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STORY: UNDP / SYRIA DE CROO VISIT
TRT: 02:34
SOURCE: UNDP
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNDP ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: SEE THE SHOT LIST
01 APRIL 2026, JORDAN-SYRIA BORDER, SYRIA
1. Various shots, UNDP Administrator Alexander de Croo arriving in Syria and greeting officials
2. Wide shot, UN convoy
01 APRIL 2026, JOBER, SYRIA
3. Various shots, destroyed buildings
4. Wide shot, De Croo walking with de-miners
5. Various shots, destroyed buildings
6. Wide shot, De Croo speaking with UNDP officials
7. Wide shot, De-miners
01 APRIL 2026, JORDAN-SYRIA BORDER, SYRIA
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Alexander de Croo, UNDP Administrator:
“Syria comes out of a 14-year period of a horrible conflict. Today, more than 90 percent of the population still lives in poverty. The needs are huge, and UNDP is here to invest into stabilization, into recovery and to rebuilding the country.”
RECENT - ZIBDIN, SYRIA
9. Various shots, UNDP-supported water treatment plant
01 APRIL 2026, ZIBDIN, SYRIA
10. Various shots, De Croo walking through water treatment plant and speaking to engineers
02 APRIL 2026, DAMASCUS, SYRIA
11. Wide shot, De Croo and USG for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher walking together
12. Various shots, De Croo and Fletcher greeting Syrian officials and attending Syrian Ministerial Meeting
13. Wide shot, De Croo and Syrian officials walking towards Prosthetics Centre
14. Various shots, De Croo walking through Prosthetics Centre and speaking to doctors and patients
15. Various shots, prosthetics
UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo and UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Tom Fletcher completed a two-day joint visit to Syria on 1–2 April 2026.
De Croo and Fletcher met President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani, and a range of senior government officials. The visit coincided with two significant milestones: the joint launch of Syria's Statement of Recovery Priorities for International Cooperation, and the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan.
De Croo travelled to Damascus and surrounding areas, including the devastated suburb of Jobar, where he delivered a message for the International Day for Mine Awareness. According to UNMAS, two out of every three Syrians are at risk of death or injury from landmines and explosive remnants of war. Both officials underscored that clearing contaminated ground is not a separate task from rebuilding the country — it is what makes rebuilding possible.
They also visited the Zibdeen Wastewater Treatment Plant in Eastern Ghouta, one of Syria's first decentralized wastewater treatment facilities, rehabilitated by UNDP and now serving around 50,000 people in surrounding communities.
Syria is at a pivotal moment. Fourteen years of conflict have left an estimated 90 percent of the population below the poverty line and 15.6 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. More than 1.3 million Syrians have returned since December 2024, increasing pressure on communities that are already stretched. The cost of delaying recovery is rising.
UNDP has maintained a presence across all 14 of Syria’s governorates throughout the conflict. In 2025, its work reached nearly nine million people, supporting access to electricity, water, healthcare, education and livelihoods.
