ISTANBUL

Japan will provide the UN Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) with $5.5 million for a project to improve living conditions in Syria, Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday.

On Aug. 12, Japan and UN-Habitat signed an aid plan focused on rebuilding essential infrastructure in Aleppo and Homs, two of Syria's hardest-hit areas. The initiative, announced by the Japanese Foreign Ministry, targets slums and informal settlements.

Given Syria’s ongoing "serious humanitarian situation" and the return of refugees, providing safe living conditions has become a "pressing issue," the ministry said. UN-Habitat noted that years of conflict left these areas without access to basic services like water, electricity, and sanitation.

As of July, over 746,000 Syrians have returned from neighboring countries, along with 1.5 million internally displaced people, the Nairobi-based body said, adding the project "will directly benefit more than 81,000 individuals."

Before the civil war began in 2011, informal settlements housed around 40% of Syria’s urban population, according to UN-Habitat.

According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, approximately 16.5 million of Syria’s 23.2 million people are currently in need of assistance.

Japan, a key donor to Syria's recovery, has provided over $21 million since 2022 for UN-Habitat projects to support vulnerable communities.

Last Dec. 8, Bashar Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups captured Damascus in a swift offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

A new transitional administration in Syria led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in January.