UNRWA services available to Palestine Refugees from Syria returning from displacement due to the Syria crisis

• Primary healthcare services: consultations, medication, diagnostic tests (laboratory and radiological), hospital and radiology referrals.
• Disease prevention and control: detection and treatment of chronic diseases, including hypertension and diabetes, medication for cancer (chemotherapy) and up to 75 per cent reimbursement for some medications; detecting and limiting the spread of communicable and infectious diseases.
• Maternal and childcare: family planning, preconception care, during pregnancy and postnatal care, child growth monitoring, and vaccinations.
• Medical prosthetic devices, including hearing aids and prosthetic limbs, as well as physical therapy.
• Oral and dental health: extractions, endodontic treatment, fillings, imagery, preventive services for pregnant women, preschool children, and children sitting examinations.
• School health: initial examinations for new students and screening for 4th and 7th-Grade students, vaccinations, dental health, deworming and eyeglasses.
• Mental health and psychological support, including referrals to a psychiatrist.
• Standard vaccinations.

Palestine Refugees returning to Syria can directly access the UNRWA health centres using their UNRWA registration cards and identification documents to obtain services. Some services will require the transfer of their medical files (via UNRWA e-Health) to Syria.

Free basic Education
• Basic education (Grades 1-9), following the Syrian curriculum.
• Education for children from Grade 10 is provided under the public education system which GAPAR2-registered Palestine Refugees are eligible to access.
• Psychosocial support.
• Catch-up classes and bridging programmes, including support to transition to the different curriculum taught in Syria, are provided to returning students.
• Children with disabilities whose needs cannot be met at UNRWA schools may be referred to the UNRWA Learning Support Centre in Damascus.

GAPAR-registered Palestine Refugee students are eligible to apply to public/government schools. Returning Palestine Refugee students will be required to sit a Ministry of Education placement test to assess the grade level they should attend.

Duly validated external education certificates, for example from Lebanon or Jordan, are accepted to enrol in either UNRWA or government schools in Syria.

UNRWA offers a wide range of technical and vocational education opportunities across Damascus, Dera’a, Homs, Hama, Latakia, and Aleppo. These programmes aim to equip youth with practical skills for employment and self-reliance.
• Technical Courses (2 years): for students who have completed Grade 12. Specialisations include Graphic Design, Business Administration, Electronics, Mechatronics, AI, Medical Lab
Technology, and more.
• Vocational Courses (1–2 years): for students who have completed Grade 9. Fields include Plumbing, Welding, Automotive Systems, Solar Installation, and Industrial Clothing Technology.
• Short-Term Courses (3 months): available in trades such as mechanics, plumbing, electrical work, and construction.

Admission is based on academic qualifications and, in some cases, a personal interview.
Limited accommodation is available at the Damascus Training Centre based on selection criteria.

Updating civil status events like births and marriages with UNRWA Upon entry into Syria, Palestine Refugees should report to the nearest UNRWA office with their UNRWA
registration card, to record their return for inclusion in UNRWA service provision. New civil events, such as births, marriages, deaths, can be updated with UNRWA directly by Palestine Refugees by using the e-UNRWA registration app downloadable via:
https://www.unrwa.org/ar/eUNRWA
Personal status events including births, marriages,
divorces, and deaths can be recorded with GAPAR, and
where required, UNRWA will provide legal assistance.
However, since 8 December 2024, the services related to
registering civil records have been suspended by the
authorities and this remains the case at the time of this
publication.

• Legal support, including for civil documentation, and limited support for housing, land, and property issues.
• Mental health and psychosocial support, awareness activities, rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities, development classes for children with disabilities, early childcare, vocational training, and livelihood activities. All such activities are conducted at 13 UNRWA Multipurpose Community Centres across Syria, supporting women, children, persons with disabilities, older persons and youth.
• Limited multipurpose cash, food, and non-food items, based on assessed need and availability of funding.
• Gender-based violence and child protection case management by UNRWA social workers.
• Assistive devices for persons with disabilities based on need and availability.
• Registration services to update UNRWA records, including marriage, births, deaths, and to provide UNRWA registration cards for access to services.
• Awareness-raising on protection from sexual exploitation and abuse.

• Sanitation services, including solid waste collection and disposal, disinfection and sterilisation in official Palestine Refugee camps.
• Minor repair of damaged home, based on detailed assessment of socio-economic situation and condition of the shelter.

Yarmouk camp services and shelter repair:
• UNRWA is supporting Palestine Refugees who live in the camp with minor home repairs, when funding is available. Identification of the beneficiaries is done using a detailed assessment of the socioeconomic condition of the person as well as the condition of the home.
• UNRWA has rehabilitated its own facilities and provides quality services in Yarmouk, including through its health clinic, school, offices, and community centre.
• UNRWA is also working with other relevant UN agencies and other stakeholders and advocates, to make improvements in the camp.
• The status of public infrastructure and services, including water, electricity and connection to the sewage system differs from one neighbourhood to another.

Loans are accessible to Palestine Refugees, if eligible, with a focus on Small and Medium Enterprises to support self-reliance.

Palestine Refugees registered with GAPAR have the same access to public services and employment as Syrians. However, the conflict has severely diminished the capacity of public services in Syria.

Mandatory military conscription has been abolished by the Interim Authorities in Syria.