Damascus, SANA- Chairman of the Higher Relief Committee, Minister of Local Administration and Environment, Eng. Hussein Makhlouf, discussed with United Nations’ High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative in Syria Sivanka Dhanapala projects of the standing cooperation between the Ministry, the Commission and the United Nations Development Program.
Makhlouf said that the amnesty decrees, the latest of which was Decree No. 7 of 2022, helped in the return of the displaced to their homeland, asserting that work is underway to secure services such as infrastructure, schools and hospitals.
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, pointing out that the unilateral coercive measures, sanctions and blockade laws imposed on Syria are considered as one of the worst obstacles that prevent the return of the displaced.
In turn, Dhanapala referred to the need to follow up coordination and cooperation with the Syrian government to ensure the desired outcomes resulted from the UNHCR’s work and work to create adequate circumstances for the return of the displaced.
Bushra Dabin/ Hala Zain