World Bank Approves $225 Million in Grants to Rebuild Syria's Water and Health Services

The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors approved, on April 23, 2026, two grant packages totaling $225 million from the International Development Association (IDA) to support Syria in restoring essential public services across the water and health sectors. The combined financing is expected to benefit approximately 4.5 million Syrians nationwide.

Context and Background

The approvals come against a backdrop of severe wartime damage to Syria's public infrastructure. World Bank assessments indicate that more than half of the country's water supply systems and approximately 70 percent of wastewater treatment facilities sustained heavy damage during the conflict, with overall water supply declining by roughly 40 percent from pre-conflict levels. Syria's health sector has been similarly affected, with fragmented service delivery, workforce shortages, and limited primary care capacity.

Finance Minister Mohammed Yisr Barnieh confirmed that the Bank has now approved four of eleven proposed projects, describing the latest grants as a signal of accelerating integration into international development frameworks.

Water Security and Sanitation Project

The Syria Emergency Water Security and Resilient Services Project, allocated $150 million, aims to rehabilitate bulk water supply and wastewater infrastructure in priority, densely populated areas affected by conflict, with particular attention to urban communities including returning refugees and internally displaced persons.

Key activities under this project include:

• Rehabilitation of critical water treatment and conveyance infrastructure in Idlib, Homs, and Hama, with climate resilience measures integrated into the works
• Provision of emergency equipment to ensure continuity of essential water services
• Rehabilitation of priority wastewater treatment facilities in Damascus to reduce environmental pollution
• Development of integrated water and climate information systems, and dam safety assessments to strengthen water resource management

Health System Recovery and Strengthening Project

The Syria Health System Recovery and Strengthening Project, allocated $75 million, is designed to improve citizens' access to quality health services and build the overall capacity of the public health system. The project will restore essential primary care and maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition services across 150 primary health care centers distributed throughout the country.

Centers will be selected through a transparent, data-driven process that weighs equity, expected impact, functionality, and accessibility, with priority given to facilities serving vulnerable populations, including:

• Internally displaced persons
• Returning refugees
• Female-headed households
• Host communities

The project will also strengthen early detection, preparedness, and response capacities for pandemics and health emergencies, while developing the institutional systems and workforce required for sustainable service delivery.

Broader World Bank Engagement in Syria

These grants form part of a growing portfolio of World Bank support for Syria. In March 2026, the Board approved a separate $20 million IDA grant to strengthen public financial management, and in June 2025 it approved a $146 million grant for the electricity sector, the Bank's first financing in Syria in nearly four decades. Minister Barnieh indicated that additional projects covering education, energy, digital transformation, banking, and social protection, with a combined value of approximately $1.4 billion, are being prepared for future Board consideration.