As outlined in the Syria Humanitarian Needs Overview 2018, the outlook in Syria remains challenging and the humanitarian crisis severe. Despite the emergence of areas of relative stability, reduced numbers of people in hard-to-reach and besieged areas, and de-escalation of violence and improved access in some locations, humanitarian needs are expected to continue on a massive scale. Violence and hostilities still affect a large portion of the civilian population, including in so-called de- escalation areas; humanitarian access remains constrained, including in areas where lines of control have changed; new displacements are likely to occur in some areas; in other areas, protracted displacement may continue to have a grave impact on the population, especially those with specific needs.
Finding durable solutions for 6.1 million Syrian IDPs requires a comprehensive approach through the broad engagement of multiple actors. Return and reintegration of IDPs, once conditions conducive to return are in place, must be considered in the context of the whole spectrum of durable solutions and IDPs’ right to freedom of movement. This includes the options of:
- return and reintegration; or in case IDPs are not able or willing to return,
- local settlement and integration in the current place of displacement, or
- settlement and integration elsewhere in the country.