The report provides a diagnosis and a prescription to all those concerned about Syria’s future, irrespective of their political background or affiliation.The report benefits from extensive research undertaken in the framework of The National Agenda for the Future of Syria (NAFS), which brings together hundreds of Syrian and international experts in a mammoth effort to chart the steps to be taken after the conflict ends.

The overarching concepts include not only reconstruction and development, but an emphasis on human rights, social justice and an inclusive society in which all can resolve their grievances peacefully, thereby paving the way for rapid human development. The report provides thorough documentation of the impact of five years of violence and war on Syria’s economy, and pays special attention to the plight of refugees and the extent to which Western sanctions have succeeded, or failed, in achieving their proclaimed objectives.

Although the report is essentially focused on the socioeconomic consequences of the conflict, it goes further and provides several guiding principles and a preliminary action plan focused on the period immediately following an agreement on a political resolu - tion to the crisis. It also offers valuable prescriptions by which the international community could, in the immediate term, mitigate the human damage caused by the crisis.