The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved today US$225 million in grant financing from the International Development Association (IDA) to support Syria to enhance the delivery of public services in its water and health sectors. The approved financing package spans two new projects aimed at improving people’s lives by securing reliable access to water and sanitation and improving access to quality health services. Both projects are expected to benefit about 4.5 million Syrians across the country.
Fourteen years of conflict have devastated Syria’s water infrastructure, reversing decades of development and increasing climate vulnerabilities. More than half of the water supply infrastructure and around 70% of wastewater treatment plants were severely damaged. Water supply declined by around 40% compared to preconflict levels. More than half of the population do not have adequate access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services, and water availability has declined to under 700 cubic meters per capita per year, well below the water scarcity threshold.
Syria’s health sector has also been severely affected, resulting in fragmented services, damaged facilities, and weakened sector governance. Challenges in service delivery, workforce shortages, and limited primary health care (PHC) capacity hinder both access and quality of care, resulting in low PHC utilization rates. Public health financing is severely constrained, forcing households to pay high out-of-pocket costs, while Syria's traditional hospital-centric, curative-care model no longer matches current health needs.
"Restoring physical infrastructure and resuming the delivery of essential public services are key pillars of Syria’s Statement of National Priorities," said Jean-Christophe Carret, World Bank Division Director, Middle East Department. "As Syria moves forward in its journey toward stabilization and recovery, improved public services across sectors will enhance living conditions, strengthen social cohesion and facilitate the integration of returning refugees and internally displaced persons, in support of the government’s No Camps initiative."
