Under the patronage of the General Secretariat of the Republic’s Presidency, the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, in cooperation with the Syrian Engineers Syndicate, launched the National Post-Disaster Damage Assessment System for buildings and engineering structures during an event at the Seven Gates Hotel in Damascus.
The system aims to protect lives and property while improving the quality of public safety decisions after disasters. Officials said it will unify assessment procedures, reduce inconsistencies in field evaluations and connect assessment results to planning, repair, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts. The initiative also seeks to establish a national database that authorities can continuously update to support strategic planning and provide a unified reference for government agencies.
Minister of Public Works and Housing Mustafa Abdurazaq described the launch as a significant national step toward strengthening the state’s preparedness for disaster response. He said national engineering and technical teams within the ministry and the Syrian Engineers Syndicate developed the system according to scientific and engineering standards.
Abdurazaq added that the system will improve the speed and accuracy of field assessments while supplying government institutions with reliable data for post-disaster decision-making. He stressed that unified procedures and clear methodologies remain essential for public safety and the protection of citizens.
Coordination Across Key Sectors
Head of the Syrian Engineers Syndicate Eng. Malik Ali said the syndicate is coordinating with several ministries, including emergency and disaster management, tourism, religious endowments, health and transport. According to Haj Ali, the cooperation focuses on implementing safety standards for roads, public facilities, mosques, places of worship and tourism projects as part of broader reconstruction efforts.
The event also highlighted the government’s plans to support damaged facilities through tax relief measures. Finance Minister Muhammad Barnieh said executive instructions tied to the decree exempting damaged facilities from certain taxes represent an important step in supporting reconstruction and creating employment opportunities.
Barnieh stated the new assessment system will help authorities apply the decree accurately and transparently by providing unified data on the extent and type of damage. He added that official assessment reports will allow affected facilities to secure their exemptions and related benefits.
Support for Recovery and Reconstruction
Head of the UN-Habitat Program in Syria Hiroshi Takabayashi said the launch of the national assessment system marks an important development for organizations working in recovery and reconstruction across Syria. He described the initiative as a key step toward improving housing policies and supporting decisions based on national priorities after disasters.
Takabayashi said UN-Habitat continues to cooperate with the Ministry of Public Works and Housing through capacity-building programs and technical development initiatives. He added that the agency is also working to strengthen coordination among government institutions, partners and other relevant bodies involved in recovery efforts.
The launch event concluded with a presentation explaining the system’s operational mechanisms, including engineering assessment stages, data collection methods and the role of technical teams in documenting and submitting reports through unified forms.
