Makhlouf discusses cooperation projects with UNDP and UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Chairman of the Higher Committee for Relief, Minister of Local Administration and Environment, Eng. Hussein Makhlouf, discussed with the Resident Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Sivanka Archa Danapala, existing cooperation projects between the Ministry, UNHCR and the United Nations Development Program.
Minister Makhlouf indicated that the amnesty decrees, the latest of which was Decree No. 7 of 2022, the ongoing work to secure services and the implementation of projects that contribute to strengthening local administration services and developing the councils’ capabilities in managing their resources helped the return of the displaced to their homeland. She referred to providing all returnees in the convoys that returned from Lebanon on the 26th of October and the 5th of November with vaccines and health services.
Makhlouf called on representatives of the program and the UNHCR to support the government’s efforts to encourage the safe and voluntary return of the displaced abroad, pointing out that the unilateral coercive measures, sanctions and blockade laws imposed on Syria are considered one of the most important obstacles that prevent the return of the displaced.
In turn, Danapala underlined the need to follow up on coordination and cooperation with the Syrian government to ensure the desired results from the UNHCR’s work. He also highlighted the work to create appropriate conditions for the return of the displaced to their homeland while providing integrated services that meet their needs.
Inas Abdulkareem