LONDON: The government of the Syrian Arab Republic is committed to expanding cooperation with the World Bank to advance financial, economic and institutional reforms, Finance Minister Mohammed Yisr Barnieh said on Thursday.
Barnieh met Dahlia Khalifa, the World Bank’s Middle East director, in Damascus to discuss economic and financial reforms, social protection and sustainable development programs, according to the Finance Ministry.
The sides discussed accelerating projects already approved under existing grants and reviewed proposed changes to Syria’s pension, retirement and social insurance systems, including restructuring the institutions that oversee them.
Housing finance was also a major focus. Officials considered updates to mortgage finance laws and instruments, development of the country’s mortgage finance system and Real Estate Finance Supervisory Authority, and ways to expand access to affordable home loans, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.
The talks also covered efforts to improve governance, performance and competitiveness at state-owned economic and financial institutions. Those measures included gradually converting some entities into joint-stock companies and restructuring state-owned financial institutions as part of the broader reform agenda.
