The Saudi Cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, approved on Tuesday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Syria’s Ministry of Local Administration and Environment and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing to enhance joint cooperation in the municipal and housing sectors, develop services, exchange technical expertise, and support the digital transformation process.
Ali Al-Hamad, Director of Public Relations at Syria’s Ministry of Local Administration and Environment, told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on Tuesday that the MoU aims to develop joint municipal work, exchange expertise, build human and institutional capacities, and benefit from the Saudi experience in developing municipal services and digital transformation, thereby supporting the modernization of local administration in Syria and improving the quality of services provided to citizens.
Areas of Cooperation
According to Al-Hamad, the MoU covers urban planning and land regulation, infrastructure, municipal licensing and supervision, regulation of city operators, municipal asset management, proof of ownership and real estate documentation, digital transformation, and the development of electronic services and smart cities. He noted that cooperation between the two sides relies on the exchange of information and expertise, organizing mutual visits for experts and specialists, and holding conferences, seminars, training courses, and joint working sessions.
Al-Hamad pointed out that these mechanisms aim to transfer knowledge and develop skills, study practical experiences, and adapt them to suit the needs of Syrian local administration. He noted that the MoU has moved from the signing stage to implementation, as the post-signing phase witnessed technical meetings to follow up on cooperation and identify priority areas of work.
Technical Follow-up of the MoU
He noted that Minister of Local Administration and Environment Mohammed Anjarani discussed with the Saudi National Housing Company the follow-up of the MoU. Both sides reviewed the results of previous technical meetings and discussed studying the most commonly used municipal services, analyzing their procedures, and re-engineering them to suit the Syrian reality, paving the way for developing digital services. He clarified that the current phase focuses on studying services and assessing needs, paving the way for determining subsequent steps according to the results of technical work and field visits.
He added that the importance of this cooperation lies in helping Syrian municipalities simplify procedures, develop service delivery mechanisms, and benefit from technical solutions in managing municipal work and the real estate sector. Al-Hamad predicted that the cooperation would contribute to developing the skills of workers in the municipal sector, improving service delivery procedures, and expanding the use of digital solutions, noting that practical results would be linked to the outputs of technical studies.
Minister Anjarani previously signed an MoU with Saudi Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs Majid bin Abdullah Al-Haqil in May last year, aiming to enhance human capacities in municipal management, strengthen cooperation and exchange expertise between the two sides, and benefit from Saudi experiences in developing municipal work, digital transformation, and organizing local services.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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