UN Assistant Secretary-General and UN development programme (UNDP) Assistant Administrator Abdallah Al Dardari is hoping to deliver $1.3 billion over three years to support war-ravaged Syria, including by rebuilding infrastructure and backing digital start-ups.Al Dardari explained in press statements during his visit to Damascus that these investments constitute a ‘global public good.’He said that help could include introducing artificial intelligence (AI), setting up social protection programs, indicating that it would be crucial to mobilize funds from different sources, including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and several regional countries.Since former Syrian leader Bashar Al Assad was toppled in December 2024, the new Syrian administration is seeking to lift international sanctions imposed during his rule.So far, most of those sanctions remain in place, with the United States and other Western countries saying the new authorities still need to demonstrate a commitment to peaceful and inclusive rule.Dardari said that sanctions remained ‘a considerable obstacle’ to Syria's growth trajectory, adding that Syria needs tens of billions of dollars in investment and in technical assistance, and that cannot happen with such heavy sanctions imposed on the country.Dardari said UNDP had secured a sanctions exemption from the US Treasury to mobilize up to $50 million to repair the Deir Ali power plant south of Damascus, while the World Bank is exploring hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to improve Syria's electricity grid and support the public sector.
