Saudi Arabia and Qatar said they would provide $89 million in joint financial support to help pay the salaries of public sector employees in Syria for three months, in a move aimed at keeping basic services running and easing pressure on the war-ravaged country’s budget.
The Saudi Fund for Development and the Qatar Fund for Development will channel the aid through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The funds are intended to bolster livelihoods, promote inclusive economic recovery and strengthen Syria’s financial systems as part of longer-term sustainable development goals, the report said.
The announcement highlighted that the assistance forms part of broader efforts to foster growth opportunities, support social stability and underpin Syria’s path to recovery after more than a decade of conflict.
Saudi Arabia has previously stepped in to help Syria by covering arrears owed to the World Bank and backing the country’s power sector, alongside efforts that contributed to the lifting of US sanctions on Damascus, said SPA.
