On September 30, 2026, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell called from Damascus for “placing children at the heart of recovery efforts in Syria.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This call was made during a field visit in which she emphasized that 6.9 million Syrian children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, noting that the organization is “working with the government and other partners in Syria to support children and help build systems that sustain them.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, this recurring international appeal raises a fundamental question:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Does it truly reflect a genuine priority within the transitional government’s policies, or does it express international concern regarding a widening gap between rhetoric and reality?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The gap between stated commitments and the reality on the ground forms the core of this research paper. It attempts to provide an objective, critical analysis of the Syrian transitional government’s efforts regarding child-related issues\u2014spanning the period from the liberation on December 8, 2024, to the present\u2014while acknowledging the objective constraints the government faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before evaluating government efforts, it is essential to establish a theoretical foundation explaining why investing in children is a prerequisite for sustainable recovery. In a post-conflict context, psychologist Emmy Werner introduces the concept of “psychological resilience,” referring to an individual’s ability to recover from trauma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Literature confirms that resilience is not an innate trait but is built through early interventions in education, mental health, and social protection. If this infrastructure fails, economic recovery will be fragile, and social stability will be at risk of collapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recent data reveals the immense scale of needs facing Syrian children\u2014figures that far exceed what a transitional government could address alone:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite these efforts, a critical analysis reveals three fundamental gaps:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Scenario One: Gradual Recovery (Most Likely): Scenario Three: Accelerated Recovery (The Optimistic Scenario): Based on the preceding analysis, the Syrian Future Movement makes the following recommendations:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n First: Prioritizing child welfare within the national budget. The “Children First” rhetoric must be translated into a tangible financial commitment by allocating a fixed share\u2014no less than 10%\u2014of the general budget to child-focused programs (education, health, and protection), even if this requires reordering other priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second: Diversifying funding sources. Third: Addressing geographical disparities. …based on “actual need,” with measurable indicators for each governorate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fourth: Strengthening social protection. Fifth: Partnering with civil society by involving Syrian civil society organizations in the design, implementation, and monitoring of child-focused programs to ensure transparency and accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sixth: Strengthening monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and establishing a national system to monitor the situation of children. This system should rely on measurable indicators and produce periodic reports for public release to ensure accountability and follow-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seventh: Investing in prevention by shifting from emergency response to sustainable prevention\u2014specifically through investments in early education, primary healthcare, and social protection\u2014because every dollar invested in prevention saves multiples of that amount in subsequent remedial costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The efforts of the Syrian transitional government regarding child welfare represent a relative achievement worthy of recognition\u2014such as the national education campaign, the early development strategy, the legal framework prohibiting child recruitment, and the resumption of epidemiological reporting. The gap between the rhetoric of prioritization and the reality of marginalization facing Syrian children amidst current circumstances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":67623,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4685,4853],"tags":[4716],"class_list":["post-67625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family-office-en","category-research-and-studies-department-en","tag-studies"],"yoast_head":"\nI. Theoretical Framework:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner introduced the “ecological systems” theory, which interprets human development as the result of an individual’s interaction with their multi-level environment: family, school, community, and national policies. According to this theory, any disruption at one of these levels\u2014whether the destruction of a school or food insecurity\u2014directly impacts a child’s growth and development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Within this framework, children are not merely a “target group” for recovery efforts; they constitute the human infrastructure for any sustainable recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSecondly, the scale of needs:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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According to UNICEF data, 5.7 million people\u2014including 3.7 million children\u2014require nutritional support.
Stunting affects 17.2% of children under the age of five, while the rate of wasting has tripled since 2023, reaching 7.6%.
Most alarmingly, 14.6 million people suffer from food insecurity, including 600,000 children under five suffering from severe malnutrition. In Al-Hasakah governorate alone, approximately 60,000 children suffer from acute malnutrition or stunting, while 32,992 children in Latakia suffer from some form of malnutrition.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Education represents one of the most profound crises facing children in Syria; data indicates that 2.45 million children are out of school, with an additional one million at risk of dropping out.
Reports suggest the number of school dropouts could reach as high as 1.6 million. UN estimates indicate that 2.75 million children (37% of school-age children) are out of school.
UNICEF data shows that one-third of schools in Syria are out of service, with approximately 8,000 schools non-operational.
Additionally, 40% of hospitals and health facilities are either partially functioning or completely out of service.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Five million children continue to live in areas contaminated by landmines and explosive remnants of war, with 324,000 unexploded devices scattered across the country.
Children accounted for 30% of fatalities and 40% of injuries caused by explosive remnants of war between December 2024 and February 2026.
According to data from June 2026, 6.5 million children require protection services, with 91% of locations experiencing “severe, extreme, or catastrophic” levels of need.
Reports also indicate that child labor and child marriage are among the primary protection concerns. Funding:
Faced with these immense needs, response efforts are suffering from a severe funding shortfall.
UN reports indicate that the 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan is only 16% funded, with just $480 million secured out of the required $2.9 billion.
This shortfall has led to the closure of over 400 health facilities, affecting more than 7 million people.
Furthermore, 90% of the funding comes solely from the United States and the European Union, leaving the humanitarian response vulnerable to political fluctuations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nThird: Transitional Government Efforts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The transitional government has taken significant steps regarding the legal and institutional framework.
It announced its commitment to defining a child as “anyone under the age of 18,” in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
It also affirmed that “service in the army and internal security forces is now entirely voluntary, with reaching the age of 18 being the sole mandatory requirement.”
A national committee was established to investigate crimes committed against children during the era of the previous regime.
In August 2026, Syrian Minister of Justice Mazhar al-Alwis unveiled a comprehensive draft law addressing domestic violence and child protection, pending its submission to the People’s Assembly for approval.
The draft law includes the establishment of specialized police and judicial mechanisms to handle domestic violence cases, the strengthening of victim protection measures, and the imposition of harsher penalties on perpetrators of such crimes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
In 2025, the government launched an emergency national campaign titled “All for Education,” aiming to bring all out-of-school children back to the classroom.
The campaign achieved tangible results by September 2026; the number of students rose from 4.1 million in 2025 to 5.3 million in 2026\u2014an increase of approximately 28%\u2014with projections indicating the figure would reach 6 million in 2027.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
In May 2026, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, in cooperation with… UNICEF: National Early Childhood Development Strategy (2026\u20132030).
The strategy targets children up to the age of eight and is grounded in the principles of “access, equity, and inclusion.” It focuses on children with disabilities while prioritizing “evidence-based decision-making” and “family empowerment.”<\/li>\n\n\n\n
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor launched its strategic plan for 2026\u20132028, which includes a “Child Protection Program” designed to address the issue of child begging.
A national case management system has also been activated, establishing “child labor cases” as a primary trigger for intervention.
As part of efforts to combat child labor, the Ministry of Social Affairs issued 22 fines against employers who engaged 27 children during the first quarter of 2026\u2014a shift from 2025, when measures were limited to awareness-raising activities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
In a significant move to strengthen health surveillance, the Ministry of Health resumed publication of the National Epidemiological Bulletin\u2014covering all governorates\u2014after a 15-year hiatus.
The bulletin reported 1,875 suspected measles cases since the beginning of 2026, including 765 laboratory-confirmed cases, while noting that Syria remains free of polio and cholera.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\nFourth, Gaps Between Rhetoric and Achievement:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The most prominent issue in the government’s efforts is the gap between announced commitments and available resources; while UNICEF calls for “flexible, multi-year funding,” the government relies almost entirely on foreign aid to fund child-focused programs.
A United Nations report indicates that the humanitarian plan is only 16% funded, with limited contributions from the United States and the European Union.
This implies that any disruption in international funding\u2014whether for political or economic reasons\u2014would lead to the suspension of essential services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Despite the achievements announced under the “All for Education” campaign, data indicates that the reopening of 2,236 schools represents only a fraction of the actual need.
According to UN estimates, there are 8,000 non-operational schools in Syria.
Furthermore, the campaign\u2019s focus appears geographically unbalanced; efforts are concentrated in specific areas, while other regions\u2014particularly the northeast and conflict-affected zones\u2014suffer from relative neglect.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Despite the establishment of the National Investigation Committee and the activation of a case management system, protection risks persist; the number of child casualties caused by remnants of war indicates that awareness-raising and mine-clearance efforts have failed to keep pace with the scale of the threat. Furthermore, the persistence of child labor and child marriage\u2014particularly amidst difficult economic conditions (with two out of three Syrians living below the poverty line)\u2014indicates that legal protections alone are insufficient without addressing the root causes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
It is fair to note that the transitional government faces objective constraints that cannot be overlooked. These include the ongoing impact of economic sanctions limiting the state’s capacity for self-financing; weak institutional capabilities resulting from decades of corruption and collapse; security challenges that drain resources; and a near-total reliance on external funding.
While these constraints do not absolve the government of its responsibilities, they do explain\u2014in part\u2014the slow pace of implementation. They necessitate more flexible and sustainable support from the international community, as well as a search for emergency solutions by the transitional government.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\nFifth: Future Scenarios<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In this scenario, international aid continues at current levels, and the government proceeds with its programs, albeit at a pace that lags behind actual needs.
Some 6.9 million children remain in need of humanitarian assistance; while education and health sectors see gradual improvement, no fundamental solutions to the funding crisis are found.
This scenario hinges on the maintenance of relative security stability, continued international support, and a steadfast political will for reform. Scenario Two: Collapse Due to Funding Shortages (The Pessimistic Scenario):
If funding shortages persist, or if international aid declines for political reasons, the child welfare sector could face a sharp deterioration. A United Nations report indicates that funding gaps have already led to the closure of over 400 health facilities, and that continued shortfalls could “reverse gains already achieved.”
Under this scenario, rates of malnutrition and school dropouts could rise, while the risks of child labor and child marriage would increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the government succeeds in attracting substantial international investment and funding rises to the required levels ($2.9 billion), the child welfare sector could see tangible improvement. This would entail the comprehensive rehabilitation of schools and health facilities, as well as the expansion of social protection programs.
This scenario requires a radical shift in international funding policies, investment in national institutional capacities, the linking of support to measurable benchmarks, and genuine, successful action by the transitional government to combat corruption and prioritize competence over political loyalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSixth: Recommendations:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Reliance on international aid alone is insufficient; instead, efforts must be made to:
Attract private sector investment in education and health.
Activate community development funds in collaboration with international organizations.
Link international support to measurable benchmarks regarding child welfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Programs must target the most deprived areas (such as the northeast and conflict-affected regions) and move beyond a centralized approach toward an approach…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We believe the social protection system must be expanded to include:
Cash transfer programs for the poorest families.
School feeding programs.
Psychosocial support programs for affected children.<\/p>\n\n\n\nConclusion:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
However, these achievements remain limited given the scale of the need: 6.9 million children in need of assistance, 2.45 million out of school, and 5 million living under the threat of landmines, all while funding covers no more than 16% of actual requirements. UNICEF\u2019s call to “place children at the heart of recovery” is an objective prerequisite for the success of any recovery process.
Children deprived of education, healthcare, and protection today will become a burden on the state tomorrow\u2014a generation lacking skills, a society lacking cohesion, and an economy lacking competitiveness.
The Syrian government must recognize that true recovery is measured by the number of children who can attend school safely, learn with dignity, and graduate with a future.
This requires political will, adequate resources, community partnership, and an unwavering commitment to prioritizing childhood in the new Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\nReferences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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