UN chiefs urge shift from emergency aid to recovery as returns climb

UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher and UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo visited Damascus on April 2, 2026, meeting President Ahmed al-Sharaa and other senior officials to launch the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. They warned that Syria is at a pivotal stage: more than 1.6 million people returned over the past year while roughly 16 million people still require assistance. UNDP presented analysis estimating conflict-related development losses of about $190 billion, a setback equivalent to roughly 1.5 years of development, and said more than four million people were pushed into poverty across Arab countries.

Priorities and appeals

The joint recovery priorities identify four main areas—restoring vital infrastructure, resuming basic services, strengthening social and economic resilience, and rebuilding public institutions—alongside clearing mines and explosive remnants of war. The UN officials urged maintaining humanitarian aid while gradually shifting funding toward development, accelerating mine clearance, protecting aid workers, improving UN coordination and supply chains, and aligning international support with nationally defined recovery priorities and Syria's sovereignty, points echoed by Qutaiba Qadish of the Foreign Ministry. as reported by Enab Baladi