Damascus, May 15 (SANA) Syria’s Minister of Public Works and Housing, Mustafa Abdul Razzaq, met on Friday with Filiep Decorte, Chief of the Programme Development Branch at UN-Habitat in Nairobi, and Hiroshi Takabayashi, Head of the Programme’s office in Syria, along with their accompanying delegation, to discuss potential areas of cooperation in the housing and urban development sector.
The ministry said the discussions focused on available programmes, mechanisms for coordinating support and expertise related to addressing informal housing, stressing the importance of cooperation with the ministry as the main authority responsible for the housing sector in Syria.
Minister Abdul Razzaq stressed the importance of the issues discussed, particularly the “Syria Without Camps” project, which necessitates cooperation as a rapid response to accelerate the reconstruction process and improve the supporting infrastructure.
Deputy Minister for Planning and Studies Imad al-Masri also presented the ministry’s national housing strategy and outlined priorities for the coming phase.
Both sides stressed the importance of the role played by UN-Habitat and international organizations in supporting urban development and housing efforts in Syria, while calling for faster implementation to meet growing needs.
UN-Habitat, founded in 1978 and headquartered in Nairobi, is the United Nations agency responsible for promoting socially and environmentally sustainable cities and improving access to adequate housing. The agency works on issues related to urbanization, poverty, informal settlements and climate change in urban areas.
MHD
