The SRTF Participates in the Working Group on Stabilisation of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh

Amman - Tuesday, 4 April 2023 - The SRTF Director General, Eng. Hani Khabbaz, participated in the “Working Group on Stabilisation of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh” meeting held in Germany, today. During the meeting, Mr. Khabbaz provided an update on the latest developments in Northeast Syria (NES) under the Stabilisation Programme’s Filling the Void (FtV) efforts, which have benefited approximately 1.2 million Syrians in 2022 through the implementation of 16 interventions worth around EUR 43 million.

Mr. Khabbaz highlighted the notable impact of the interventions, including the delivery of quality healthcare, rehabilitation of water and electricity services, agriculture support, and food security interventions. Under the Food Security sector, the restoration efforts of several flour mills and supply of soft wheat for milling have provided bread to 32,680 consumers on a monthly basis.  The DG also shared recent success stories from the SRTF’s livelihood model, the Revolving Credit Fund (RCF). To date, the first two phases of SRTF-funded RCF have provided loans to over 2,300 Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in Northeast Syria with Portfolio at Risk at 2.06% and a Default Rate of 0.13% only.

During the meeting, the DG emphasised the SRTF’s vision on the need for an integrated assistance approach for the growing numbers of returnees in various governorates in NES to help them transition from their current status to being members of their community. He highlighted the importance of supporting the livelihoods of returnees through conflict-sensitive, community-based solutions that address the social, economic and political dimensions as identified by the communities. In his own words, Mr. Khabbaz stressed, “The rehabilitation and reintegration programmes need to be integrated and cannot be improvised or disjointed. To work, integrated programmes require solid coordination - done by people who know the context and have a trusted presence on the ground.”

The SRTF’s Stabilisation Programme has accomplished remarkable results within five years of operations, expanding its reach to serve over 170 communities in Ar-Raqqa, Deir Ez-Zor, and Al Hasakeh with a total budget of EUR 119 million. The SRTF remains committed to its mission to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people.

For further information on the SRTF, please see:

http://www.srtfund.org

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