Syria Reconstruction: International Deals Bypass Human Rights Framework

Syria's transitional government is signing billions of dollars in reconstruction deals without a human rights framework to protect the people affected, Human Rights Watch said in a report released from Amman on September 27, 2026. The group found that the laws governing reconstruction do not require the government or developers to consult affected communities before projects are approved. That includes people who are still displaced. The laws also provide no independent way for residents to challenge decisions about their homes and land.

"The legal framework being finalized now will determine whose homes are rebuilt, whose claims are recognized, and whose voices are heard," said Hiba Zayadin, senior Middle East advisor at Human Rights Watch.

The transitional government unveiled a national recovery blueprint in March 2026. In October 2025, the World Bank put physical damage at $108 billion and estimated reconstruction costs at around $216 billion. Gulf states have led the investment. Qatar has committed $4 billion, and Saudi Arabia has pledged $6.4 billion. In April 2025, Doha and Riyadh jointly cleared Syria's $15.5 million in World Bank arrears, which reopened engagement with the bank after 14 years. The UAE's DP World has secured a 30-year concession over Tartus port. The EU has pledged €620 million for 2026 and 2027.

Human Rights Watch warned that Assad-era laws remain in force. Decree 66 of 2012 was used to displace thousands of people in Damascus without due process. Its implementation was suspended in October 2025, but the decree has not been repealed. Law No. 10 of 2018 applied the same model nationwide. In Jobar, where about 95 percent of buildings were destroyed, residents were offered new housing with only half the floor area of their former homes. Tenants were offered nothing. A Marota City activist said Damascus Cham Holding was marketing residents' land to Gulf investors.

More than 3.5 million refugees and internally displaced Syrians have returned since December 2024, according to the International Rescue Committee. About 5.5 million people remain internally displaced. In the village of Ghadfa in the Idlib countryside, returnees described having no running water, no electricity grid and no functioning schools. "The nearest operating medical point to me is 50 kilometers away and I don't have a vehicle," said resident Sohaib al-Othman.

Human Rights Watch urged donors and investors to carry out human rights due diligence. It also called on them to make sure their funding supports recovery that respects people's rights.