IMF Mission Meets Finance Minister
Syria's Minister of Finance, Mohammad Yisr Barnieh, met a visiting International Monetary Fund (IMF) technical mission in Damascus on 25 October 2026. The discussions focused on the next stage of a joint program to strengthen the country's macroeconomic forecasting and the management of its public finances.
The talks mark a further step in the government's work with the Fund on the technical tools that underpin budget planning.
Forecasting Model Enters Phase Two
The two sides discussed moving ahead with the second phase of a project to build a macroeconomic forecasting model and a medium-term fiscal framework. The stated aim is to give budget decisions a firmer analytical foundation.
The program also covers preparing regular quarterly reports on the macroeconomy and public finances, updating official data, developing the ministry's fiscal policy tools, and improving the forecasting skills of its staff.
Framework Tied to Finance Law
The medium-term fiscal framework is being folded into a broader reform of the basic public finance law. Under the approach described, targets for government revenue, spending, and public debt would be linked directly to economic forecasts and to a formal system of risk management.
A medium-term framework of this kind is intended to set spending and borrowing plans over several years rather than a single annual budget, tying each year's choices to a longer horizon.
Article IV Consultations Prepared
The meeting reviewed preparations for Article IV consultations, the Fund's regular assessment of a member country's economy. As part of that process, the mission is expected to examine the ministry's economic forecasts, its analysis of fiscal risks, and the organizational structure of its fiscal policy department.
A Deepening Engagement
The session followed an earlier meeting on 24 September 2026, when the minister and the mission went over a preliminary report on technical assistance for government finance statistics. That work draws on the Fund's Government Finance Statistics Manual, an international standard for compiling and reporting public accounts.