International Labour Organization representative Amal Bani Awad said on Wednesday that preparations were under way to launch a training program to retrain about 1,000 returnees, internally displaced people and members of host communities in Syria. The announcement came as a government workshop discussed rising energy costs, their impact on domestic industry and the continuity of production.
Syria’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour held the workshop at its building in Damascus, attended by Minister Hind Kabawat, representatives of the ministries of energy, economy and industry, and finance, as well as the International Labour Organization and a number of employers.
Energy costs and production continuity
Raghdaa Zaidan, a representative of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, told SANA that the workshop examined the impact of rising energy costs on domestic industry and the continuity of production, while stressing the need to safeguard workers’ rights and job stability.
Jamil al-Othman, the ministry’s director of the labour market, said social dialogue between workers and employers was at the heart of its national strategy for (2026-2028).
Training in renewable energy systems
Bani Awad said the International Labour Organization was working with relevant national bodies to achieve sustainable economic recovery and strengthen social cohesion. Its efforts focus on two initiatives: activating social dialogue among the government, employers and workers, and strengthening public-private partnerships to accelerate investment in renewable energy.
She added that the planned training program would equip participants with skills to install, operate and maintain renewable energy systems.
Industrialists’ demands
Mohammad Ayman al-Mawlawi, head of the Damascus and Rural Damascus Chamber of Industry, said industrialists were calling for energy prices to be brought into line with global levels in a way that protects the state’s rights and enhances the competitiveness of Syrian products. He also called for expanding alternative-energy projects.
Al-Mawlawi called for the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment to be included in future meetings to organize and service industrial zones. The workshop is part of government efforts, in partnership with international organizations, to address rising energy costs, support production, protect workers’ rights, promote investment in renewable energy, and enforce labour and social insurance laws.
