With everything that is going on in the world today, there are precious few good news stories. With America’s help, Syria has the potential to become one.
At the Lebanon-Syria Joussieh border crossing recently, I stood alongside families taking their first steps back into Syria in years. Their trucks were stacked with mattresses, cooking pots, tools – the basics needed to start over. Parents looked anxious, and their children were restless, but their determination was clear: they were going home.
That’s a tough decision to make after more than a decade of war and displacement. One mother told me about her son’s diabetes. In Lebanon, insulin was costly but available; in Syria, she was unsure. Still, acting in hope and faith that support would be there when needed -- from neighbors, authorities, or aid groups -- the family returned.
Since the fall of the Assad regime in December, more than 2.8 million Syrians have returned — both those coming from other countries and families displaced inside Syria.
Throughout my recent visit, I saw fragile but powerful beginnings emerge. In rural Damascus, I met parents proudly reopening small shops, others repaired damaged buildings, making them into homes once more. In Homs, a blacksmith had a workshop full of orders from returnees eager to rebuild. In Idleb, I stood alongside local officials as UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, inaugurated a civil registry office: a small beacon amid the rubble. For returnees, it carries enormous meaning: documents are the first step to reclaiming a life, enabling property transactions, enrolling children in school, and accessing healthcare. Without them, renewal is impossible.
Voluntary return must remain a choice. People should go home only when it is safe and dignified to do so — never under pressure or coercion.
Return is not just crossing a border. It requires rehabilitating schools and hospitals, securing electricity and clean water, and creating jobs so families can stand on their own feet in safety. Without this, returns will fail.
This is why Syria’s renewal matters to America. Humanitarian aid is not just about compassion – it’s a strategy. Syria was once the world’s largest displacement crisis. Now, a more stable Syria undercuts extremists and the chaos they thrive on. It reinforces allies like Jordan and Lebanon, who have hosted millions of refugees for 14 long years. And it strengthens a region where instability has a direct consequence for American security.
Syria is part of a larger picture. Globally, more than 120 million people are displaced -- the highest number since records began. When displacement spreads, it weakens fragile states, fuels extremism, and creates openings for others to extend their influence. Left unchecked, these crises spill across borders, drive migration and disrupt trade and investment opportunities.
Humanitarian aid is a cost-effective way to counter these threats, and U.S. support of UNHCR makes a measurable difference, enabling us to deliver frontline, life-saving support and solutions where few others can. This work stabilizes fragile communities and host countries whose resilience is critical to regional security. And we do it efficiently: reforms of our logistics processes and energy use have already saved hundreds of millions of dollars, stretching American taxpayer dollars further.
Syrians want nothing more than to return home. I saw it firsthand in Damascus, Homs and Idleb: families readying for their new chapters. These small signs of renewal show that with the right support, return and stability are possible. And with sustained international support and American engagement at its core, that hope can grow into lasting recovery, in this region and globally.
Backing this effort is not just goodwill or charity; it is smart foreign policy that strengthens Syria and the Middle East, where stability and security directly serve American interests. For Syrians, it means a chance to rebuild their lives. For America, supporting Syrians is not just the right thing to do – it is wise. By addressing these needs now, the U.S. can help transform fragile hope into lasting stability.
Kelly T. Clements is the Deputy High Commissioner of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
