November 2008

Country Profile Syria

With the exception of a few oases and a narrow coastal strip, Syria is void of agricultural land. Desertification and a shortage of water are its two main environmental problems. Hot and arid summers, great fluctuation in rainfall caused by climate change, a growing population, industrialisation, extensive irrigation activities and water pollution have all led to a serious shortage of water resources.

The Syrian government and economy are dictated by an authoritarian military regime. Political instability is a major development obstacle, with one million Iraqi and 500,000 Palestinian refugees, border conflicts concerning the Israeli occupied Golan Heights, poor relations with Lebanon and creeping Islamisation. Additional problems involve dwindling oil reserves, unemployment (9 percent in 2007), inflation (12.2 percent in 2007) and high national debt (37.7 percent of GDP in 2007).

Nonetheless, the Tenth Five-Year Plan (2006 – 2010) marks the start of the country’s transformation from a centralised to a social market economy. Liberalisation, debt relief agreements and high oil prices resulted in economic growth of 4.3 percent in 2007.

The EU is Syria’s most important trading partner. As part of policy towards Arab neighbours, it drafted an association agreement in 2004; however, this has not yet been signed. The fourth Middle East North Africa Renewable Energy Conference (MENAREC) was held in Damascus in 2007. Apart from the EU, the organisers included the German Environment Ministry and the Syrian National Energy Research Center. MENAREC is the most prominent forum for promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency in the Middle East and North African States.

Germany began development cooperation activities with Syria in 2002 and currently has some 45 experts in situ. Their work focuses on education, urban development, economic reform and integrated water management. The latter involves training Syrian specialists, setting water prices, wastewater management and policy reforms.

The Ministry for Local Administration and Environment (MLAE) serves as the CDM DNA. Its Arab-language website is currently being translated into English. The DNA is currently working with the Syrian National Focal Point, the General Commission for Environmental Affairs to present a National Communication by December 2009. More than 80 percent of the funding is provided by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). No Syrian CDM projects have been registered so far.

If the institutional requirements are met, cooperation between the EU and the MENA region could pave the way for Syria’s CDM potential to be utilised. This is all the more likely because the MENA states are a key areas of focus in Germany’s CDM/JI Initiative. A country expert for the MENA Region has been designated (see below) to aid project developers. CDM projects involving industrial, wind and solar energy could benefit the climate and help secure Syria’s energy supply, economic development and political stability.



Further selected information:

Syrian DNA website
Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural Reform
Syria’s National Energy Research Center (NERC)
Ghorfa Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry
German Foreign Office: Information on Syria
Bertelsmann Syria Country Profile
CIA World Fact Book
GTZ in Syria
The European Commission’s Delegation to Syria
European Commission: The EU’s Relations with Syria
European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument: Syrian Arab Republic Strategy Paper 2007-2013 (PDF)
German Environment Ministry: CDM/JI Initiative
MENA Region Country Expert: Jörg Linke Joerg.Linke@gtz.de