The Syrian Future Movement welcomes Presidential Decree No. 59, issued on March 10, 2026, by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, which establishes a government committee, chaired by the Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management, and including the Ministers of Finance, Public Works and Housing, Social Affairs, and Local Administration, along with the governors of Aleppo, Hama, and Idlib, and the Director of the International Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The committee’s mandate is to rehabilitate infrastructure in affected areas and improve basic services in preparation for the safe, dignified, and voluntary return of displaced persons.
The Syrian Future Movement appreciates this practical, institutional step, which directly links rehabilitation with the return process. It considers this a logical extension of the early recovery efforts following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime on December 8, 2024, particularly in the governorates of Aleppo, Hama, and Idlib, which host the largest concentrations of internally displaced persons.
The Syrian Future Movement affirms that the success of this committee hinges on transparency and coordination with civil society and international organizations, based on World Bank estimates issued on October 21, 2025, which set the cost of reconstructing damaged physical assets in Syria at US$216 billion (a conservative estimate within the range of US$140-345 billion). Approximately one-third of the national capital was damaged, with the governorates of Aleppo, Rural Damascus, and Homs being the most affected.
The Syrian Future Movement notes that it previously issued an official statement, published on its official website and titled “UNHCR Regional Report 66 on the Situation in Syria,” dated March 2, 2026. In this statement, it welcomed the return of more than 1,470,000 Syrians since December 8, 2024, and called for the formation of joint local-international committees to monitor safe returns, expedite the issuance of civil documents within 90 days, and rehabilitate infrastructure (electricity, water, education, and health). This is entirely consistent with the content of the new presidential decree.
The Syrian Future Movement also refers to its previous position published on its official website, titled “Syrian Refugees and the Post-Liberation Question” (issued by the Scientific Office in May 2025), which identified five key challenges to the return of more than 1.5 million refugees and internally displaced persons in 2025. It called for a centralized registration program, housing projects, vocational training, and international cooperation, emphasizing that 16.5 million Syrians still require humanitarian assistance and protection, according to UNHCR reports.
The Syrian Future Movement urges the new government committee to include clear mechanisms to guarantee unconditional and voluntary return, allocate immediate resources for demining and home repairs, and involve returnees themselves in implementation committees. It also calls for linking these efforts to UNHCR projections of an additional one million Syrians returning in 2026, bringing the total number of returnees to more than four million within two years.
The Syrian Future Movement reiterates its full commitment to supporting any national effort aimed at building a unified, democratic, and civil Syria. It calls on the government and the international community to expedite the effective and transparent implementation of the decree so that it becomes a genuine gateway to stability and national reconciliation.
