By Rahul Pandit, SURGE Coordinator, and Usman Qazi, Early Recovery Advisor, UNDP
In February, a series of earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria causing widespread damage and casualties. For Syria, this was on top of 12 years of conflict, economic crisis and forced displacement.
UNDP has been working in the Aleppo governorate on early recovery since the beginning of the conflict. The programme has been built around the thematic areas of restoring essential services and infrastructure, recovery of livelihoods and promoting social cohesion and community security.
When the earthquakes struck, UNDP immediately deployed SURGE support to boost country office capacities to meet the enormous needs.
We travelled to Aleppo to assess the situation and meet UNDP staff supporting crucial recovery work in the old city. We were deeply moved by what we saw, what we learnt, and the stories of resilience and determination from all the Syrians we had the opportunity to meet.
Aleppo is one of the “oldest continually inhabited cities” in the world. Roaming through the walled city, one cannot help but marvel at the tapestry of centuries-old landmarks, from the Roman era to the successive Arab, Turkic and Kurdish dynasties.
This kaleidoscope is marred with marks of destruction caused by the conflict that is now entering its eleventh year. Charred, damaged and pockmarked skeletons of the multi-storey buildings haunt the eyes of the visitors amidst still standing and barely functioning residential and business facilities.
Within the walled city, the destruction of ancient heritage like old souks, bath houses and the monumental Omayyad Mosque offers a sobering reminder of what war frenzy can do to cultural assets, lives and livelihoods.
The earthquakes came as a crisis-within-a-crisis, adding stress to the already frail infrastructure, sparse livelihoods opportunities and the taut social fabric.
The impact is especially poignant inside the walled city and the informal settlements within the municipal limits of the greater Aleppo city.
The absence of building control regulations and low affordability of the homeowners have culminated in rendering a sizeable section of the communities homeless and without work.
Aleppo city offers a snapshot of the additional challenges created by the earthquake.
One of the signature quick response services offered by UNDP is to initiate labour-intensive rubble clearing programmes that not only (literally) pave the way for humanitarian access but also create short-term temporary employment.
In Aleppo, UNDP has helped clear more than 7,000 cubic metres of debris out of a planned 10,000. A unique challenge for this in the walled city is that the entire complex is a UNESCO World Heritage site where the basic character and structure cannot be altered.
The recent earthquakes have made the centuries-old structures more vulnerable to crumbling. This warrants fresh thinking towards restoring a heritage site that is home to around half a million people.
UNDP’s Crisis Bureau and Regional Bureau for Arab States deployed a SURGE Planning Team to Syria from 20 March to 10 April.
Our team consulted senior management along with relevant staff to draft and present a ‘SURGE plan’ that delineates UNDP Syria’s response and long-term recovery vision.
The SURGE Advisors also supported the United Nations-led Syria Earthquake Recovery Needs Assessment.
The assessment shows that the earthquakes resulted in damages and losses worth US$8.9 billion and earmarked around $14.8 billion in recovery needs over the next three years.
During the mission to Aleppo, the team met Shadi Hajar who runs a business in the old city.
“We decided to continue working here (despite the destruction),” he said.
“The workers arrived on the first day of Ramadan and started clearing the rubble. Now our truck can reach the door of the factory,” he said.
Shadi did not let us leave without some sweets.
Recent estimates show that more than 15 million Syrians, nearly 70 percent of the population need humanitarian aid.
Eighty percent are food insecure while poverty is affecting 90 percent. When asked about their needs, the locals want help build back their lives and restore education, electricity and health.
Our Syria deployment was the second time both of us got an opportunity to work in a SURGE setting - we were previously deployed to Kyrgyzstan in 2010.
While we come from Pakistan and India - countries that share languages, history and a complex relationship - such missions offer a window into what we can achieve for ourselves and others if we collaborate.
Syrians need all of our support, and it was a privilege to get yet another opportunity to work together and take part in a UNDP SURGE response.
© 2026 United Nations Development Programme
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