Workshop in Syria advances National Roadmap for Disaster Risk Reduction
13 November 2025, Damascus - Today, the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management of Syria launched a "National Consultation Workshop" in Damascus, bringing together government agencies, the UN, and international partner organizations, and civil society stakeholders. The gathering focused on preparing a comprehensive national roadmap for disaster risk reduction in Syria and identifying priority gaps.
Key focus areas
The workshop emphasized the need to establish clear roles and coordination mechanisms among all institutions in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.
Participants called for a full review of existing legislation, strategies, and plans to ensure alignment and coherence of risk-reduction efforts in Syria.
A major priority emerged: updating the national risk register to reflect historical high-impact hazards, including the latest climate-related risks, and feed into a national database.
During the workshop, Ahmed Qaziz, Deputy Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management, underscored that disaster-risk management is "a collective responsibility, requiring broad national coordination". He noted the government had begun the first phase of developing the national DRR plan and will distribute task matrices among ministries, private-sector actors, civil society, and international partners.
From the regional perspective, Ridan Al‑Sakkaf, Regional Deputy Director for the Arab States at UNDRR, highlighted that cooperation with Syria's authorities is vital to build a resilient disaster-risk-management system. He reaffirmed UNDRR's support in technical guidance, capacity building, and strategic planning - moving from post-disaster response toward risk-informed prevention and anticipatory action.
Maher Khalouf, Deputy Minister of Public Works and Housing, also stated that his ministry will play a central role in pre-emergency readiness and rapid intervention, particularly by mobilising the sector's equipment, logistics, and contracting capacity.
Toward a resilient Syria
With growing hazards linked to climate change, environmental degradation, and protracted crisis contexts, the workshop in Damascus marks a foundational step toward building a nationally-owned, integrated disaster-risk-management framework in Syria.
UNDRR and national partners will continue to collaborate to translate the roadmap into action, strengthen coordination, invest in institutional capacity, and mobilise the resources required to protect lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure.