Lebanese forum mulls Syria reconstruction

Lebanese officials and representatives of international organisations met in Beirut on June 1st and 2nd to discuss the state of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and begin to anticipate Syria's post-war reconstruction.

Participants in the "Syria Aid Forum for Emergency and Reconstruction" addressed the protection and education of children, the impact of refugees on host countries and how to transform the associated burdens into gains.

They stressed the need for a political solution to the Syrian crisis to end the suffering of its people, and noted that the conflict has been a leading factor in enabling terrorism to propagate across the region and world.

"The forum seriously considered the importance of diligent work towards repatriating Syrian refugees and providing the necessary political and security conditions to do this," said Antoine Haddad, executive director of the HBC consultancy organisation which planned the event.

Topics of discussion also included the temporary accommodation of refugees through the provision of suitable education and employment in a way that does not negatively affect the Lebanese workforce, he told Al-Shorfa.

This will help prevent refugees from straying into violence, extremism and crime, he added.

Forum participants also explored opportunities to help Syria rebuild.

Lebanon is strategically positioned to help with Syria's reconstruction, Haddad said, "considering its geographical proximity, its private sector, human resources and banks and funding capabilities".

But in order to do this, he added, Lebanon must prepare itself to help with the post-war rebuilding effort and be ready when that time comes.

Rebuilding Syrian society

"What Syria needs most is to rebuild people before reconstruction," said Fouad Fouad, a Syrian citizen who serves as assistant professor at the American University in Beirut College of Health Sciences.

About two-thirds of Syria's doctors left their country as a result of the war and the violence perpetrated by extremist groups such as the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) and al-Nusra Front (ANF), he told Al-Shorfa.

In addition to the massive destruction of public and private property, Syria is suffering from a "brain drain", he said, which will take many years to rectify.

"This means we have a complex problem that is very difficult to solve," he added.

At present, there are 400,000 Syrian children in Lebanon, many of whom are not receiving a formal education, he said, which means that many Syrians will have lost the chance to enter the labour market in the future.

"We need to know where these children are living and we need to enrol them in schools and offer them psychological help so they can form the foundation of Syria when peace reigns," Fouad said.

"Building people has to be a priority, particularly since there are generations that have fled Syria at a young age and others that [...] have witnessed the violence of terrorist groups," he added.

These people have been deprived of their right to education, health care and a dignified life, he said, noting that these circumstances might serve to drive them towards extremism.

Addressing the challenges

"It is wrong to assume that reconstruction will commence as soon as the war is over, because the situation is highly complicated," said Jihad Yazigi, editor-in-chief of The Syria Report, a news website.

"We face immense challenges, such as restructuring Syria politically and reinstating the state’s central and regional powers," he told Al-Shorfa.

Such issues "are crucial to the reconstruction effort, in order to know who will be responsible for which tasks before companies enter the arena", he added.

As for the role of refugees in rebuilding Syria, Yazigi said their return will take a while, since their homes and villages were destroyed during the war.

While it is difficult to predict the conditions of their return, he said, any such discussion is vital to addressing the challenges in a dignified way that provides practical solutions so returnees can take part in the rebuilding of their country.