Paving the Way to Durable Solutions and the Safe, Voluntary and Dignified Return of Displaced Syrians
Beirut, 12 June 2025 As more than 1.4 million Syrians return home following major shifts in the country’s political landscape. With a significant number of housing, land and illegally occupied, unlawfully sold, damaged, or contaminated by explosives, questions about what they are returning to are more urgent than ever.
To answer these questions, UN-Habitat, in collaboration with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ), convened a high-level event in Beirut, Lebanon, to explore pathways to durable solutions for displaced Syrians through the protection of Housing, Land and Property (HLP) rights. The event brought together humanitarian and development actors, donors, and key representatives from the governments of Syria in a timely discussion.
With 13.4 million Syrians still displaced, “[…] the protection of housing, land and property rights is not just a humanitarian imperative for achieving dignified return but also a foundational element for equitable reconstruction, sustainable peace and long-term political stability.” Marcello Maschke, Head of Development Cooperation – Syria Team at the German Embassy in Beirut.
Marcello Maschke, Head of Development Cooperation, Syria Team Embassy (BMZ).
UN-Habitat’s efforts to the protection of HLP rights inside and outside Syria
During the event, Ombretta Tempra, Chief of UN-Habitat’s Land, Housing and Shelter Section, presented the achievements of the project “Safeguarding Evidence of Housing, Land and Property Rights of Syrian Refugees”, led by UN-Habitat and the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) with the financial support of GIZ and BMZ.
Since 2020, UN-Habitat has documented and securely stored housing, land and property claims from over 72,000 displaced Syrians in Lebanon and Iraq, reaching over 105,000 Syrian refugee households – corresponding to almost half a million Syrians. “The collection of HLP claims is a foundational building block for Syria’s recovery and reconstruction,” said Ombretta Tempra. “It enables displaced Syrians to reclaim their legitimate rights to land and housing, supports future legal processes for restitution, compensation and land dispute resolution, and it ensures that reconstruction efforts are rooted in fairness, legality, and justice.
Ombretta Tempra, Chief of UN-Habitat’s Land, Housing and Shelter Section, presenting the achievements of the project “Safeguarding Evidence of Housing, Land and Property Rights of Syrian Refugees”.
Hussam Sulaiman, UN-Habitat Syria, took participants through years of work done inside Syria under the EU-supported HLP Joint Programmes. In partnership with NRC, UNDP, IOM and UNHCR, the programmes integrate HLP into shelter and protection work and provide the basis for strengthened support to HLP, durable solutions and improved land management.
Under this project, UN-Habitat will collaborate with local authorities in Aleppo to identify ways to leverage housing, land, and property (HLP) data and documentation collected by various partners -including through the Safeguarding Evidence of HLP Rights of Syrian Refugees project - and integrate it into the Fit-For-Purpose (FFP) land administration system developed by UN-Habitat Syria.
Over the years, UN-Habitat has placed strong emphasis on addressing HLP challenges in informal urban areas across Syria. In the aftermath of the 2023 earthquake, UN-Habitat, in collaboration with local authorities in Aleppo, documented thousands of occupancy claims using alternative forms of HLP evidence - such as utility bills, court rulings, and witness testimonies. This initiative represents a critical first step toward integrating (verified) claims to informal tenure rights into the official land registry. The joint effort was presented by Shadi Sharf Al-Deen from the Aleppo Governorate.
Toward recovery and durable solutions in Syria
Hiroshi Takabayashi, UN-Habitat’s Country Director in Syria, presented a comprehensive HLP Recovery Framework for Syria, aiming to protect people’s HLP rights while laying a practical foundation for recovery. Key priorities include integrating HLP into transitional justice processes; expanding the collection of HLP claims inside Syria and among Syrian refugees; establishing a central repository for HLP documents to support restitution, compensation and dispute resolution; rebuilding cadastral systems and resolving disputes; raising awareness about HLP rights and strengthening local capacity to address HLP issues, amongst others.
A panel, moderated by Felicity Cain, Deputy Country Director of UN-Habitat Syria, featured Ahmad Bakaya, Head of International Relations at Syria’s Ministry of Local Administration and Environment, Rana Mitri, Technical Advisor on HLP Rights at GIZ, and Alessandra Viezzer, Head of Cooperation for Lebanon and Syria at the European Union.
Ahmad Bakaya, Head of International Relations at Syria’s Ministry of Local Administration and Environment.
The panel shed light on ongoing donor and government-led efforts in the region and in areas of return in Syria, while reflecting on the significance of the work done in collaboration with UN-Habitat both inside and outside. It also addressed critical HLP challenges, including widespread housing destruction, limited protection of women’s HLP rights, and the economic vulnerability of refugees and returnees. The message was clear: safeguarding HLP rights, ensuring restitution and compensation for destroyed, damaged and illegally occupied properties, and bridging efforts across Syrian borders are essential to enabling durable solutions, driving recovery, supporting access to adequate housing and service delivery, and promoting safe, voluntary and dignified return.
What’s next?
The Beirut event was a timely reminder that HLP rights are not just a legal issue, they are a lifeline. Without secure tenure and legal recognition, returnees face renewed human rights violations and instability.
Looking ahead, UN-Habitat and its partners remain committed to the protection of HLP rights as a cornerstone of Syria’s transition and post-conflict recovery. Strengthened partnerships and inclusive approaches to urban recovery and land governance will be critical. This event marked a significant milestone in reaffirming the centrality of HLP rights in enabling voluntary, safe and dignified return, advancing transitional justice, and laying the foundations for peacebuilding and a renewed social contract between the people and government.