The reconstruction of war-torn Syria is vital to ensuring long-term stability in the country and across the Middle East, a senior United Nations official said.
Rawhi Afaghani, the UN Development Programme’s deputy representative in Syria, urged the international community to accelerate rebuilding efforts to help Syrians recover from more than a decade of conflict.
“The international community should definitely rush into rebuilding Syria and help the country rebound from this war and destruction, not only for Syrians themselves, but also for the stability and good of the entire region,” Afaghani said in an interview with AFP.
Afaghani said that the total cost of reconstruction can’t be estimated but described Syria’s needs as “massive,” citing shortages in housing, schools, and health facilities, as well as electricity and water infrastructure.
He warned that efforts to rebuild are complicated by the widespread presence of unexploded ordnance scattered across the country, including within the debris of destroyed buildings.
Since the collapse of the former regime, Afaghani noted, more than one million Syrian refugees have returned from abroad, while nearly twice as many internally displaced people have gone back to their hometowns.
While those returns mark a positive development, he cautioned that they are straining already fragile infrastructure, including transportation, education, and essential services such as bakeries.
Afaghani expressed hope that a rapid reconstruction effort could pave the way for a “stable Syria,” encouraging more refugees, particularly skilled ones, to return from Europe.
“They can help rebuild Syria and play a major role in the region’s economic recovery and social peace building,” he said.
