forum on regional security. (Andalou Agency)
        Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani speaks in Brussels during the EU–Syria forum on regional security. (Andalou Agency)

        Syria ready for security agreement with Israel based on mutual interests, but not forcibly imposed normalization

          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

          Delegates from 23 donor countries to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) meet with officials at Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 12 May 2026. (SANA)
          Delegates from 23 donor countries to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) meet with officials at Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 12 May 2026. (SANA)

          23 major UN donor countries visit Syria to gauge humanitarian and development needs

            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

            Rehabilitation of the main sewage line of a neighborhood in Aleppo, January 2026, part of early urban recovery efforts supported by UN-Habitat and Japan. (UN-Habitat Syria)
            Rehabilitation of the main sewage line of a neighborhood in Aleppo, January 2026, part of early urban recovery efforts supported by UN-Habitat and Japan. (UN-Habitat Syria)

            Japan supports recovery of 20 Syrian municipalities

              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

              Students gather in Damascus to celebrate the national qualifiers of the Arab Reading Challenge, sponsored by the UAE. (SANA)
              Students gather in Damascus to celebrate the national qualifiers of the Arab Reading Challenge, sponsored by the UAE. (SANA)

              Syria celebrates national winners of Arab Reading Challenge

                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

                Syria presents national recovery priorities during the first high-level EU–Syria dialogue in Brussels. (SANA)
                Syria presents national recovery priorities during the first high-level EU–Syria dialogue in Brussels. (SANA)

                EU opens door to new partnership with Syria after 14 years

                  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

                  Judges of the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus deliver a ruling against former regime leaders, May 10, 2026. (SANA)
                  Judges of the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus deliver a ruling against former regime leaders, May 10, 2026. (SANA)

                  Judges try Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad, and others in absentia as fugitives

                    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

                    UN delegation in Damascus meets with Syrian officials to discuss the ‘Syria Without Camps’ initiative. (SANA)
                    UN delegation in Damascus meets with Syrian officials to discuss the ‘Syria Without Camps’ initiative. (SANA)

                    UN signals growing international support for ‘Syria Without Camps,’ a key objective for 2026

                      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

                      Syrian and Emirati officials meet in Damascus to discuss major investment opportunities. (SANA)
                      Syrian and Emirati officials meet in Damascus to discuss major investment opportunities. (SANA)

                      Syrian and UAE officials discuss massive development projects amid growing Gulf interest in Syria

                        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

                        Syrian Justice Minister Mazhar al-Wais speaks during the ‘Justice Matters’ conference at the Peace Palace in The Hague. (SANA)
                        Syrian Justice Minister Mazhar al-Wais speaks during the ‘Justice Matters’ conference at the Peace Palace in The Hague. (SANA)

                        Justice minister affirms Syria is actively pursuing accountability for war crimes

                          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

                          Syrian student Jana Kharat during her interview with SANA, plus a group of European youth visiting the European Commission in Brussels, March 2026. (SANA : ISK School)
                          Syrian student Jana Kharat during her interview with SANA, plus a group of European youth visiting the European Commission in Brussels, March 2026. (SANA : ISK School)

                          Nothing is impossible for Syrian youth, says student winner of European accolades

                            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

                            Members of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), a key component of SDF, undergoing military training in Hasakah, northeast Syria, November 2025. (Valeria Mongelli Photography)
                            Members of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), a key component of SDF, undergoing military training in Hasakah, northeast Syria, November 2025. (Valeria Mongelli Photography)

                            Former Kurdish-led SDF fighters are being integrated into Syria’s army 

                              3 May 2026.  Syrian authorities report integrating four SDF brigades into the national army under a January 2026 agreement between Damascus and SDF forces, which outlined phases for reintegrating northeastern Syria after years of autonomous administration. An official cited “remarkable progress.”Read more at:  LEVANT 24

                              Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa meets with the ministry’s External Media Department. (SANA)
                              Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa meets with the ministry’s External Media Department. (SANA)

                              Global engagement grows with over 5,000 foreign journalists entering Syria since liberation

                                2 May 2026.  Information Minister al-Mustafa said Syria has increased its engagement with foreign journalists through global media outreach, welcoming over 5,000 foreign journalists, expanding programs that support openness with journalists and researchers, and communications with Syrians abroad.Read more at:  SANA