Syria's President tells the UN General Assembly that more than three and a half million have returned home

15 October 2026

President Ahmad Al-Sharaa of the Syrian Arab Republic addressed the General Debate of the UN General Assembly's 81st session on 23 September 2026.
It was his second address to the General Debate.
He said recovery had brought the voluntary and dignified return of more than three and a half million displaced people and refugees.
He said the Golan would remain Syrian land and cited Security Council resolution 497, adopted unanimously in 1981, which declared Israel's effective annexation of the Golan null and void.
He affirmed Syria's commitment to the 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria, which established the UN observer force UNDOF.