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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

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

UN Security Council meets to discuss its humanitarian plan for Syria. (UN)
UN Security Council meets to discuss its humanitarian plan for Syria. (UN)

UN Security Council praises Syria’s progress and condemns Israel’s incursions

24 April 2026.  In a rare consensus, the entire Council endorsed the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response plan for Syria. Members praised Syria’s contributions to regional stability, and its increasing global integration; many condemned Israel’s constant attacks. Syria’s outstanding humanitarian needs were stressed by UN executives.Read more at:  LEVANT 24 

Robert Petit, head of the General Assembly’s International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM), created in 2016 in response to Syria’s war crimes. (SANA)
Robert Petit, head of the General Assembly’s International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM), created in 2016 in response to Syria’s war crimes. (SANA)

UN report lauds Syria’s progress in fostering transitional justice

16 April 2026.  Reporting on its first full year of investigating Syria’s progress with transitional justice, the IIIM, created by the General Assembly in 2016 to help investigate and prosecute Syria’s war crimes, applauded the new government’s cooperation with the UN and its creation of institutions to secure justice.Read more at:  SANA

Women Led Organizations (WLO) of Syria launches a platform to expand women’s roles, with representatives from government, UN agencies, international organizations and Syrian NGOs in attendance. (UN Women)
Women Led Organizations (WLO) of Syria launches a platform to expand women’s roles, with representatives from government, UN agencies, international organizations and Syrian NGOs in attendance. (UN Women)

Women leaders affirm shift from advocacy to direct involvement in rebuilding the nation

14 April 2026.  The WLO platform marks a move from women’s symbolic presence toward participation in mechanisms shaping policy and governance. It aims to strengthen women’s role in humanitarian and community work and expand their presence in state planning, coordination and decision-making.Read more at:  LEVANT 24

Syria and UN convened workshop to strengthen 2027–2030 framework for sustainable development goals. (SANA)
Syria and UN convened workshop to strengthen 2027–2030 framework for sustainable development goals. (SANA)

UN team and Syrian government outline three-year development plan

7 April 2026.  Syria and UN partners discussed priorities for Syria’s sustainable development, with a focus on President al-Sharaa’s “Syria Without Camps” initiative, which aims to close camps for displaced people and enable their safe return to dignified living conditions in their home communities.Read more at:  SANA

Capt. Maya Ghazal, one of the first female Syrian refugee pilots, now flying with Britain’s TUI Airways. (UNHCR)
Capt. Maya Ghazal, one of the first female Syrian refugee pilots, now flying with Britain’s TUI Airways. (UNHCR)

Airline pilot in exile invited to return home and join Syrian Airlines

2 April 2026.  Capt. Maya Ghazal, who fled Syria to the UK as a teenager during the revolution, overcame serious challenges to fulfil her dream of becoming an airline pilot 6 years ago. Capt. Ghazal, also a UN Goodwill Ambassador, was just invited by Syria’s Civil Aviation Authority to join Syrian Airlines.Read more at:  THE NATIONAL

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa greets UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher and UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo for a meeting in Damascus, April 2, 2026. (Syrian Presidency)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa greets UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher and UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo for a meeting in Damascus, April 2, 2026. (Syrian Presidency)

UN responds to Syria’s changing needs as nation’s recovery enters development phase

3 April 2026.  The heads of the UN’s humanitarian and development agencies agreed that Syria has a growing need for development aid as it rebuilds, along with ongoing humanitarian assistance to serve millions of Syrians returning home and people displaced from conflict zones in neighboring countries.Read more at:  ENAB BALADI

UN’s Syria Team reports significant strides toward recovery across many sectors as seen at a recent trade fair. (Food Syria)
UN’s Syria Team reports significant strides toward recovery across many sectors as seen at a recent trade fair. (Food Syria)

Syria’s cooperation with UN agencies and member states produces major advances

26 March 2026.  In its report for February 2026, the UN’s Country Team in Syria documented notable progress in health care, energy, water, agriculture, and early recovery efforts such as extensive debris removal, resulting from close cooperation with UN agencies and consistent support of member states.Read more at:  SANA

Site of destruction in al-Huweiqa neighborhood in Deir Ezzor city, northeast Syria, February 14, 2026. (SANA)
Site of destruction in al-Huweiqa neighborhood in Deir Ezzor city, northeast Syria, February 14, 2026. (SANA)

President issues decree to rebuild areas recently devastated by war, enabling return of displaced people

11 March 2026.  A presidential decree created a ministerial committee to restore essential infrastructure in the northeast, establishing a path for people to return to their homes while strengthening services to ease the suffering of displaced people in the interim.Read more at:  ENABBALADI

A UNHCR (UN High Commission for Refugees) staff member assists a man arriving from Lebanon at the Jdaidet Yabous border crossing in Syria. (Ola Kabalan:UNHCR)
A UNHCR (UN High Commission for Refugees) staff member assists a man arriving from Lebanon at the Jdaidet Yabous border crossing in Syria. (Ola Kabalan:UNHCR)

UN agency supports rising number of Syrians returning home from Lebanon since outbreak of war

10 March 2026.  Over 80,000 Syrians have returned from Lebanon since March 2nd, leaving behind lives in exile and all belongings. UNHCR is expanding its presence at major crossings, coordinating with Syrian authorities to support arrivals fleeing sudden violence and seeking safety with family.Read more at:  LEVANT24

Minister Hind Kabawat meets with delegation from the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, 5 March 2026. (SANA)
Minister Hind Kabawat meets with delegation from the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, 5 March 2026. (SANA)

Syria expands cooperation with UN team to reunite children and families

5 March 2026.  Minister Hind Kabawat met UN commissioners in Damascus to strengthen cooperation on investigations into the fate of children of detainees and the forcibly disappeared, aiming to improve access to information in this critical humanitarian area. To date, 160 children have been reunited with their families.Read more at:  SANA

Information Minister Hamza al Mustafa and UNDP representative Mohamed Siddiq Madawi sign an agreement to advance professionalism of Syria’s media sector. (SANA)
Information Minister Hamza al Mustafa and UNDP representative Mohamed Siddiq Madawi sign an agreement to advance professionalism of Syria’s media sector. (SANA)

Syria and UNDP partner to enhance skills and performance of nation’s media sector

3 March 2026.  Syria and UNDP have launched a program to offer training opportunities to strengthen the skills of hundreds of journalists, radio and TV presenters, graphic designers, photographers, and other media workers in the Information Ministry and affiliated institutions and directorates.Read more at:  SANA

Ahmad al-Sharaa (formerly known as al-Jolani) celebrating HTS’ overthrow of the Assad regime, Damascus, 8 December 2024. (ISPI)
Ahmad al-Sharaa (formerly known as al-Jolani) celebrating HTS’ overthrow of the Assad regime, Damascus, 8 December 2024. (ISPI)

UN Security Council removes HTS from sanctions list in ongoing international policy shift toward Syria

28 February 2026.  The UN Security Council removed HTS from its ISIS and Al-Qaida sanctions list, clearing a final legal obstacle that was viewed as hindering Syria’s transition. The move, supporting the new government’s progress, lifts a 10-year freeze of assets, a travel ban, and arms embargo.Read more at:  LEVANT24

Syria participates in the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, 26 February 2026. (UN)
Syria participates in the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, 26 February 2026. (UN)

Syria’s commitment to human rights stems from decades of repression, officials tell UN council

26 February 2026.  Syria told the UNHRC that its commitment to human rights is a national debt, given its history. Officials reported a range of institutional reforms made in the 14 months since the country’s liberation, many in cooperation with UN agencies, while constructing the rule of law.Read more at:  SANA

Syrian army engineering unit sweeps the Ruiha archaeological site in southern Idlib for landmines as part of a wider heritage protection effort. (SANA)
Syrian army engineering unit sweeps the Ruiha archaeological site in southern Idlib for landmines as part of a wider heritage protection effort. (SANA)

Clearing landmines at archaeological site connects Syria’s past to its present and future

25 February 2026.  The Ruiha archaeological site, dating from Byzantine times, is being cleared of landmines to restore safe access, develop tourism, and revive local agriculture. Part of a UNESCO-heritage plan, the site contains remains of luxurious homes, churches, olive presses, and funerary monuments.Read more at:  SANA

Syria’s UN envoy, Ibrahim Olabi, highlights major recent advances at Security Council briefing. (SANA)
Syria’s UN envoy, Ibrahim Olabi, highlights major recent advances at Security Council briefing. (SANA)

“Syria continues to transform challenges into achievements,” stated Ambassador Olabi

14 February 2026.  Thanking UN Security Council members for their continued support of Syria’s drive toward unity, Olabi said northeastern Syria had shifted from a major challenge to a national achievement, with a comprehensive ceasefire agreement with SDF and its full integration into state institutions.Read more at:  SANA

“Ishraqat” (Radiance) Cultural and Arts Festival opens at Damascus Opera House. (SANA)
“Ishraqat” (Radiance) Cultural and Arts Festival opens at Damascus Opera House. (SANA)

Arts and culture festival opens under theme: “Guided by light, united by culture”

9 February 2026.  The “Ishraqat” (Radiance) Festival brings together artists and audiences in a program of art exhibitions, performances, and seminars, supporting the recovery of Syria’s richly diverse heritage and fostering shared national identity. The program was sponsored by government ministries in coordination with UNDP and with funding from Japan. Read more at:  SANA

Syria’s Ministry of Health and UNDP (United Nations Development Program) sign agreement to rehabilitate and equip hospitals across five governorates, funded by the German government. (SANA)
Syria’s Ministry of Health and UNDP (United Nations Development Program) sign agreement to rehabilitate and equip hospitals across five governorates, funded by the German government. (SANA)

German funding will rehabilitate five major hospitals, under Health Ministry partnership with UNDP

3 February 2026.  A €35 million German funded agreement between Syria’s Health Ministry and UNDP will restore and equip five major hospitals in areas recovering from conflict, part of the government’s efforts to rehabilitate healthcare. A portion of the funds will revitalize 25 medical centres across Syria.Read more at:  SANA

Representatives of Finland and UNICEF formalize new support for children in Syria. (UNICEF)
Representatives of Finland and UNICEF formalize new support for children in Syria. (UNICEF)

Finland and UNICEF will foster inclusive education and protection for vulnerable Syrian children

1 February 2026.  “Syrian children have waited too long for stability, safety and opportunities to learn,” said UNICEF’s representative in Syria, as the UN agency and Finland announced €2.7 million to expand inclusive education and child and social protection, prioritizing children with disabilities and those affected by conflict and displacement.Read more at:  SANA

Ibrahim Olabi, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, during monthly meeting of the Arab Group, 28 January 2026. (Ibrahim Olabi,X)
Ibrahim Olabi, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, during monthly meeting of the Arab Group, 28 January 2026. (Ibrahim Olabi,X)

Syria elected to key role on major UN committee, reflecting confidence of UN member states

30 January 2026.  Syria was elected by acclimation as Vice Chair of the UN Preparatory Committee on the Convention on Crimes Against Humanity. Ambassador Olabi noted the significance of the shift from involvement in issues internal to Syria to a role in global issues.Read more at:  ENABBALADI