UN, Lebanon Sign Cooperation Framework for Sustainable Development

Prime Minister Najib Mikati and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Najat Rochdi signed on Thursday the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2022-2025. (NNA)
Prime Minister Najib Mikati and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Najat Rochdi signed on Thursday the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2022-2025. (NNA)
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UN, Lebanon Sign Cooperation Framework for Sustainable Development

Prime Minister Najib Mikati and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Najat Rochdi signed on Thursday the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2022-2025. (NNA)
Prime Minister Najib Mikati and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Najat Rochdi signed on Thursday the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2022-2025. (NNA)

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has said that reforms were an urgent Lebanese demand, stressing that their implementation required full cooperation with parliament and government, official and private bodies.

Mikati and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Najat Rochdi signed on Thursday the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2022-2025.

The framework seeks to strengthen the existing and ongoing cooperation between both parties on promoting the principles of sustainable development, and build the foundations for a prosperous and inclusive Lebanese society, where no one is left behind, the UN said in statement.

“The new strategic framework that will extend over the next three years aims to strengthen governance while addressing multi-dimensional development issues,” the prime minister said, stressing that the UN emergency programs were important to address the primary challenges in Lebanon.

Rochdi conveyed her condolences for the victims of the migrant boat that capsized in northern Lebanon, praising the efforts of the Lebanese army.

She noted that Thursday’s meeting was aimed at putting “Lebanon back on the path of development.”

“However, we cannot continue to find short-term solutions to end humanitarian needs, but we need sustainable solutions that address the underlying causes behind the cumulative crises... This requires an exceptional developmental approach,” she added.

Rochdi emphasized the need for emergency actions as a transitional stage to achieve sustainable development, which would help put an end to humanitarian needs and constitute a possible catalyst for the country’s growth and prosperity.

She renewed the call for the necessity of adopting reforms as soon as possible to serve the people and accelerate the development process in Lebanon.



Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.