The Ministers of Finance, Mohammed Yasser Burhani, and Health, Mousab Al-Ali, held talks with UNICEF Representative in Syria, Meritxell Reig Aranyó, and a team from the organization, on cooperation priorities to support health services provided to children, and mechanisms to enhance funding directed at these programs and social sectors, ensuring that available resources from the organization, donors, and the general budget are directed towards actual needs and improving service levels.
The Ministry of Finance stated via its Telegram channel on Tuesday that the meeting covered UNICEF’s plans in Syria for 2027, and the programs discussed with relevant sectors, including health, nutrition, water, education, and child protection, alongside mechanisms for supporting budgets and resource allocation, and providing technical assistance and capacity building for various ministries and sectors.
Participants emphasized the importance of clearly defining priorities given resource constraints, and directing available funding towards the most urgent and impactful programs, to achieve the common goal of improving the quality of services provided to children and various segments of society.
Minister Burhani stressed the importance of focusing on programs with direct, measurable impact that can be translated into tangible results on the ground, linking available financial resources to developmental and service priorities, thereby enhancing the capacity of relevant sectors to respond to existing needs.
Minister Burhani called on the organization to increase Syria’s share of available funding in the coming years, and to attract additional funding from donors.
For his part, Minister Al-Ali emphasized the necessity of ensuring services for children are provided by specialized teams, reaching target groups correctly, and stressed the importance of proceeding with the multi-sectoral plan, continuing funding for nutrition and health services, while affirming the government’s continued support and assistance within available capacities.
Minister Al-Ali stressed the importance of joint efforts between the government and UNICEF to attract additional funding.
Previously, on June 1, a UNICEF delegation visited the villages of Al-Mughayyira and Salma in the northern countryside of Latakia governorate, to review their needs in the education and health sectors. UNICEF Representative Meritxell Reig Aranyó stated that programs implemented in the governorate are extensive in the health sector, in addition to rehabilitating schools, providing children with educational supplies, and rehabilitating water and sanitation networks, and implementing child protection programs.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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