Industry Minister: Counting on Cooperation with UNIDO

(ST)- The Minister of Industry, Kamal Tomah, has underlined that Syria is counting heavily on cooperation with UNIDO as one of the important actors in the process that will help us develop the manufacturing sector which is witnessing a comprehensive review and restructuring the public sector enterprises and enabling the private sector to contribute more in the development and modernization of industrial policy through stimulating and supporting institutions.

In his speech during a meeting of the fifteenth session of the General Conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) held recently in the capital of Peru, Lima, Mr. Tomah pointed out to the development of cooperation between Syria and the UNIDO in recent years through the implementation of numerous studies and programs that have contributed to the promotion and supporting the efforts of Syria to develop its industry, both at the level of strategies, policies, or at the level of supporting institutions, noting that the results of this cooperation constituted an important and useful instrument in the preparation of plans and policies of industrial development in Syria, whereas this cooperation was crowned by the program of modernization and industrial development in Syria, which was launched in May 2007 under the auspices of UNIDO and funded by the Italian government.

“The program has developed a comprehensive strategy to modernize the Syrian industry in all its sectors and supporting institutions. The textile and clothing sector was selected as the beginning of the process of modernization because of the importance of this sector of the economy, industry and citizens in Syria and mapping out a strategy, especially for the development of this sector and to establish necessary supporting institutions, developing  existing ones and to modernize and develop 36 small and medium enterprises, including three public companies as a pilot model of modernization and industrial development,” the minister said.

“The Syrian government allocated 1.5 million Euros to finance the second phase of this program after the apology of the Italian government for funding, which reflects the confidence of the Syrian government in the organization and affirms its commitment to cooperation with and the belief in its distinguished capabilities in the field of development and modernization,” the minister added.

He noted to the presence of several cooperation projects with the organization especially in the axis of agricultural industrialization in the Ghab area amid Syria (Agroboles), which is being implemented in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Development Program in Damascus and six Syrian ministries. The  agricultural industrialization includes the establishment of industrial zones and supporting institutions specialized in this area in addition to start a cluster gathering of dairy processing and update the number of small businesses currently operating in the agro-processing.

The minister confirmed that Syria has lived for about three years a difficult situation socially, economically and politically and the Syrian leadership has dealt with this situation positively through the issuance of the necessary legislations that meet the needs of society emerging in line with the requirements of sustainable development, stressing that the Syrian government exerted distinct efforts in order to address the negative consequences of this situation and make it to a minimum as it continues to pay the salaries of the workers of the companies that have stopped production.

Sh. Kh.