The Syrian Minister of Public Works and the Director of the "UN Habitat" Discuss Enhancing Cooperation in Housing
The Minister of Public Works and Housing in the Syrian Arab Republic, Engineer Mustafa Abdul Razak, discussed with the Director of the UN Habitat office in Syria, Mr. Hiroshi Takabayashi, the prospects for future cooperation between the two sides and the mechanisms for following up on the implementation of the joint cooperation matrix.
This took place during a meeting held at the ministry's building in Damascus, during which a draft report on the housing situation, completed with technical support from the "Habitat" program, was reviewed. In this regard, Minister Abdul Razak emphasized the "importance of completing the report as it is the first national document that defines the reality of the housing sector in Syria."
The discussion focused on ways to coordinate with the Engineers Syndicate to unify visions and standards in urban planning. The two sides also agreed to develop joint programs and plans "to contribute to improving spatial planning, rebuilding affected areas, and accelerating the return of displaced persons, leading to achieving sustainable urban development."
This meeting comes as a culmination of previous efforts, as the ministry had organized, in cooperation with the "Habitat" program, a workshop dedicated to preparing the housing situation report in Syria on June 17th of last year. The workshop addressed "the national housing strategy, the sector's needs within the framework of recovery and sustainable development, in addition to institutional and legal organization, infrastructure, building materials, construction technology, employment, and population financing."
It is worth mentioning that the UN Habitat program is the technical arm of the United Nations in the field of urban planning and sustainable housing, and it contributes to supporting developing countries by providing expertise and technical reports to enhance recovery and reconstruction, and cooperation with national entities is a pivotal step towards developing housing policies and achieving balanced urban development.
