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Syria

In the year 2025, the Syrian crisis continues to generate significant humanitarian needs within a context marked by instability and deteriorating socio-economic conditions.

Hostilities persist across various regions of the country, including the northern, southern, and coastal areas, resulting in new displacements, increased protection risks for civilians, and significant obstacles to humanitarian access. The diffuse presence of unexploded ordnance and remnants of war poses a daily threat, while the collapse of essential public services, aggravated by energy shortages, soaring inflation, and a lack of cash flow, restricts access to necessities and undermines the operational capacity of humanitarian actors.

This pressure is further intensified by a notable increase in return movements: between December 8, 2024, and October 2025, over one million refugees have returned to Syria from neighbouring countries, and more than one and a half million internally displaced persons have returned to their areas of origin. Nevertheless, the overall number of IDPs within the country remains high.

The Italian Cooperation adopts an integrated multisectoral approach, focusing both on humanitarian assistance and the strengthening of community resilience. This strategy aligns with the humanitarian priorities and the ongoing transition within the coordination system, which aims to implement a unified response planning framework starting in 2026.

Such an approach is particularly relevant in supporting vulnerable populations during a critical phase of political and operational transformation in Syria. It also contributes to reinforcing local response mechanisms and promoting a sustainable recovery perspective.

Between 2012 and 2025, the Italian Cooperation allocated over €225 million to projects in Syria, including €161 million for multilateral initiatives and €64 million for bilateral ones. This support is essential for humanitarian aid, community resilience, and the country’s recovery.

The initiatives focus on:

  • Protection (refugees, IDPs, children, gender-based violence, demining)
  • Economic recovery and infrastructure (early recovery and livelihoods)
  • Food security and agriculture
  • Health and education.
  • WASH SECTOR

The strategy aims to deliver humanitarian assistance and essential services to the most vulnerable populations, internally displaced persons, (women, children, and individuals with disabilities) by improving their living conditions and strengthening community resilience. The approach is based on the “triple nexus” of humanitarian aid, development, and peace, to maximize impact and address both immediate needs and the main causes of vulnerability.

In 2025, the AICS Office in Beirut is overseeing 26 initiatives in Syria, with a total value of €85.5 million. Of these, 19 are funded through the emergency channel (€64.5 million), and 7 fall under the resilience framework (€21 million). The initiatives are implemented by 20 international organizations (IOs) and 6 civil society organizations (CSOs).