Contractors’ Syndicate: Sector Ready for Reconstruction Despite Bureaucracy

The head of the Contractors’ Syndicate, Fawaz Junaid, told The Syria Report that the contracting sector is eager to implement large-scale projects; however, international sanctions and difficulties in bank transfers may delay the actual start of significant work.

Mr Junaid said that over the past months, the syndicate has held a series of meetings with real estate development and contracting companies from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Jordan, which expressed readiness to participate in reconstruction projects, stressing that priority in contracting will be given to Syrian investors and contractors. There are an estimated 17,000 companies currently working in the sector within Syria. The syndicate added that it is ready to grant construction licences and facilitate administrative procedures to accelerate preparation for the building phase.

Mr Junaid bases his optimism on Decree No. 114 of 2025, issued in June, which amended several articles of Investment Law No. 18 of 2021. The decree granted extensive guarantees to both local and foreign investors, including prohibiting the confiscation of a project except by a final judicial ruling and with compensation at market value. It also approved comprehensive customs exemptions on machinery and equipment used in real estate development projects and tax reductions of up to 80 percent for projects established in real estate development zones. The syndicate said it views this as an encouraging step to activate partnerships between the public and private sectors during the reconstruction phase, though how these zones will be implemented remains unclear.

However, Decree No. 114 of 2025 also authorised the Supreme Council for Development to establish what it termed “real estate development and investment zones.” These are properties or parts of properties—whether built, destroyed, or vacant—of public or private ownership, intended for re-zoning and investment. The council, chaired by the President of the Republic and including the Ministers of Economy, Housing, and Local Administration, among others, is the body authorised to determine the location of these zones and their designated developer. This allows the state to redesign and merge properties within a unified investment framework, without requiring the return of the original owners or preserving previous property boundaries. The expansion of the Supreme Council for Development’s powers to allocate public or private lands raises questions about the mechanisms to protect the rights of original owners and ensure transparency in managing these projects, particularly in areas experiencing disputes or contested ownership claims.

Meanwhile, Faraj Aqda, the treasurer of the Contractors’ Syndicate Council, told The Syria Report that the syndicate is working to expand the base of qualified contractors through Decision No. 19, issued earlier this year, which allowed the return of contractors who had been dismissed during the Assad regime. Mr Aqda said this decision contributed to reinstating about 300 contractors to the syndicate’s register, including major contractors who had been living abroad. He added that the syndicate has extended the implementation of Decision No. 19 until the end of this year, due to the continued receipt of new return requests from dismissed contractors, confirming that the current government shows flexibility in this matter and is working to ease the routine procedures related to licensing.

Data from the syndicate indicates that the start of reconstruction programmes remains dependent on external factors, notably the government’s ability to secure funding and activate banking facilities, in addition to attracting regional real estate development companies that are still awaiting clarity on legal and financial questions. Although Syrian official bodies, including the Syrian Investment Authority, signed numerous investment memoranda of understanding last August with Arab and foreign companies and organisations in the sectors of transport, housing, and infrastructure, the implementation of these projects has not yet begun—making them, for now, part of declared preparations rather than a clear operational plan.