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Germany plans $62m boost for Syrian schools, other projects

December 30, 2024 at 1:52 pm

Svenja Schulze, Germany’s economic cooperation and development minister, at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin, Germany, on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. [Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images]

Germany said on Monday that it will back €60 million ($62.7m) worth of projects in Syria to boost education, women’s rights and other areas in the aftermath of the overthrow of president Bashar Al-Assad, Reuters has reported.

Development Minister Svenja Schulze said that a “historic window” had opened since opposition groups seized control of Damascus on 8 December, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war, ending his family’s decades-long dictatorship.

“What will happen next has not yet been decided,” explained Schulze, “but the opportunity for positive development is there and we should now do everything we can to support it.”

Around half of the projects are focused on education with €25m going to the UN children’s agency UNICEF, and €6m for aid group Arche Nova, which runs schools for about 3,000 children.

“We have clearly formulated our expectations: an education system free of ideology, discrimination and exclusion,” added Schulze.

Another €19m will go to the UN development agency UNDP; Syrian NGOs will get €7m; and €3m will go to a special UN fund supporting Syrian women’s groups.

All projects will be run through NGOs and UN aid agencies, not Syria’s new authorities, the German development ministry pointed out.

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