Problems and Challenges, Housing and Property Issues in the Transitional Period
This paper examines the challenges of housing, land, and property (HLP) rights in Syria’s transitional period, recognizing them as essential to enabling the safe and sustainable return of refugees and internally displaced persons and to rebuilding public trust in state institutions. The study draws on participatory workshops, field visits, expert consultations, and a review of legal frameworks and relevant reports to assess the legacy of property violations and evaluate both formal and informal responses to these challenges.
The paper concludes that Syria’s housing and property crisis extends beyond the consequences of armed conflict, reflecting decades of legal and institutional policies that facilitated expropriation, politically motivated confiscation, and demographic engineering, with many of these challenges persisting into the transitional period. It argues that addressing these issues requires a comprehensive national policy based on legal and judicial reform, constitutional protection of property rights, restitution of property, compensation for victims, systematic documentation of violations, and fair resolution of property disputes within a transitional justice framework. The paper further recommends establishing a specialized national housing and property commission and strengthening the role of local communities and civil society in documentation, accountability, and reconstruction efforts to support sustainable return, social cohesion, and long-term stability in Syria.
