Advancing Urban Recovery in ConflictDamaged and DisplacementImpacted Cities in Palestine and Syria

Countries affected by prolonged conflict and large‑scale displacement, including Syria and Palestine, face profound pressures on their housing, land, and urban planning systems. Housing destruction, weakened institutions, massive displacement, and disrupted regulatory frameworks create significant barriers to safe, resilient, and equitable urban recovery. Strengthened legal, institutional, and planning systems are therefore essential to guide recovery, protect housing and land rights, and lay the foundations for long‑term urban resilience. In Palestine, Since the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip in 2007, and particularly following the latest two-year war, Gaza has faced catastrophic humanitarian impacts and an unprecedented housing crisis. According to the Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment, over 60% of homes, approximately 290,800 housing units, have been damaged or destroyed, rendering entire neighbourhoods uninhabitable. Access to basic services such as water, electricity, and wastewater has sharply deteriorated due to widespread infrastructure damage. Beyond the loss of housing, the destruction has severely weakened urban systems, municipal service delivery, land administration, and community coping mechanisms, significantly constraining recovery and reconstruction. As a result, around 1.9 million people, nearly 90% of Gaza’s population, have been displaced and are living in overcrowded and inadequate shelter conditions that undermine dignity, livelihoods, and access to essential services.In Syria, years of conflict have resulted in massive urban destruction, complex housing, land and property (HLP) challenges, and widespread displacement. The conflict has caused extensive damage to the existing housing stock. The overall damage caused by the war and the earthquake is estimated at around 31% of the total stock, equivalent to approximately 1.3 million uninhabitable housing units. The conflict has displaced around 7.2 million people internally and 4.7 million Syrians outside the country. Approximately 1.2 million individuals have returned since 2024, creating an urgent need to plan for potential future waves of return. Damage assessments and city‑wide profiles developed through national and international efforts have become essential tools for identifying priority areas for reconstruction, supporting municipal planning, and framing recovery strategies as political conditions evolve. Against this backdrop, national representatives from Syria and Palesti