Ar-Raqqa – Wednesday, 18 January 2023 – The Syria Recovery Trust Fund (SRTF) and the United Nations Development Programme in Syria (UNDP) announced the successful completion of all the activities related to the Rehabilitation of the Pumping Station and Channels in Ar-Raqqa under the Joint Agriculture project.

The project, worth EUR 764,000, included the rehabilitation of the pumping station and around 8.7km of the connected irrigation and field channels. Additionally, 13.9km of agricultural drains in six villages were fully cleaned, and 2.8km of the blocked rainfall watercourse was also cleaned and reopened.

The project has directly benefited 300 farmers, and their 2,100 family members, over a period of 12 months. An additional 18,760 individuals living in the area will benefit from the reactivation of the agricultural land and the improvement of the drainage system.

On this occasion, the SRTF Director General, Eng. Hani Khabbaz, stated: “We are delighted to witness the successful outcome of our first collaboration with UNDP, which is already positively impacting farmers and their families. We highly value working with the UN to help us in our mission to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people and look forward to developing new joint initiatives to empower and enable local communities to attain long-term stability and sustainability”.

UNDP Resident Representative in Syria, Mr Sudipto Mukerjee, highlighted the importance of the project in improving the socio-economic conditions of people living in the area and supporting food security and stability. “UNDP recognizes the significance of the agricultural sector as the backbone of the Syrian economy and its potential impact on the humanitarian situation. Being an important driver to job creation, we are committed to working hand in hand with our partner SRTF to provide the farmers with the tools necessary to improve the quality of their produce while maintaining this sector as a viable and sustainable source of livelihood”.

The rehabilitation of the pumping station and channels has enabled the creation of job opportunities, allowed increased returns, maintained soil fertility and prevented the spread of salinity. The improvement of the agricultural drainage system will reactivate the cultivation of 848 hectares of agricultural land, thereby increasing agricultural productivity in the area. 

For more information about the project, visit: Rehabilitation of Pumping Station and Channels in Ar-Raqqa

About SRTF

The Syria Recovery Trust Fund (SRTF) is a multi-donor trust fund initiated by the Group of Friends of the Syrian People and its Working Group on Economic Recovery and Development. It serves to channel grant funding from the international community in a transparent and accountable manner into projects inside Syria with the objective to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people. Learn more at http://www.srtfund.org

About UNDP

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at sy.undp.org or follow at @UndpSyria.

For more information, please contact:

• Dania Darwish, Communications Specialist, UNDP Syria, dania.darwish@undp.org, +963 989857937

• communications@srtfund.org