Syria's Finance Minister at UN Talks on Banking Reform

Finance Minister Mohammad Yosr Barnieh took part in a high-level roundtable titled Investing in Syria's Recovery, held at United Nations headquarters in New York. The event was organized by the Qatar Fund for Development and the Islamic Development Bank Group, aiming to coordinate international support for the transformation of Syria's financial sector.

High-Level Attendance

The meeting was attended by the Governor of the Central Bank of Syria, along with several Syrian ministers and senior officials. Participants also included representatives from the United States Treasury Department, international financial institutions, development partners, government delegations, and a number of specialized economic and financial experts.

Key Discussion Topics

Discussions covered several files related to financial and economic reform in Syria, including:

• Strengthening public finance management
• Banking sector reform
• Revitalizing capital markets and the insurance sector
• Enhancing financial integrity
• Reconnecting Syria to the international financial system

Syria's Finance Ministry stated, via its Telegram channel, that this high-level participation reflects growing international interest in Syria's recovery path, particularly at this stage in which the country is moving from needs assessment and planning toward actual implementation of reform and recovery programs.

Institutional Capacity Building

Minister Barnieh affirmed that Syria bears full responsibility for its economic recovery and reform path, and is determined to implement a comprehensive approach to reforming the financial system, moving decisively from diagnosis to implementation. He stressed that the true measure of reform success is implementation itself, adding that Syria does not seek dependency relationships with external parties, but rather organized and coordinated international partnerships aligned with national priorities that contribute to institutional capacity building and targeted technical, advisory, and development financing support.

The minister also noted that strengthening financial integrity constitutes a fundamental pillar of the reform process, stating that Syria will work to build a strong system of financial integrity and oversight, and a transparent and reliable financial system.

Context of International Engagement

Minister Barnieh concluded his participation by affirming Syria's readiness to work with all its partners to build a modern, transparent, flexible, and trustworthy financial system capable of supporting the recovery process and stimulating investment and sustainable economic growth. This participation comes as President Ahmad al-Sharaa leads an official Syrian delegation at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, which includes participation by several Syrian officials in meetings and events accompanying the session.