Forum Opens in Damascus
Syria and the European Union will open a new forum in Damascus on 17 November 2026 to coordinate international support for the country's recovery. The platform, known as the SPCF, is organized by the International Cooperation Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs in partnership with the European Union.
Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani and the European Union's Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, are set to deliver the opening remarks.
From Brussels to a Standing Process
The forum grows out of a meeting held in Brussels in May 2026, where Syrian officials presented national recovery priorities spanning infrastructure, essential services, institutional capacity, economic and social resilience, and public administration.
Its stated purpose is to move donor engagement from separate, one-off meetings toward a continuous process tied to planning, implementation, and measurable results, without replacing existing humanitarian coordination or bilateral agreements.
How It Will Work
Under a structure still being finalized, the forum would include a senior officials' meeting, a steering committee, and a secretariat housed within the International Cooperation Directorate, alongside sector and technical working groups led by Syrian ministries and agencies.
The European Union will serve as the international co-chair for the next two years.
Financing Mechanisms
The forum is linked to a Technical Assistance Mechanism supported by a European Union-backed hub, and to the START fund, a multi-donor fund run jointly by the Syrian government and the World Bank.
Organizers describe the forum as a coordination platform rather than a funding body or implementer, meaning it channels and aligns support rather than disbursing money itself.
Three Agenda Themes
The launch session is built around three themes: progress achieved since the Brussels meeting, converting national priorities into fundable and implementation-ready projects, and the economic environment and the role of the private sector.
Roughly 30 international bodies are expected to take part in the Damascus gathering.