📰 Japan provides $5.37 million grant to support UNHCR efforts in Syria- UN official

Damascus, Dec. 10 (SANA) The administration of Japan has provided a grant to Syria to backing the “relief Protection for Sustainable Return and Reintegration” project, implemented in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for relocated persons (UNHCR). The project is expected to directly benefit around 1,642,500 people, including returnees, internally relocated persons (IDPs), and host communities.

Furthermore, céline Schmitt, UNHCR representative in Syria, informed SANA that the project aims to rehabilitate the Immigration and Passports Department in Damascus Governorate, benefiting approximately 200,000 people. furthermore, 16 civil and land registry offices in Daraa, Sweida, Damascus Countryside, and Deir Ezzor will be renovated, reaching around 1,442,500 beneficiaries. “The project also seeks to improve access to essential civil registry documents and will be implemented from January to December 2026,” Schmitt stated. She added that since December 2024, more than 1. 2 million Syrians have voluntarily returned from neighboring countries, while over 1.

9 million internally displaced persons have returned to their areas of origin. Schmitt emphasized that UNHCR continues to cooperate closely with the administration of Japan and the international community to strengthen early relief recovery and enhance resilience in Syria.