Bulletin No. 1 – Developments Impacting Syrian Refugees and IDPs

Overview

This bulletin provides an overview of developments that directly and indirectly impact Syrian refugees and IDPs across Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. It examines recent developments and conditions in both areas of return and host communities, factors that affect households and communities’ decision-making about whether to return to their home countries or remain in host communities. It is our hope that this can support evidence-based planning and coordination among actors working on return-related issues, including regional response stakeholders, state actors, INGOs, and the private sector.

Funded by the joint initiative Regional Development and Protection Program (RDPP), this periodical is a product of the ‘Strengthening Regional Policy Dialogue and Partnerships on Solutions’ project, which seeks to promote adaptive solutions for Syrian refugees through evidence-based policy dialogue, advocacy, and strategic alliance-building. Implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Mercy Corps, the project leverages Mercy Corps’ Crisis Analysis to support ongoing and emerging policy and advocacy efforts underpinned by a bespoke body of evidence and grounded in contextual realities. As a multi-donor platform managed by the Kingdom of Denmark, RDPP was first initiated in 2014 as a multi-donor response to address the humanitarian and development needs of refugees and displacement-affected communities in the countries neighboring Syria.

The bulletin is structured thematically to focus on socioeconomic conditions in areas of displacement and return, official policy and administrative procedures applying to displaced Syrians, response strategies and resources to facilitate them, reintegration and social protection, and IDP movement trends.

Key Takeaways

• Syrians face a range of socioeconomic considerations when weighing returns. For example, in Lebanon, displaced Syrian nationals are contending with reduced access to healthcare and education due to limited donor funding. Separately, conditions in Syria, including access to housing, can present a major barrier to return. While the Syrian Central Bank recently proposed a new housing loan initiative, the timeline for implementation remains unclear. Syria’s reintegration into global finance also could act as a pull factor, though the extent of this influence remains uncertain.

• Lebanon and Jordan are working on several initiatives to facilitate refugee returns. Jordan eased re-entry restrictions for Syrian nationals with economic, educational, or property ties. Meanwhile, Lebanon waived exit fees, fines, and entry bans for displaced Syrians exiting the country between July 1 and September 30, while the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) stepped up enforcement of residency and identification requirements.

• Syrian refugees continue to grapple with insecurity as they weigh their return options. Inter-communal tensions in Syria have escalated, namely along the northwest coastal areas and in the south and northeast. In As-Sweida, clashes between Druze and Bedouin tribes resulted in hundreds of deaths, as well as displacement and destruction. In the northeast, clashes have broken out between the SDF and pro-government forces amid stalled negotiations over SDF integration into the national army and autonomy for Kurdish areas of the country.

• Events in Syria are driving several modes of refugee and IDP movements. In Lebanon, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recorded 103,455 new Syrian arrivals from December 8, 2024 to July 31, 2025 – many from minority communities with no support networks.In Jordan, the Emirati Camp closed on July 1 after operating for 12 years, with 4,932 of its residents returning to Syria, 2,331 leaving independently, and 1,147 relocating to Azraq camp, a non-UN administered camp.