Interview: Mohammed Yisr Barnieh, Minister of Finance, on rebuilding trust, driving reform and fostering growth
How much has the Ministry of Finance changed since your arrival in 2025?
MOHAMMED YISR BARNIEH: The transformation of the ministry has been guided by a clear institutional vision. The Ministry of Finance Strategy 2026-30 was introduced around three strategic pillars: improving public finances, reforming the financial sector and promoting economic growth. The pillars are supported by clear programmes and measurable performance indicators. Our ambition is to transform the ministry from one focused on collection and control into an institution that supports development, partnership and transparency.
Rebuilding trust has been central to the transformation. One of our first initiatives was to visit the chambers of commerce and industry to listen directly to businesses and involve them more closely in policy making. This strategy is being translated into concrete reforms. We have strengthened the ministry’s organisational and regulatory framework, including the General Tax Authority, finance directorates and the wider public financial management system. We also established a dedicated macrofiscal unit to improve economic and fiscal analysis and medium-term planning.
Fiscal transparency is another major priority. For the first time in Syria, we published a 2026 Citizens Budget and a Mid-Year Budget Performance Report, providing greater visibility over how public resources are planned and used. Tax reform is progressing in parallel. Draft tax reforms and legislation are currently being discussed with the business community. Public sector wage and anti-corruption reforms are continuing. The ministry’s first integrity policy has been introduced and we have established a dedicated Digital Transformation Department to modernise financial processes and services.
Internationally, we have rebuilt constructive engagement with the IMF, World Bank and other development partners. We are working with the World Bank through the approved Public Financial Management project to strengthen fiscal governance and institutional capacity.
What are the biggest challenges to economic revival and how do you assess Syria’s prospects?
BARNIEH: Syria continues to face major economic and institutional challenges after years of conflict, including damaged infrastructure, weakened productive capacity, high poverty and unemployment, and limited access to investment and financing. Rebuilding confidence in public institutions will also require continued progress in governance, transparency and service delivery.
At the same time, we are moving from crisis management towards structured reform. Under the Ministry of Finance Strategy 2026-30, reforms are under way. Improving living standards is a key priority. We have continued reforms to wages and salaries, including targeted measures for key sectors such as justice, education and health care. The National Initiative to Combat Poverty and Improve Livelihoods and the Syria No Camps Initiative, for example, bring together relevant government institutions and partners.
The management of oil and gas revenue also forms part of the ministry’s fiscal responsibilities. We are working with the relevant ministries and institutions to develop a transparent framework for the management of oil and gas revenue to ensure that these resources support national development priorities.
The ministry is collaborating with the Central Bank and other institutions on financial-sector reform, including public banks, non-performing loans, financial integrity, anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism, and capital-market development, while strengthening public debt management and fiscal sustainability within the ministry’s mandate.
The scale of reconstruction will require strong partnerships with the domestic private sector, Syrian investors abroad and international partners. We see energy, infrastructure, housing, tourism, agriculture and light manufacturing as important engines of recovery. Education, health care, vocational training and digital transformation will also be essential to reconstruction.
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