Field Visit

In August I finally got to go on a field visit out of Damascus. The purpose was to visit two of the projects I am on charge of, to see the progress in the work and to participate in a workshop on drought.

The first day was spent in Deir Ezzor, a town in the Syrian Desert mostly known for oil and the Euphrates River. I went to see the old souq that UNDP is working on restoring, I visited a training center where UNDP provides business related training for young people in the region and finally I went to the municipality building to see the site identified for a UNDP supported one-stop window for the citizens of Deir Ezzor.

As always the most interesting sights were the ones seen after working hours such as the suspension bridge of the Euphrates and dinner by the river smoking shisha with an actual apple on top.

Second day of the visit was spent in Raqqa with initially a visit to the newly renovated one-stop window at the municipality and a visit with the governor of Raqqa in his overly impressive office. Finally, I participated in a workshop on drought where MPs and farmer unions, etc. were busy pointing fingers at each other….

Nice to finally get out of the office for a change.