Directive to Public Bodies
The Presidential Secretariat has instructed government entities across Syria to rationalize spending and halt unnecessary expenses, while reordering the priorities of investment projects according to their necessity and feasibility. The directive, issued on 28 September 2026, was framed as a response to current fiscal conditions.
Acting on recommendations from the Ministry of Finance, the secretariat called on public agencies to tighten expenditure controls in order to strengthen financial discipline and the efficient use of public resources.
What Stays Funded
The instructions exempt salaries and wages from any reductions, along with spending deemed essential to health, education, water, energy, security and public safety. Routine maintenance and preventive operations that keep public facilities running are also shielded from cuts.
The stated aim is to preserve the continuity of basic services and prevent any disruption to essential functions even as budgets are trimmed elsewhere.
Reordering Investment Projects
Investment projects are to be reassessed against a set of criteria: their necessity, their completion rates, existing contractual commitments, their financial impact and their expected economic returns. Priority is to be given to projects that support basic services, protect public safety and infrastructure, or demonstrate clear economic viability.
Budget Discipline Goals
The measures are intended to maintain balance in the state budget, promote financial discipline and raise the efficiency of public spending. The secretariat tied the directive to the government's broader effort to manage public finances more tightly under present circumstances.
By protecting core wages and services while pruning discretionary outlays, the approach signals an attempt to consolidate the budget without cutting the spending that reaches households most directly.