ILO widens its decent work support for returnees in Syria under the PROSPECTS partnership

2 November 2026

The International Labour Organization has set out how it is widening work on jobs and skills for people returning to Syria. Around four million people have returned to their communities there, roughly half from neighbouring countries and half from displacement inside Syria. The ILO works through the Partnership for improving prospects for forcibly displaced persons and host communities, known as PROSPECTS, which is funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and through the DAR programme supported by the European Union. Its Start and Improve Your Business programme aims to reach 3,000 entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners across the country. In Harran al-Awamid, home to an estimated 23,000 returnees, the ILO is working with the municipality and a local firm on a solar energy training centre. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour is the national partner. Maha Kattaa, ILO Regional Chief Technical Advisor, said large numbers of returnees need job opportunities in Syria.