Some Syrian refugees intend to go back home within the next year due to a lack of job opportunities and other reasons, including safety, the U.N.'s envoy to Syria said Tuesday.
"Most Syrian refugees still hope to return one day, and the sizable number hope to return within five years," Geir Pedersen said during a briefing to the UN Security Council. He cited a newly published annual survey with refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt by the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR. "Only a small fraction indicated their intention to return in the next 12 months."
Refugees also cited lack of livelihoods for not returning, and inadequate basic services, military service, border recruitment, fear of arrest, detention, harassment, and retaliation, he said.
"We continue to uphold and further the principle of safe, dignified and momentarily refugee returns," said Pedersen.
There are 1.9 million Syrian refugees in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon and Türkiye hosts 3.76 million Syrians, according to the UNHCR.
"It is vital that the recent diplomatic moves are met with real action," he said.
"While they have observed recent diplomatic developments, they have not yet seen any improvement in the reality of their lives, whether they live inside Syria or outside Syria," he added.
