U.N. refugee chief: 2 million Syrians have returned home

Miami Herald

7 hours ago

BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 19 (UPI) -- U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said Thursday that the international community and financial institutions must support efforts to secure the safe return of Syrian refugees to their country, noting that some 2 two million have returned since Bashar al Assad's regime fell in December.
Grandi said he discussed with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun "how to increase opportunities" to now return home for an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees who fled to Lebanon for safety when an uprising in 2011 quickly turned into civil war.
"Many refugees have already made that choice," he said on his X account. "But for returns to be sustainable, Syria needs more and faster international support."
Grandi noted in a separate X post that it was "a sign of hope amid rising regional tensions" that the 2 million people have returned home.
"This proves that we need political solutions, not another wave of instability and displacement," he said, referring to the ongoing Israel-Iran war.
Aoun called on the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, to intensify efforts to help refugees return and to continue providing aid to them within Syrian territory now that "reasons for their displacement no longer exist" with the fall of the Assad regime.
Grandi, who confirmed that his U.N. agency has begun providing direct financial assistance to Syrian families returning to Syria, said he supported the Lebanese government for having adopted a plan for the return of the refugees.
"We have started a very constructive discussion on how to translate the policy into a very practical operation that will allow many refugees, as many as possible ... to go back to Syria," he said in a statement after meeting Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. "Many refugees want to go back, but, you know, there are many challenges."
He emphasized that Lebanon, UNHCR and Syria "cannot do this alone" and they need help from the international community.
"Syria is a country that is on its knees. It needs reconstruction of infrastructure, public services, the economy, their security system," Grandi said.
The U.N. estimates the cost of destruction from the war in Syria to be close to $400 billion.
Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump decided to lift sanctions on Syria during his trip to the Middle East, where he met with Syria's new president, Ahmed Sharaa.
Grandi said Trump's decision was "a major step" but he hoped it will be followed by "substantive investments in infrastructure, in creating jobs [and] in security, as well," making a strong appeal to European and Gulf countries and international financial institutions "to help us do the work in Syria."
"It is a rare opportunity in this world of crises," he said.
According to UNHCR, Syria remains one of the world's largest refugee crises after more than a decade of conflict.
Since 2011, more than 14 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety. They include 7.4 million Syrians who remain internally displaced in their own country, where 70% of the population needs humanitarian assistance and 90% live below the poverty line.
More than 6 million Syrian refugees live in neighboring countries, such as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, or abroad.
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