As one of the founding members of the United Nations, Syria has had a long history of tireless efforts towards achieving human development. With a clear vision and firm commitment to the development agenda, Syria has laid and crossed many milestones. As a strong partner to the Syrian Government, the UN responds through joint projects, emphasizing national ownership and implementation.

The unique strength of the United Nations is based on its global mandates and comparative advantage to bring about peace and development. Those qualities have been demonstrated continually in the UN's development support in Syria. Today, 11 specialized agencies, funds and programmes are active in the country, and all strive to uphold the UN's core values, which span social, economic and humanitarian needs.

Extending support in the form of technical assistance, policy dialogue, research and capacity building, as well as humanitarian assistance, the United Nations is backing the national efforts to rise to the many challenges and opportunities of this critical period of transformation. As Syria's economy flourishes, national indicators of poverty, health and education are improving, yet disparities between rural and urban areas, and males and females, are still present.

The Millennium Development Goals lie at the core of our efforts, to reduce poverty, achieve environmental sustainability, and improve education, health and gender equality. To achieve these Goals, the UN in Syria is striving to produce strong, coordinated development strategies in the country. Our assistance is aligned through joint programming, where the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) serves as the common plan for all UN Agencies.

I hope that this website will deepen your understanding of the UN's role in Syria, and promote more partners to join hands with us in helping create a healthy, prosperous and equitable future for the Syrian people. Your comments and suggestions can greatly improve our work in the service of human prosperity.

Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed