As Syria enters a new year, the country continues to navigate complex and evolving mobility dynamics. Over the past year, Syria’s humanitarian, political, demographic, and recovery landscape has undergone significant transformation as a result of the power shift in Damascus on 8 December 2024.
Lebanon faces deep socioeconomic, political, and security crises, affecting nearly half the population. The escalation of armed conflict in late 2023 and 2024 worsened conditions, particularly for the most marginalized children and families.
Following the opening of new prospects for voluntary returns to Syria at the end of 2024, the General Security Office (GSO) waived administrative fines and the re-entry ban for refugees returning to Syria as of 1 July 2025, and UNHCR launched its facilitated Voluntary Return (VolRep) programme.
Market monitoring indicates food prices are lower than before the ceasefire (early October 2025), but still higher than pre-crisis levels (September 2023).
As of 5 February, UNHCR estimates that 1,413,967 individuals have returned to Syria since 8 December 2024 while 1,712,744 internally displaced persons have returned home.
The situation in Aleppo, Al-Hasakeh and Ar-Raqqa governorates has largely stabilized in recent days, following the agreement announced on 30 January 2026. Active hostilities have subsided, bringing a greater sense of calm, even as localized incidents, precautionary security measures, and community concerns persist in many areas.
Lebanon continues to grapple with overlapping crises that have severely constrained recovery and heightened vulnerability. Since 2019, the country has faced a sovereign default, financial sector collapse, and triple-digit inflation, resulting in a cumulative Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contraction of 40 per cent.
This report documents the proceedings and key outcomes of the fourth roundtable discussion organized by the WE’AM Project, held on December 4, 2025, in Chtoura, Bekaa region, Lebanon.
Lebanon has a Mediterranean climate, characterized by long, hot summers and mild, wet winters. On average, around 70 percent of the annual rainfall occur between November and March, typically through short, intense storms (MoE/UNDP/GEF, 2016).
As of 01 February, an extended ceasefire and integration agreement between the Government of Syria and the Syrian Democratic Forces is holding (announced 30 January). The agreement aims to further stabilise conflict-affected areas across North East Syria (NES).
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in coordination with local authorities and partners, is scaling up food assistance for families displaced by the sudden escalation of events in northern Syria. Renewed insecurity across Al Hasakeh, Ain al Arab (Kobani) and surrounding areas has triggered widespread displacement, with more than 165,000 people fleeing their homes in recent days.
Between January and November 2025, 12,684 migrants and refugees from Sudan arrived in Europe by sea and by land, a 3.3-fold increase compared to the number registered in the same period of 2024.
According to the 2025 Syria Food Security Assessment, 18 percent of households are food secure, up from 11 percent in 2024. This gain of more than seven percentage points in a single year is notable but fragile, with further progress hinging on political stability, sustained investment in recovery and resilience, and stronger national institutions.
In 2026, WFP will continue to scale up market-based solutions in Gaza. In-kind food assistance will be adjusted in line with the expansion of cash-based assistance, market capacity, and the availability of stocks.
Al Fasher remains under near‑siege, with severe protection risks as well as shortages of food, water, health care, and essential supplies, while insecurity and blocked routes continue to restrict humanitarian access and overstretch services for displaced families.
The security situation in Aleppo, Al-Hassakeh, Ar-Raqqa, and Deir-ez-Zor Governorates has sharply deteriorated over the past week due to rapid territorial shifts and escalation of violence in some regions resulting in increased displacement and humanitarian needs.
Lebanon’s Fourth Universal Periodic Review: Strong International Support for NHRC-CPT Recommendations on Independence, Resources, and Access to Places of Detention
A critical escalation in military clashes between Syrian government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) erupted on January 6, 2026, marking the most intense conflict in Aleppo since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.
