📰 UNDP calls for shift from aid to recovery to secure Syria’s stability

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) urged on Tuesday a transition from emergency relief aid to long-term recovery and development in Syria, warning that sustained instability will persist without jobs, services, and economic growth. In a blog titled “From Crisis to Recovery: Securing Peace and Stability in Syria and Beyond,” Rawhi Afaghani, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Syria, stated Syrians he met across seven governorates in October consistently voiced the same priorities: access to health care, education, housing, and above all, employment. After more than a decade of crisis, around 7. 4 million Syrians remain internally relocated, while about 1. 2 million relocated persons have returned from abroad but lack sustainable livelihoods, Afaghani noted.

He stated international backing remains vital alongside national efforts. Afaghani outlined three interconnected pillars for effective foreign aid: infrastructure reconstruction, economic revitalization, and strengthened local governance. He stressed that Syria has reached a “vital moment” where meeting emergency needs alone is no longer sufficient and must give way to lasting development to ensure regional stability. Among key priorities, Afaghani cited rebuilding housing to enable safe returns, restoring health and education services amid widespread damage to schools and hospitals, and repairing roads and power plants. He pointed out that Syrians often receive only two hours of state electricity daily due to grid overload, while more than 2.

4 million children remain out of school. Moreover, economically, the UN official noted, Syria’s GDP has fallen to less than half of pre-war levels, with one in four people unemployed and nine in ten living in poverty. Afaghani emphasized that reconstruction without effective governance would be unsustainable, calling for stronger local authorities to deliver services and promote social cohesion through community dialogue. The World Bank estimates Syria’s recovery could cost up to $216 billion. Afaghani warned that without a development trajectory, relief needs—currently affecting 16.

5 million people—will continue to grow. The UNDP representative called for coordinated international action, particularly with the private sector, to backing Syria’s recovery and regional stability. By Jwan Shekaki