850,000 Syrians return home as UN refugee official calls for international support

Beirut, Sep 3 (IANS) Around 850,000 Syrians have returned from neighbouring countries since December, the United Nations refugee agency said, as its deputy chief Kelly Clements ended a five-day visit to Lebanon and Syria.

During her visit, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees met Lebanese and Syrian officials, as well as refugees who recently returned home and others still weighing the decision to go back, according to a statement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The UNHCR said the agency has expanded its assistance to ensure returns are voluntary, safe, and dignified, offering financial aid, transportation, shelter, and livelihood support in the communities of return.

"I saw up close how people have preserved their will to return, stay, and rebuild despite the harsh reality of destruction and lack of services following 14 years of war," Clements said.

Lebanon, which continues to host hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, has seen nearly 200,000 people return this year alone. At the same time, new arrivals fleeing recent violence in Syria continue to enter Lebanon, underscoring the fluidity of the displacement crisis, Xinhua news agency reported.

In Syria's Damascus, Homs, and Idlib, Clements visited returnees benefiting from housing rehabilitation and small business support. She also inaugurated a rehabilitated Civil Registry Office in Maaret Al Nouman, Idlib, to improve access to documentation for returning families.

"The international community cannot afford to be mere observers," Clements stressed.

"They must take an active role in supporting stabilisation and recovery efforts, helping Syrians rebuild and reshape their country," she said.

In meetings with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and other cabinet members, she expressed appreciation for continued generosity in hosting Syrian refugees and committed to further cooperation in supporting voluntary returns.

UNHCR has scaled up support to those choosing to return, including by providing money and transportation, to ensure the process is dignified and sustainable.

According to official estimates, more than 1.7 million internally displaced people (IDPs), including just over 880,000 individuals who have departed from Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) sites in the north have returned.

--IANS

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