Government of Japan Announces Partnership Grant Aid to UNHCR for Humanitarian Protection and Sustainable Reintegration in Syria

Damascus, 10 December 2025

The Government of Japan has committed JPY 792 million (USD 5.37 million) in Partnership Grant Aid to support the activities of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in Syria. This funding will strengthen efforts to enable the sustainable return and reintegration of displaced populations.

As of to date, more than 1.2 million Syrians have voluntarily returned from neighboring countries since December 2024, alongside 1.9 million IDPs who have gone back to their areas of origin. Many more have expressed their intention to return.

Syria has entered an historic moment but after 14 years of war, Syrian people also face enormous challenges. 90% of people inside Syria still require humanitarian assistance.

One critical challenge is civil documentation—including identity documents, family booklets, birth and marriage certificates, and property deeds—which is essential for legal identity and normal life. Approximately one quarter of refugee and IDP returnee respondents in UNHCR’s protection monitoring reported that they or a family member lack some form of documentation.

With the support from the Government of Japan, UNHCR will rehabilitate key civil documentation facilities to enable access to legal identity and basic rights for returnees, IDPs, and host communities. These interventions will reinforce conditions for safe, dignified, and sustainable return, supporting Syria’s stabilization and social cohesion.

The project is expected to directly benefit approximately 1,642,500 people, including returnees, internally displaced persons, and host communities, through:

• Rehabilitation of the Immigration Department in Damascus Governorate, benefiting an estimated 200,000 people
• Rehabilitation of 16 civil registries and cadastral offices in Dar’a, As-Sweida, Rural Damascus, and Deir-ez-Zor Governorates, benefiting an estimated 1,442,500 people

The implementation period is scheduled from January 2026 to December 2026.

This initiative represents a significant step toward improving the protection environment and enabling sustainable reintegration for millions of Syrians.

UNHCR will continue to work closely with the Government of Japan and the international community to strengthen humanitarian early recovery and resilience in Syria.

For more information, please contact:

• In Damascus: Celine Schmitt, [email protected], +963 (0) 989 050 400
• In Damascus: Vivian Toumeh, [email protected], +963 (0) 988 098 860