The Syrian Future Movement follows with deep concern the warnings issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday, October 30, 2026. The UNHCR stated that at least 9 million people across Syria, Lebanon, Ukraine, and Afghanistan require additional assistance to cope with the approaching winter, amid declining funding and rising costs of living and energy.
The Syrian Future Movement asserts that this UN warning, while significant, should not be viewed in isolation. Rather, it is the logical consequence of shrinking funding, the absence of a national winter-preparedness strategy, and the failure to translate the concept of a “dignified return” into actual living conditions worthy of those returning home.
The Syrian Future Movement notes the specific figures revealed by the UNHCR and other UN agencies, which paint a troubling picture of the situation facing returnees as winter approaches:
In Syria alone, 2.4 million people are expected to require winter assistance in priority areas; however, the UNHCR hopes to reach only 230,000—less than half the number it was able to assist last winter.
The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes that this gap is not merely a statistical figure; it represents millions of human beings who will be forced to face bitter cold without adequate shelter, protective clothing, or heating fuel—at a time when UN estimates indicate that 15.6 million people in Syria—nearly two-thirds of the population—remain in need of humanitarian aid. The Syrian Future Movement points out that this crisis unfolds against the backdrop of a chronic funding shortfall in the humanitarian response plan for Syria. The humanitarian appeal has received only $815 million out of the $2.11 billion required by July 2026—less than one-third of the target amount.
This deficit has forced the World Food Programme to halve its emergency assistance, reaching 650,000 people instead of 1.3 million. Furthermore, at least 20 humanitarian partners have been compelled to suspend some of their emergency health activities, either entirely or in part.
The Syrian Future Movement recalls that, in a statement published on its official website on October 17, 2026—titled “A Vision for a Syria Without Camps: A Warning Against the Return of Displaced Persons Before Preparing Their Home Areas”—it cautioned that “the success of a vision for a Syria without camps depends on the proper sequencing of priorities: creating the conditions for return must be a prerequisite for closing the camps, not a subsequent outcome.” It further warned that “inadequate infrastructure and basic services, combined with limited employment opportunities, could turn a ‘return’ into nothing more than a temporary relocation.” The Syrian Future Movement also recalls its statement titled “Strengthening Support for Syrian Refugees and Creating Conditions for Safe, Dignified, and Voluntary Return,” issued on January 17, 2026. In that statement, it emphasized that “voluntary return is the only sustainable solution to the issue of displacement,” and that “establishing appropriate conditions in areas of return—including security, services, and employment opportunities—is a fundamental prerequisite for the success of any such efforts.”
The Syrian Future Movement views the recent UN warning—that “a lack of funding for shelter, clothing, and heating fuel could exacerbate the humanitarian situation for returnees as winter approaches”—as a clear validation of the concerns the Movement raised two weeks ago. It serves as evidence that the call to prepare for winter was both a humanitarian and a national necessity.
The Syrian Future Movement notes that the crisis is not limited to a lack of funding; rather, it is intertwined with the legacy of war and destruction, the slow pace of reconstruction, and the inadequacy of basic services in areas of return.
According to a briefing by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to the UN Security Council in July 2026, approximately 1.7 million refugees and 1.9 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned to their communities since December 2024. However, 5.5 million people remain internally displaced, and 6 million remain as refugees abroad. Key obstacles to return persist, including issues related to housing, land, and property rights; civil documentation; debris removal; employment; and access to basic services. The Syrian Future Movement asserts that these circumstances reveal that the return of displaced persons does not mark the end of the crisis, but rather its beginning. Millions of returnees find themselves in areas that lack the most basic requirements for a dignified life—at a time when aid is being curtailed, funding channels are closing, and people are left to face the winter entirely on their own.
The Syrian Future Movement asks: How can there be talk of a “Syria without camps” when returnees are deprived of shelter to protect them from the cold, and fuel to keep their children warm?
Acting upon its national responsibility, the Syrian Future Movement makes the following recommendations:
First: Mobilize urgent, dedicated international funding for the winter response. This includes calling on the transitional government and the international community to meet the requirements outlined by the UNHCR ($50 million for the winter campaign) and to address the funding gap in the humanitarian appeal for Syria ($2.11 billion). Furthermore, any additional funding should be tied to clear performance indicators to ensure that aid reaches those who need it in a timely manner—before, not after, the winter season has passed.
Second: Link winter aid to the “Syria without camps” initiative. No tent should be dismantled or closed until it is verified that the family has access to warm, safe shelter, as well as heating fuel, clothing, and blankets. This aligns with the position stated by the Movement in its document, “A Vision for a Syria Without Camps” (October 17, 2026), which emphasizes that “a safe housing alternative must be ready before any closure takes place, not after.” Third: Launch an urgent national winter preparedness program, which includes rehabilitating damaged homes for returnees, distributing blankets and winter clothing, providing heating fuel at subsidized prices, and restoring electricity and water networks in areas of return—all in cooperation with UN agencies and the private sector.
Fourth: Enhance transparency in the distribution of aid by publishing periodic data on the number of beneficiaries, the areas targeted, and the extent of coverage. This information should be made accessible to the general public and human rights organizations to ensure that aid is not wasted and that no party is favored over another.
Fifth: Involve returnees and local communities in planning the winter response through local committees tasked with identifying specific needs. …the most pressing needs, participating in the distribution of aid, and monitoring the implementation of programs—for those living in a tent know best what they need to survive the winter, far better than an official planning from an office.
The Syrian Future Movement reaffirms its full solidarity with the millions of returnees and displaced persons facing a harsh winter with meager resources. It reminds the international community that winter does not wait; every day of delay in funding means children spending the night in bitter cold, families forced to choose between food and heating, and the elderly enduring burdens beyond their strength.
The Syrian Future Movement asserts that building a new Syria is not achieved merely by people returning to their homes, but by ensuring those homes are warm, safe, and dignified. A true return is one where a returnee finds a roof overhead, a heater for warmth, and a future they can look toward with confidence.
For its part, the Syrian Future Movement will continue to support all efforts that promote a safe and sustainable return. It will remain a critic of any shortcomings and a monitor of progress on the ground, striving toward a new Syria where no returnee is left without shelter, and no child is left without warmth.
