DAMASCUS, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Catherine Russell called for putting children at the center of Syria's recovery, according to a UNICEF statement on Thursday.
During a three-day visit to Syria, Russell said supporting children and families should be a key priority as large numbers of Syrians return from abroad and internal displacement.
She urged investment in health, education and water services to support returning children and families as they rebuild their lives.
Russell also held talks with Syrian officials and other partners on the needs of returning families, the restoration of essential services and increased investment in children and adolescents, while reaffirming UNICEF's commitment to supporting children and young people across the country.
According to UNICEF, an estimated 1.67 million Syrian refugees have returned from neighboring countries since December 2024, while another 1.9 million internally displaced Syrians have returned, mostly to their areas of origin. Millions of people, however, remain displaced.
UNICEF's 2025 annual report on Syria said 7.5 million children needed humanitarian assistance, while about 2.45 million children were out of school. Nearly 8,000 schools were non-functional, and around 500,000 children under the age of five were affected by life-threatening malnutrition.
Many returning families are going back to communities where years of conflict have severely damaged schools, health facilities, water networks and other basic infrastructure, putting additional pressure on already strained public services.
