Agencies – Details Press
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has unveiled an unprecedented three-year, $1.3 billion support package for Syria.
This plan aims to rebuild the devastated infrastructure after years of war, with a special focus on digital transformation and tech entrepreneurship.
The plan’s main components are as follows:
1. Comprehensive Reconstruction:
– Restoring roads, bridges, and vital facilities
– Repairing electricity and water networks in the most affected areas
2. Digital Revolution:
– Funding 200 technology startups
– Training 5,000 young people in artificial intelligence skills
– Establishing technology innovation centers in Damascus and Aleppo
3. Social Protection:
– Temporary income programs for 300,000 families
– Modernizing healthcare systems using artificial intelligence applications
Funding Sources:
– 40% from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund
– 30% contributions from European countries (according to informed sources)
– 30% private investments from major technology companies
This announcement comes in the wake of recent political changes in Syria, increasing international pressure to lift economic sanctions, and secret talks to reconnect Syria to the global financial system, according to Reuters.
Experts indicate that this plan represents the first serious attempt to integrate artificial intelligence into reconstruction and a test of the international community’s seriousness in supporting Syrian stability. It also represents a shift in aid priorities from emergency relief to sustainable development.
The first phase of implementation is expected to begin early 2025, with an initial focus on safe zones, with a view to expanding them later.
