Syria HLP Working Group sets 2026–2027 plan to secure property rights
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A coalition of humanitarian and UN agencies unveiled on Wednesday a new two-year strategy to tackle Syria’s deepening housing, land and property (HLP) crisis, warning that unresolved ownership disputes and tenure insecurity remain major barriers to safe return and recovery.
The framework, issued by the Norwegian Refugee Council, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UN-Habitat and partners under the Protection Sector, said more than 4.1 million Syrians require HLP support in 2026.
They added that many Syrians lack documentation to prove ownership after years of displacement, property destruction, and secondary occupation.
The Syria Housing, Land and Property Technical Working Group (HLP TWG), established in 2017, said that institutional collapse, fragmented governance, and weakened land registries and courts have made formal dispute resolution inaccessible in many areas.
As a result, families increasingly rely on informal mediation that offers limited legal protection. Returnees are particularly affected, with 71 percent living in damaged homes, heightening risks of eviction and renewed displacement. Women face compounded barriers due to social norms, weak inheritance enforcement, and lack of legal awareness.
The 2026–2027 strategy is built on five pillars including strengthening HLP due diligence and tenure verification across humanitarian work; supporting restitution and transitional justice efforts; monitoring violations to inform advocacy; resolving disputes linked to return and relocation; and reinforcing land administration and legal reform.
The group will also feed verified analysis into national bodies such as the National Commission for Transitional Justice and the National Commission for the Missing, while promoting data protection and “Do No Harm” standards.
Positioned at the intersection of emergency response and early recovery, the HLP TWG said safeguarding property rights is essential not only for humanitarian protection, but for social cohesion, reconciliation, and long-term peacebuilding in Syria.