Challenges of Refugee and IDP Return in Housing, Land, and Property Rights in Syria

Challenges of Refugee and IDP Return in Housing, Land, and Property Rights in Syria

The Global Organisation for Civil Society Advancement (GLOCA) has released a thematic report addressing one of the most critical post-conflict challenges in Syria: “Challenges of Refugee and IDP Return in Relation to Housing, Land, and Property (HLP) Rights.” The report offers an in-depth legal and institutional analysis of the systematic violations that have affected millions of Syrians over the past decade.

 

🔹 About the Report

The report is based on a hybrid analytical framework combining international legal standards, Syrian legislative review, outcomes of a focused legal workshop held in Aleppo, and results from a community-based survey conducted with displaced individuals in northwest Syria.

🔹 Key Findings

  • Over 60% of respondents reported having no or incomplete ownership documents, reflecting a serious documentation crisis.

  • Nearly 79% of displaced individuals have experienced multiple displacements, compounding their vulnerability.

  • High rates of unresolved property disputes and limited judicial trust reveal a major gap in the rule of law.

  • Several laws, such as Law No. 10 (2018), Decree No. 66 (2012), and Decree No. 63 (2012), were used as legal tools to dispossess political opponents and enforce demographic engineering.

🔹 Recommendations

The report calls for:

  • The creation of an independent national authority on HLP issues.

  • Suspension and review of discriminatory property laws and decrees enacted after 2011.

  • Community-based documentation mechanisms to safeguard property rights.

  • Reform of urban planning systems and property records to meet transitional justice standards.

🔹 Justice as a Foundation for Return

The report stresses that resolving HLP violations is essential for any safe, dignified, and voluntary return of displaced Syrians. Ignoring these issues would undermine efforts toward national reconciliation and reconstruction.

It further notes that the mass property seizures committed by the former regime may constitute crimes against humanity under international law, warranting accountability mechanisms both nationally and internationally.

📘 Read the full report (PDF):