NEW YORK: Saudi Arabia has provided tangible support to Syria through more than 600 projects worth $1.71 billion, Advisor at the Royal Court and Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah said.
He made the remarks while speaking at an event on Tuesday regarding Syria’s recovery, reconstruction and financial-sector renewal, organised by Qatar and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Saudi Arabia’s support for Syria’s stability
He reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for Syria’s stability, recovery and the prosperity of its people through humanitarian and development assistance spanning more than 25 sectors, including energy, health, education, food security and shelter.
#KSrelief Supervisor General H.E. Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah reaffirms Saudi Arabia’s support for Syria’s recovery and stability and calls for partnerships to advance reconstruction and sustainable development at a UN General Assembly side event.#SaudiArabiaAtUN 🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/nia8to1xJs
— KSrelief (@KSRelief_EN) September 22, 2026
“Syria stands today at a crossroads and faces an opportunity for a genuine transition from crisis to recovery, and we must not miss this opportunity. Therefore, we stress the need for strong alignment among humanitarian, development and peace approaches, ensuring coherence between humanitarian action, development programs and the peace agenda to move from emergency response to sustainable development,” Al Rabeeah said.
He said this reflected Saudi Arabia’s firm belief that people must remain at the centre of the recovery process and that building a better future requires tangible action on the ground.
Saudi Arabia supported lifting of sanctions on Syria
Al Rabeeah added that Saudi Arabia had consistently called for and supported the lifting of sanctions on Syria, arguing that such restrictions could hamper recovery efforts, limit access to essential resources and hinder the delivery of humanitarian and development assistance.
“We believe that removing these obstacles will contribute to greater stability and boost economic recovery,” he said.
“In this context, we believe that reconstruction efforts cannot succeed by relying on grants alone. What we need is a clear and coordinated partnership approach, based on a unified, actionable plan with clear priorities and timelines and viable projects. This should include a comprehensive financing framework that brings together concessional financing, guarantees and investments, as well as a greater role for Islamic finance, so that national priorities can be translated into bankable projects with sustainable development impact,” he said.
SFD supporting development projects in Syria
He also noted that the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) is working with Syria’s Ministry of Finance to support development projects in the energy, water, sanitation, housing and health sectors in the coming months.
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Al Rabeeah cited Saudi Arabia and Qatar’s joint efforts to support Syria’s recovery, particularly through development projects and salary support aimed at ensuring the continuity of essential services and sustaining progress on the ground.
He also stressed the need to translate Syria’s national priorities into bankable and investable projects, saying the goal was not only to rebuild what had been destroyed but also to develop an economy capable of creating jobs, strengthening self-reliance and achieving sustainable growth.
