People navigate coexistence through local administrations and city councils, law enforcement, the judicial system, UNHCR community centres, mobile units, NGOs, civil society organizations, community groups and informal family, tribal or religious structures. Their practical role varies by governorate, security situation, documentation, funding and the authority controlling the area. Syria has no uniform nationwide neighbourhood office, community-mediation procedure or guaranteed access to a local remedy. The long conflict, the political transition since 2024 and large-scale displacement continue to affect daily relations. Since December 2024, about 1.6 million refugees and 1.9 million internally displaced people have returned, while about 5.5 million people remain internally displaced. Return areas face pressure on services, housing, work, protection and social cohesion. People returning to family or friends are common, and pressure on shared accommodation and services can contribute to disputes between returnees and host communities. Movement in public space differs sharply by location and group. About 94% of returnees and 82% of host communities reported free movement in the available assessment, while insecurity, fear of abduction, explosive ordnance, armed actors, missing identity documents, social barriers and discrimination restricted access for others. Women and girls frequently identified safety concerns, and harassment or intimidation was reported by 16%. In the first quarter of 2026, explosive-ordnance incidents affected 452 people and caused 153 deaths and 299 injuries; 72% of the incidents occurred in agricultural or grazing areas. These risks can also restrict access to schools, services and places where children play. Cultural, religious, ethnic and regional diversity is formally recognized, but practical inclusion remains weak. Women, young people, older people, people with disabilities, minorities, internally displaced people and returnees often need deliberate inclusion in consultations and local decisions. Localized sectarian and regional tensions, including tensions affecting Alawite communities in coastal areas and Bedouin-Druze relations in As-Sweida and Daraa, make neutral access and trusted representation especially significant. People use several ways to address disputes. In one assessment, family or relatives were the first channel for 29% of reported community issues, followed by law enforcement at 19%, the judicial system and community or tribal leaders at 16% each, elders at 6%, religious leaders at 3% and neighbours at 1%. Community-based dispute resolution has no uniform legal force: the result depends on the actor, the area and whether formal authorities recognize or enforce it. Transitional justice and missing-persons commissions now exist, but access to truth-seeking, reparations, reconciliation and housing, land and property restitution remains limited. Documentation, legal aid, community mediation and referral to law enforcement or courts can form a practical pathway, although insecurity, cost, lack of trust and unequal representation may block it. Local administrations, city councils and participatory platforms can involve communities in setting shared priorities. UNDP-supported models in Kadi Askar in Aleppo and the Old City of Hama have included women, young people, older people, people with disabilities and internally displaced people in community-led recovery discussions. Formal civic space and protection for associations, assemblies, journalists and civil society organizations remain uneven, so participation may be safer or more effective through a trusted local platform, community centre or mobile team. UNHCR community centres and mobile units, outreach volunteers and NGO or civil society services can provide referrals, legal and civil-documentation support, mental health and psychosocial support, gender-based-violence services and child protection. In the first quarter of 2026, 45% of assessed people had accessed humanitarian services and 55% had not. Among those who accessed services, the reported channels were international and local NGOs at 38%, community groups at 36%, the UN at 15% and government bodies at 11%. Unavailable services, lack of information, missing providers, distance, insecurity, identity-document problems, gender barriers and discrimination all affect access. Civic engagement also takes place through youth-friendly spaces, community dialogue and social-media channels. UNICEF reported 221,587 young people participating in more than 400 civic initiatives and 5.2 million people reached through community dialogue in 2025. Forty-four youth spaces reached approximately 380,000 people aged 10 to 24 between January 2025 and January 2026. Digital channels can help share return information and connect communities, but damaged infrastructure, polarization, misinformation and hate speech create risks, and no Syria-wide online dispute-resolution or moderation system has been established. There is no uniform national fee or deadline regime for community mediation or coexistence services; availability and follow-up depend on the local authority, security, documentation and funding.
Living together in Syria
Everyday coexistence in Syria is shaped by security conditions, displacement and return, access to services, documentation, local authority and trust between communities. No single nationwide system manages neighbourhood relations, mediation or civic participation; formal institutions, aid organizations, community groups and family, tribal or religious leaders often fulfil different functions. The Constitutional Declaration of 13 March 2025 recognizes freedoms, cultural specificities and property rights, but protection and enforcement remain uneven.
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