Joyce Musuea says Syria’s recovery hinges on diplomacy and funding as returnees climb

Joyce Musuea urged renewed diplomatic effort and a step‑up in financing for Syria’s recovery, saying recent returns offer a window to reduce humanitarian needs but that the country still faces "immense opportunities and complex challenges." Musuea said more than 1.3 million people have returned from neighboring countries but many are coming back to damaged or destroyed homes with limited services and jobs and will continue to rely on aid in the near term.

Musuea framed two central objectives: reducing the level of humanitarian need and shrinking the scale of the humanitarian operation. She called for "attentive diplomacy to deescalate and resolve ongoing flashpoints and to prevent new fighting," noting that while "levels of violence have reduced dramatically," sporadic hostilities and recent incidents continue to strain stability.

She cited specific recent incidents to illustrate fragility, saying more than 155,000 people remain displaced after fighting in Asueda in July and that in November "13 people were killed and 2,000 were impacted due to clashes and air strikes during an Israeli military operation in Bayat Jin in rural Damascus." Musuea also referenced last week’s attack in Panriya and "other suspected ISIL attacks" in recent months.

On financing and operations, Musuea said Syria has seen "the easing of unilateral sanctions by a range of countries," and noted that humanitarian work has continued under "resolution 2,664 exemptions under most unilateral sanctions regimes." She described an operational shift: subnational hubs now report to Damascus, a new humanitarian coordinator has arrived, and this month the operation will complete a move from the previous cross‑border model to greater use of commercial procurement and supply channels.

Musuea thanked Turkiye for facilitation of cross‑border operations, saying the mechanism had enabled more than 65,000 UN truck movements since 2014 that were "a lifeline to millions of people in need." She said those operational improvements have allowed aid teams to "reach 3,400,000 people per month, 25% more than last year," even as overall funding declined.

But Musuea warned of a funding gap: "with our humanitarian appeal for 2025, only 30% funded," she said, adding that the shortfall has caused "reductions or disruptions in critical assistance and difficult prioritization decisions." She acknowledged donor support and said "the EU, the UK, and the US" are the largest contributors this year; she also said the emergency relief coordinator allocated "18,000,000 US dollars for Syria through the Central Emergency Response Fund" last week.

Musuea said UN teams are completing a countrywide multi‑sector needs assessment and updated food security and nutrition analyses that will underpin a targeted response plan for 2026 to be issued in the first quarter of the year. She closed with a human example: a returned single mother, Rawa, who hopes to start a small business to support her children, which Musuea used to emphasize the stakes for recovery.

Musuea called on the international community to "seize the moment" and sustain the political will and finance required to transition from emergency aid to longer‑term recovery. The statement included no formal motions or votes.