Development

Bisan al-Bunni

It is really hard to notice that shy sign standing in an abandoned spot in front of an old building in the crowded al-Abassyeen Square of Damascus. More noticeable is a small kiosk full of chocolates, biscuits and other candies, which rests right besides the banner announcing the name of the place: “The Family Meeting Center.”

The British-Syrian Society (BSS) held the first International Lawyer’s Conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus last July, under the patronage of President Bashar al-Assad. The event, supported by the Law Society of England and Wales and the American Bar Association, provided Syrian and foreign lawmakers with the opportunity to mingle, discuss new ideas, and find common ground to enhance legal practices in Syria and the Arab world. The entire event was the brainchild of BSS, and showed how active and effective such an organization can be at building bridges between Syria and the United Kingdom.

July 7, 2008, and in collaboration between the State Planning Commission and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), was the launching of Project SYR/08/001 ”Enhancing Civic Engagement in CSR Through Inclusive Growth Based Civic-Private Sector Partnerships.” The event was held under the patronage of Tayseer Al Redawi, Head of the State Planning Commission, and in the presence of Talal Abu Ghazaleh, the Deputy Chairperson of the UN Global Compact.

In 1984, John McCain came to Syria with a Congressional delegation and met with President Hafez al-Assad. He described the 75-minute interview in an article in the Arizona Republic (April 3, 1984), saying that Assad was an “outwardly attractive man” who “projected an aura of confidence and the satisfaction of a general who had just achieved a decisive victory.”

Earlier in 1974, a striking description of the Syrian leader had been made by President Richard Nixon, who said in his memoirs that Assad was a “tough negotiator (who has) a great deal of mystique, tremendous stamina, and a lot of charm. All in all he is a man of substance, and at his age (then 44), he will be a leader to be reckoned with in this part of the world. This man really has elements of genius—without any question!” When Jimmy Carter came to Syria, he wrote, “little was known about his (Assad’s) personal or family life, but former secretary of state Henry Kissinger and others who knew Assad had described him to me as very intelligent, eloquent, and frank in discussing the most sensitive issues. I invited the Syrian leader to come and visit me in Washington, but he replied that he had no desire ever to visit the United States. Despite this firm but polite rebuff, I learned what I could about him and his nation before meeting him.” Carter then added, “During subsequent trips to Syria, I spent hours debating with Assad and listening to his analysis of events in the Middle East…he seemed to speak like a modern Saladin—as though it was his obligation to rid the region of foreign presence while preserving Damascus as the focal point of modern Arab unity.”

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) appoints a new resident representative in Syria

UNDP has been in Syria since 1962, providing assistance to the Syrian government with human development and poverty issues. Its main partner is the State Planning Commission, in addition to many other key development players, providing advice and support on planning, policy-making and capacity building to strengthen economic and social reforms. “The UNDP is working with all ministries in Syria,” says newly appointed resident head of the UNDP Ismail Ould al-Cheikh Ahmed. “I am pleased with the level of cooperation with the government of Syria. Just in one month five important agreements and four memoranda of understanding were signed.” FW: spoke with the new head of the UNDP to understand what direction the organization is taking, and what that means for the Syrian people.

Today we find ourselves facing unprecedented turmoil with world leaders shuttling back and forth to prevent the global economy from grinding to a halt. Collectively we must raise the volume to ensure that the global poverty crisis is tackled with the same level of urgency.

Today there can be no doubts that we live in a global village, one where poverty, in as much as opportunity, has no boundaries. And whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, poverty will find its way to our doorsteps and affect our lives in some form. It is clearer than ever that our future is shared; our prosperity, our security and our progress depend on mutual cooperation.

Amidst clouds of steam and smell of hot grease, I was watching a veteran steam locomotive chuffing past the Hejaz Station to its destiny. Thinking about the creators of the Hejaz Railway brought back to memory all the history lessons I learnt at school about the creators of these engines and the railway that influenced the whole region at large.

To any visitor, the historic location of Hejaz Station seem to be recognized as it has been chosen by local and international production companies to film movies and documentaries about the Ottoman Empire, Lawrence of Arabia, King Faisal and all related feuds- just like stepping back a century in railway history. Yet, I had to remind myself that this was not only history, this was now!

Syria is currently facing enormous challenges in managing its water resources. On the one hand, demand for fresh water is rising continuously from all sectors of the economy as a result of population growth and socio-economic development; on the other, the available water resources are limited. So how is Syria planning to address these challenges, and what options does it have to bridge the gap between rising water demand and the available water resources?

Wael Mualla
In Syria, the total renewable water resources are estimated at 16 billion cubic meters per year. As Syria’s population has now exceeded 18 million, this means that Syria has crossed the Water Scarcity Threshold defined by UNESCO as 1000 m3/per year/per person of renewable water resources, but not in as severe a manner as in Jordan or the Gulf region.
The problem is further exacerbated by seasonal variation, and by the uncertainty of water resources, which could vary considerably from one year to the next because of great dependence on recharge from precipitation.

The business world is one of many challenges, given accelerated growth in the global economy and the many problems that come with it. While this happens, a particular need for entrepreneurs develops, where companies search for those who can elevate their performance, and help them take, or maintain, their due place in the world market.

Ernst & Young, famed worldwide for its auditing services and both financial and administrative consutlations, is now preparing to select an entrepreneur from the Middle East, for the second time in 2008. The company can currently be found in more than 150 countries worldwide, through 135 economic and developmental programs, and boasts 130,000 employees, 4,000 of which are based in the Middle East. The company was first established in Syria in 1989, and deals with both the private and public sectors. Selecting an entrepreneur from the region is part of the the company’s “Competition for Entrepreneurs” that dates back to 2007. To learn more about the competition, especially since “entrepreneurship” is rapidly becoming a trendy word in Syria, FW: met with Tarek Haddad, Ernst & Young’s partner in Syria.

While speaking of the importance of human resources management at the Second Syrian Industrial Forum, quick words teach us the dangers of haste.

  In the latter part of the month of May, I was contacted by a distinguished member of the Syrian Chamber of Industry, who enquired as to my interest in being on the panel of experts at the Second Syrian Industrial Forum being held on May 25 at the Omayyad Hall in the Cham Hotel.