Nine of every 10 Syrians live in poverty, and the acceleration of economic recovery is the way towards restoring stability

This came in a new report issued by the program today, Thursday, titled “The Impact of Conflict in Syria: A destructive economy, an outsidant poverty, and a difficult path forward towards social and economic recovery.” The UN program said that 14 years of conflict in Syria spoiled nearly four decades of economic and social progress and human capital.

The report warned that, according to the current growth rates, the Syrian economy will not regain its level before the conflict from the gross domestic product before 2080, explaining that the annual economic growth must rise six times to shorten the recovery period to ten years, and an ambitious rise will be required by ten Fold for 15 years to restore the economy to what it should have had had it not been for the conflict.

The report stated that the country’s gross domestic product has decreased to less than half of its value since the conflict began in 2011, and unemployment doubled three times. One in four Syrians has now been unemployed, and the deterioration of the general infrastructure has significantly doubled the impact of the conflict.

The director of the United Nations Development Program, Akhim Steiner, said that, along with immediate humanitarian aid, Syria’s recovery requires a long -term investment in development to build economic and social stability for its people.

He added: “Restore productivity to create job opportunities, reduce poverty, stimulate agriculture in order to achieve food security, and rebuild the infrastructure of basic services such as health care, education and energy, are all basic factors for achieving a sustainable future, prosperity, and peace”.

Huge losses

The report dealt in detail the effects of the conflict, including:

• A loss of GDP is estimated at $ 800 billion over 14 years.
• Three out of four people depend on humanitarian aid and need to support development in the basic fields of health, education, income poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, water, sanitation, energy and housing.
• The poverty rate doubled almost three times from 33 percent before the conflict to 90 percent today.
• Extreme poverty doubles six times, from 11 percent to 66 percent.
• Between 40 and 50 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 15 do not go to school.
• Nearly a third of the housing units were destroyed or severely damaged during the conflict years, leaving 5.7 million people in Syria in need of shelter support today.
• More than half of the water treatment plants and sewage systems were damaged or became unable to work, leaving nearly 14 million people – that is, half of the population – without clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
• Energy production decreased by 80 percent, with more than 70 percent of power stations and transportation stations, which reduced the ability of the national network by more than three quarters.

The report said that the Human Development Index in Syria – a measure of development set by the United Nations Development Program, which combines health, education and income indicators – has decreased from 0.661 in 2010 to 0.557. This is less than the first human development index in Syria recorded in 1990.

The conflict resulted in the killing of nearly 618 thousand people and the disappearance of 113 thousand people, and many lives may have been lost due to the collapse of the health system, as a third of the health centers was damaged and nearly half of the ambulance services were disrupted, according to what was stated in the program report.

A strong approach to recovery

Abdullah Al -Dardari, Assistant Director of the United Nations Development Program and Director of the Regional Office for Arab States, said that the future of Syria depends on a strong approach to developmental recovery, noting that this requires a comprehensive strategy that addresses the reform of government and economic stability and the reconstruction of infrastructure.

He added: “By implementing these interconnected reforms, we can help Syria to regain control of its future, reduce dependence on external aid, and pave the way for a flexible and prosperous future for everyone in Syria.”.

At a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Al -Dardari reviewed the results of the new report.

He explained that reaching the levels of growth mentioned in the report requires economic investments worth 36 billion dollars in ten years except for the housing sector, as well as providing social protection as 90 percent of the population lives in poverty.

He also added that “It is very important to revitalize the productive sector in a country that was self -produced and content in food and most consumer products.”.

He also stressed the need to consider the penalties seriously, noting that it is “With the progress of reforms, we need to make sure to deal with sanctions in a way that allows Syria to deal with these reforms and requirements.”.