KfW's commitment during the civil war in Syria

On 8 December, the news spread across social networks in the Arab world in an instant: President Bashar al-Assad had left the country. The main player in his overthrow was a rebel alliance led by the Islamist group Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). What happens next? The new de facto rulers have announced a new constitution and free elections within four years and HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa promises to respect the rights of religious and ethnic minorities as well as women.

German development cooperation was also active during the war, which lasted almost 14 years, and can support a peaceful transition through existing channels. But first a look back:

In spring 2011, in the wake of the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, a peaceful protest movement also formed in Syria. In response, Assad chose violence: the civil war claimed more than half a million lives, drove 6 million people into exile and turned a further 7 million into internally displaced persons - out of a population of 23 million.

Until 2011, KfW's involvement in Syria was primarily focussed on supporting infrastructure projects - especially in water supply and sanitation - and the financial sector. With the outbreak of the civil war, the situation changed dramatically and many of the previously planned or ongoing projects were cancelled. The KfW office in Damascus was closed and cooperation with the Syrian government ended. But in the 14 years that followed, KfW continued to support people and local structures in various ways: On behalf of the German Federal Foreign Office (AA), the United Arab Emirates and the USA, KfW set up a trust fund: the Syria Recovery Trust Fund (SRTF), which was joined by a further nine donors. The aim is to provide people in areas administered by the moderate Syrian opposition (National Syrian Coalition) - in the north-east and north-west of the country. KfW is cooperating with UN organisations and non-governmental organisations throughout the country. And, last but not least: in Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey, KfW is financing programmes with funds from the German Federal Government that benefit both the refugees and the host communities. In particular, a good EUR 140 million has been pledged from the BMZ's Middle East Employment Initiative via KfW 2024 to support the host countries in the region in coping with the influx of refugees. Since the beginning of the civil war, a total of around EUR 683 million has been committed to projects in Syria via KfW, from funds provided by the BMZ, the AA and other donors.

Cooperation with NGOs and UN organisations

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), UNICEF, UNDP, UN Habitat and the Aga Khan Foundation are implementing projects outside the government - a contribution to improving living conditions and social cohesion.

UNICEF is committed to children and young people. They have suffered and continue to suffer particularly from the war - their resilience has been and is being strengthened through improved school infrastructure, psychosocial support and educational programmes for adolescents. There are also WASH programmes that improve the drinking water and sanitation infrastructure. The devastating earthquake on 6 February 2023 further exacerbated the situation, affecting more than 8.8 million people, including 3.7 million children.

UN-Habitat supports municipalities in rehabilitating public infrastructure. In planning workshops with local communities, internally displaced persons and representatives of the administrations, priorities are set together and the implementation of measures is initiated. These workshops are attended by representatives of different age groups, men and women, refugees and locals. In addition to the destruction caused by acts of war, there are the consequences of the earthquake in February 2023, which caused widespread destruction, particularly in northern Syria (especially Aleppo and Idlib).

For UNDP, promoting employment was the central concern - and will remain so in the coming months. Jobs are also an important precondition for returnees from neighbouring countries to make a decision. In recent years, short-term jobs have been created primarily through cash-for-work measures - through small-scale rehabilitation work on social infrastructure (schools, hospitals) and the installation of solar panels on these, as well as the removal of rubble and waste disposal. Training, advice and job placement were also organised, as well as subsidies for production equipment, machinery and start-ups.

In rural regions, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) supports smallholder farmers by involving them in co-operative and community models and establishing strategic value chains for agriculture and livestock farming. This is an important building block for stabilisation in a situation characterised by food insecurity and a deterioration in food diversity in the country.

A ‘Syria window’ is currently being opened as part of the B4P facility for peacebuilding (Building for Peace), which has so far been active in Iraq and Yemen. It is funded by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which passes on grants to local NGOs based on local needs analyses for participatory, identified individual projects consisting of infrastructure and service measures as well as peacebuilding activities. This not only contributes to reconstruction in religiously heterogeneous Syria, but also strengthens the potential for peace at regional level. B4P pays particular attention to the needs of girls and women.

Established as early as 2013 - the Syria Recovery Trust Fund

At the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2012, the German Federal Foreign Office (AA), together with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the USA, commissioned KfW to develop and structure the Syria Recovery Trust Fund (SRTF). Since then, KfW has assumed the role of trustee for the financial management of the donor states' contributions. Municipalities in areas controlled by the moderate opposition as well as local and international NGOs working in these areas submitted project proposals to the fund's management unit to finance priority measures. This simultaneously strengthens local structures and ensures that the fund's activities are in line with actual needs on the ground.

Thanks to repeated contributions from most donors as a sign of continued support for the Syrian population, the total volume of the fund now amounts to almost 373.9 million euros. In December 2024, Germany paid in 10 million euros and the Netherlands 2 million euros.

To date, the fund has reached 14 million people with basic supplies, income opportunities and food security and is characterised by effective implementation, low overheads and a high degree of flexibility in responding to political changes.

Two successful SRTF projects

An agricultural project that supported livestock farmers in 42 cooperatives in the Ar-Raqqa governorate was successfully completed at the end of 2024. Productivity was significantly increased through the modernisation of agricultural and livestock breeding centres, the provision of two mobile veterinary clinics and the training of veterinary staff and technicians. More than 100,000 animals have been vaccinated and are healthy, which has increased farmers' incomes. 3,897 livestock farmers - including 818 women - benefited directly during the project period.

In November 2024, a healthcare programme was completed in the governorate of Deir-ez-Zor in eastern Syria. Two health centres and a mobile clinic were supported with medicines, medical consumables and medical equipment. This made it possible to provide basic healthcare services for children, family planning services and measures to prevent and control communicable diseases. Psychological and dental care was also improved. In addition, laboratory equipment, medicines and ambulances were purchased. With a budget of around 1.8 million euros, this programme benefited 158,933 patients during its 12-month term.