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Middle East and Central Asia > Syrian Arab Republic

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Cover Policy Papers
List of IMF Member Countries with Delays in Completion of Article IV Consultations or Mandatory Financial Stability Assessments over 18 Months
International Monetary Fund
In line with the framework for addressing excessive delays in the completion of Article IV consultations, the following table lists the IMF members for whom the Article IV consultation has been delayed by more than 18 months as of December 31, 2025.
Keywords:
IMF staff; staff report; IMF policy; IMF Policy; transparency policy; Financial stability assessment; Financial sector stability; COVID-19; Economic classification
Cover Technical Assistance Reports
The Syrian Arab Republic: Technical Assistance Report-Report on the National Accounts Compilation Mission (September 2–4, 2025)
International Monetary Fund. Statistics Dept.
A mission was undertaken in Beirut, Lebanon, from September 2 to 4, 2025, by the IMF Middle East Regional Technical Assistance Center (METAC) with the objective of enhancing Syria’s national accounts. The mission evaluated the current work plan for improving annual GDP estimates for 2022–2024 and provided recommendations to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). A comprehensive workplan was established to review data sources, compile supply and use tables, and strengthen staff competencies. This initiative encompasses both immediate improvements and medium-term capacity development, conducted in close coordination with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.
Keywords:
National accounts statistics; GDP; Supply and use tables; METAC.; IMF publication; statistics department; technical assistance provider; CD recipient; staff of the International Monetary Fund; World Bank staff; Government finance statistics; Agricultural sector; Electricity; Mining sector; Asia and Pacific
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Jordan: Fourth Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility, Request for Modification of Performance Criteria, and First Review Under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility Arrangement-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Jordan
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
This paper presents Jordan’s Fourth Review under the Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), Request for Modification of Performance Criteria, and First Review under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) Arrangement. Jordan’s economy remains resilient, supported by sound macroeconomic policies and strong international backing. Economic growth accelerated to 2.7 percent in the first half of 2025, while inflation remains anchored around 2 percent, reflecting the Central Bank of Jordan’s successful efforts to safeguard monetary stability and maintain the peg to the US dollar, despite considerable external headwinds including regional conflicts. Jordan’s economic program supported by the EFF arrangement remains firmly on track, as the authorities continue to pursue sound macro-economic policies and structural reforms to strengthen resilience and boost private sector-led growth and job creation. The authorities have also implemented the two reform measures due for the first RSF review, bolstering Jordan’s economic outlook and prospective balance of payments stability.
Keywords:
labor market; Economic Modernization Vision; financing needs; Eff arrangement; Department of Statistics; Rsf reform measures; Medium-Term Revenue Strategy; economic activity; IMF staff; central bank; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
The Urgency of Conflict Prevention – A Macroeconomic Perspective
Hannes Mueller
,
Christopher Rauh
,
Benjamin R Seimon
, and
Raphael A Espinoza
Can macroeconomic policy effectively help prevent armed conflicts? This paper contends that two key criteria need to be satisfied: the long-term benefits of prevention policies must exceed the costs associated with uncertain forecasts, and the policies themselves must be directly able to contribute to conflict prevention. This paper proposes policy simulations, based on a novel method of Mueller et al (2024a) that integrates machine learning and dynamic optimization, to show that investing in prevention can generate huge long-run benefits. Returns to prevention policies in countries that have not suffered recently from violence range from $26 to $75 per $1 spent on prevention, and for countries with recent violence, the rate of return could be as high as $103 per $1 spent on prevention. Furthermore, an analysis of the available data and results in the literature suggest that sound macroeconomic policies and international support for these policies can play key roles in conflict prevention. Based on these findings, this paper proposes actionable recommendations, for both global and domestic policymakers as well as international financial institutions and multilateral organizations, to promote peace and stability through macroeconomic policy.
Keywords:
Prevention; fragile state; conflict; machine learning; policy simulation; Policy recommendation; prevention policy; et al; conflict prevention; conflict stage country; building state capacity; Fiscal stance; Caribbean; Global; Africa
Cover Technical Assistance Reports
Libya: Technical Assistance Report-Redesign of Income Tax Forms
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
METAC assisted the Libyan Tax Authority in reviewing tax forms to enhance taxpayer data collection. The proposed data set will significantly expand existing information, improving the completeness of taxpayer records and greatly aiding the risk assessment process.
Keywords:
Registration application; Annual Tax declaration for unincorporated taxpayers; Annual Corporate Income Tax; Data; Risk assessment; Industry classification; Business community; Libya.; declaration reporting; LTA staff; LTA income tax operation; income tax registration; request of the Libyan Tax Authority; Income tax systems; Income; Corporate income tax; Tax administration core functions; Taxpayer registration
Cover Policy Papers
2024 Review Of The Poverty Reduction And Growth Trust Facilities And Financing — Reform Proposals
International Monetary Fund. Strategy, Policy, & Review Department
This paper reviews Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) facilities and financing. It proposes a comprehensive package of lending policy reforms and financing measures that aims to bolster the Fund’s capacity to support Low-Income Countries (LICs) in addressing their balance of payment needs, while restoring the self-sustainability of the Trust. The Review proposes a long-term self-sustained annual PRGT lending envelope of SDR 2.7 billion, more than double the PRGT envelope before the Covid-19 pandemic, consistent with the expected demand for Fund’s concessional financial support in the years ahead. The paper also proposes to introduce a new interest rate mechanism to better reflect the heterogeneity among LICs and focus further concessional resources to the poorest countries. These countries (currently 31 LICs) will continue to benefit from an interest-free lending under the PRGT, while other LICs will be charged a modest, and still concessional, interest rate. Additionally, the paper proposes to keep PRGT access limits at their current levels and to implement several reforms, including: reverting the PRGT access norm to the level prevailing before December 2023, streamlining and strengthening the PRGT safeguards, adjusting the PRGT eligibility and graduation framework and updating the list of PRGT-eligible countries, extending the temporarily higher cumulative access limits under the RCF until the end of December 2025, and implementing a targeted adjustment to the Policy Safeguards for High Combined Credit Exposure. On financing measures, the paper proposes to address the remaining gap in PRGT subsidy resources after accounting for the lending policy changes through (1) a further five-year suspension of PRGT administrative expenses reimbursement to the GRA and (2) a framework to deploy IMF internal resources to facilitate the generation of PRGT subsidy resources.
Keywords:
Access limits; COVID-19 pandemic; concessional; concessional financing; PRGT eligibility; economic heterogeneity; low-income countries; LICs; macroeconomic stability; Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust; PRGT; PRGT safeguards; self-sustainability; shock-prone world; World Bank; PRGT eligibility framework; IPAA instrument; E. PRGT contribution assurance; GRA resource distribution framework; PRGT financing; PRGT self-sustainability; investment strategy; PRGT subsidy; GRA distribution; Income; Loans; Poverty reduction strategy; Currencies; Poverty reduction and development; Global
Cover Regional Economic Outlook, Middle East and Central Asia, April 2024
Regional Economic Outlook, Middle East and Central Asia, April 2024
An Uneven Recovery amid High Uncertainty
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.

Abstract

The Middle East and North Africa and the Caucasus and Central Asia regions are positively impacted by the resilience of the global economy. Lower global commodity prices and vigilant policy responses have helped ease inflation in most countries. However, uncertainty and risks have risen amid ongoing conflicts, shipping disruptions, and reduced oil production. This is leading to an uneven recovery across the Middle East and Central Asia, with growth rates varying this year. Policymakers need to ensure economic stability and debt sustainability while navigating geopolitical risks and improving medium-term growth prospects. Amid high uncertainty, it is essential that countries implement reforms to enhance their fundamentals, including by strengthening institutions. Additionally, countries can seize potential economic opportunities amid shifting trade patterns by reducing long-standing trade barriers, diversifying products and markets, and improving infrastructure.

Keywords:
Trade; trade disruptions; trade diversion; trade dynamics; conflict; geoeconomic fragmentation; global value chains; policy actions; IMF staff calculation; MENA country; ME&CA economy; heightened transit trade diversion; oil exporter; trade diversion reshaping trade; headline inflation; Current account balance; Trade balance; Fiscal stance; Exports; Inflation; Middle East and Central Asia; Middle East; Central Asia and the Caucasus; North Africa; East Africa
Publication Date:
18 Apr 2024
Cover High-Level Summary Technical Assistance Reports
Developing Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process SRP Framework
Nehmat H Hantas
and
Sebastien Clanet
The International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s Middle East Regional Technical Assistance Center (METAC) is currently assisting the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) in enhancing its risk-based supervision through the development of a Supervisory Review and Evaluation SRP framework inspired from European Central Bank (ECB) methodology. The Technical Assistance (TA) mission is part of a multi-step medium-term project. The TA mission aimed to design, in coordination with CBJ, a progressive multi-step roadmap defining the major milestones for a full implementation of SRP. The mission noted that several dimensions should be taken into consideration when implementing the SRP, most notably bridging the data gap by building a fully-fledged supervisory risk database through a dedicated IT project, assessing whether the current organization of the Banking Supervisory Department should be adjusted, and progressively cover all material sources of risks in the SRP.
Keywords:
Central Bank; Banking Supervision; Risk-based Supervision; Supervisory Review Process; Roadmap; Milestones; evaluation process SRP framework; TA mission; SRP approach; SRP assessment; capacity development recipient
Cover Policy Papers
Extension of the Periods for Consent to and Payment of Quota Increases
International Monetary Fund. Finance Dept.
On June 15, 2023, the IMF’s Executive Board approved an additional extension, for one year, of the period for members to consent to an increase in their quotas under the Fourteenth General Review of Quotas (“Fourteenth Review”) through June 30, 2024. The previous deadline was due to expire on June 30, 2023. However, the Board of Governors Resolution No. 66-2 provides that the Executive Board may extend the period for consent as it may determine. The Executive Board also approved an additional extension by one year of the period for payment of quota increases under the Fourteenth Review, and an extension for the payment of the quota increases under the 2008 Reform, through June 30, 2024.
Keywords:
Monetary Policy; Political Economy; Quotas; Quota increases; Payment for quota; GRQ; General Review of Quotas; payment period; payment of quota; transparency policy; reform of quota; reform of the executive board
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Libya: Technical Assistance Report-Review the Installation/Implementation Status of Modules/Functionalities of ASYCUDA World at Libyan Customs Administration
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
Middle East Technical Assistance Center (METAC) has arranged a two-phase capacity development (CD) for the Libyan Customs Administration (LCA) of the Libyan Ministry of Finance. The purpose of this mission is to assess the development status of the ASYCUDA World (AW) prototype piloted in the Port of Tripoli and identify areas of short-term CD support enabling LCA to fully exploit the AW functionalities. It will be followed by a study tour to promote peer learning and exchange of best practices in the f ield of customs in particular digitalization issues, through the METAC region.
Keywords:
AW functionality; AW prototype; AW implementation team; implementation status; LCA authorities; Customs administration core functions; Tariffs; Duties; Imports; Middle East; Global