Syria’s Leader Pledges to Close 1M Displaced Camps by 2027

(MENAFN) Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa announced Monday a national commitment to shut down all displacement camps on Syrian soil by 2027, delivering the pledge via video conference to the world's foremost health policy forum, a state news agency reported.

Speaking to the 79th session of the World Health Assembly — the governing body of the World Health Organization — al-Sharaa framed the commitment within a broader vision of national recovery, environmental sustainability, and global health cooperation.

"I address you today from Damascus at a moment when the world faces challenges that require a shared international will that places human health at the forefront of priorities and lays the foundation for a safer and more just future," al-Sharaa said.

"Our participation in the 79th session confirms that Syria, as it moves confidently along the path of recovery, is playing a central and effective role in shaping sustainable regional and global health security," he added.

Climate, Health, and Reconstruction Linked
Al-Sharaa drew a direct line between Syria's rebuilding process and the assembly's core focus on the intersection of climate change and public health.

"As your assembly places the close link between climate change and health at the top of its priorities, Syria's reconstruction process is laying the groundwork for a sustainable environmental and health reality that protects the security of our future generations," he said.

The camp closure pledge, he stressed, flows directly from that logic.

"Because human stability is at the heart of sustainability, we have made a national commitment to close the chapter of the camps by 2027," al-Sharaa said, describing the goal as "a practical embodiment of the global action plan on climate and health."

"The main path to protecting people from climate-related repercussions lies in ensuring their return from fragile environments to stability, safe life and human dignity," he added.

Scale of the Crisis
The scale of the challenge is significant. Approximately one million displaced Syrians currently live in tents across northern Syria, scattered across 1,150 camps — 801 of them concentrated in the northwestern city of Idlib and a further 349 in Aleppo, according to field data.

The displacement crisis is a direct legacy of Syria's civil war, which erupted in 2011 and lasted until 2024. During that period, the ousted regime of Bashar Assad drove millions of civilians from their homes, with many ending up in the northern camps under severe conditions.

Syria Extends Hand for Global Partnership
Al-Sharaa used the address to position post-war Syria as a willing and capable partner in international health efforts.

"Syria is here today to strengthen constructive partnerships based on the exchange of expertise and resources to serve human health, and we extend our hands to make our experience an added value in this shared humanitarian effort," he said.

"The major challenges we faced, and which we are now steadily overcoming, have given our country resilience that makes it a key pillar in protecting global health security," al-Sharaa added.

From Civil War to Transitional Governance
The remarks mark a significant symbolic moment for a country still navigating its post-conflict transition. In December 2024, Assad — who had governed Syria for nearly 25 years — fled to Russia as his regime collapsed, ending more than six decades of Baath Party rule dating back to 1963. A transitional administration under al-Sharaa's leadership was subsequently established in January 2025.

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