Abdulsalam Fayez and Mohammad Sio
28 September 2026•Update: 28 September 2026
The Syrian presidency on Monday instructed government bodies to rationalize public spending, cut unnecessary expenditures and strengthen fiscal discipline “under the current circumstances.”
The presidency’s General Secretariat directed government institutions to “rationalize public spending, reduce unnecessary expenditures and reorder the priorities of investment projects according to their necessity and feasibility, while ensuring that the core functions of public bodies are not affected,” the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said.
Salaries and wages, as well as spending needed to maintain health, education, water, energy, security and public safety services, will be exempt from the cuts, according to the agency.
Necessary operational and preventive maintenance will also be excluded from the measures, in line with efforts to strengthen fiscal discipline and improve the efficiency of public resource use.
The presidency also ordered a reassessment of approved investment projects according to their level of necessity, with priority given to projects linked to the continuity of essential services, public safety and the protection of assets and critical infrastructure.
The General Secretariat said the measures are aimed at “maintaining the balance of the state budget, strengthening fiscal discipline, improving spending efficiency and directing available allocations toward priorities and essential services.”
It also stressed the need to review areas of expenditure that can be reduced in a way that generates savings in public funds without affecting the continuity of government institutions.
The directive comes as Syrian authorities seek to stabilize the country’s economic and public-service sectors after 14 years of revolution against the Bashar al-Assad regime.
Key sectors, including health, education, water and electricity, continue to face major challenges because of extensive infrastructure damage and the destruction of thousands of service facilities during the war waged by the Assad regime, while the government is seeking to improve conditions across the country.
