UN Expects One Million Syrian Refugees Return in First Half of 2025
UNHCR's Position Against Forced Return Shows Concern for Ensuring Refugees' Safety and Right to Assess Conditions Before Deciding Return
December 17, 2024, 6:13 pm

UN Expects One Million Syrian Refugees Return in First Half of 2025

اللاجئين في أوروبا \ تعبيرية \ متداولة

United Nations presented expectations of possible return of about one million Syrian refugees to homes during first half of 2025, following recent political changes.

Rima Gamous Imseis, UNHCR Middle East and North Africa Bureau Director, revealed during Geneva press meeting "expectations seeing about million Syrians returning between January and June next year."

UN official urged host countries to avoid "forced return" of millions of Syrians displaced from war-torn homeland, coinciding with European countries' moves suspending Syrian asylum applications amid anti-immigration parties' demands for Syria deportation.

Gamous Imseis addressed governments suspending asylum procedures saying: "What we're telling governments suspending asylum procedures is to continue respecting right accessing territories for asylum application, but also give us, and Syrian refugees, time assessing whether return is safe."

UNHCR managed deploying teams at borders monitoring returnees and departures movement, amid new authorities' inability performing this task. Counter-flow phenomenon emerged, with thousands of returnees coinciding with new groups' departure, especially minorities and former regime members.

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”