Update July 2000: Syria

1. Overview

SHAAM 2000, the sixth annual exhibition on Information and Communication Technology in Syria, took place between 25th and 30th April 2000. This exhibition has shown that a large number of ministries and government agencies are involved in the drive towards computerisation leading to the formation of Information Society (see Promotional Activities Memo). Ministries have exhibited their information systems and computer applications developed to cover their own needs. Many of them have reached a reasonable level of maturity after going through two or more generations of ICT systems. Some of them are capable of designing their systems and developing the needed application software. In each of these ministries and public establishments, a contact person for ICT domain has been designated and entered into the ESIS database.

2. Ministries and Governmental Organisations

Following is a list of the ministries and governmental agencies that are potential players for IS and that have exhibited ICT systems of various levels of sophistication. They are all driving towards improving and modernising their systems within the available means of human resources and finances. Responsible contact persons with related information can be found in the ESIS database. Those involved in projects that can be classified as IS projects are indicated with an asterisk (*).

2.1 Ministries:

• Ministry of Health *
• Ministry of Tourism
• Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources
• Ministry of Education *
• Ministry of Higher Education *
• Ministry of Finance *
• Ministry of Agriculture
• Ministry of Irrigation
• Ministry of Local Administration
• Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade
• Ministry of Information
• Ministry of Housing and Utilities
• Ministry of Industry
• Ministry of Justice
• Ministry of Interior *

2.2 Public establishments:

• Syrian Petroleum Company *
• Al-Furat Petroleum Company *
• Deir Ezzor Petroleum Company
• Banias Refinery Company
• Homs Refinery Company
• Syrian Arab Airlines *
• SYRONICS
• General Organisation of Remote Sensing
• General Directorate of Radio and Television
• General Housing Establishment
• General Establishment of Electricity *
• General Establishment of Surveying
• General Company for Cable Industry
• Public Establishment of Social Insurance *
• Syrian Telecommunications Establishment (STE) *
• Central Bureau of Statistics
• Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums
• Arab Advertising Organisation
• Syrian Arab Establishment for the Distribution of Printed Matter
• Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
• Tishreen Foundation for Press
• Dar Al-Baath
• Damascus International Fair
• Directorate General of Meteorology

2.3 Banks:

• Real- Estate Bank *
• Commercial Bank of Syria *

2.4 Universities:

• Damascus University *
• Aleppo University *
• Tishreen University *
• Al-Baath University *
• Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (HIAST) *
• Intermediate Computer Institute of Damascus University
• Intermediate Computer Institute of Tishreen University

2.5 Semi-public institutions:

• National Information Centre *
• Syria Shell *
• Elf Hydrocarbures Syria *
• Damascus Chamber of Commerce
• Damascus Chamber of Industry

The new Director General for STE, the sole operator of the conventional telephony, satellite and submarine communication infrastructure in Syria, is now Eng. Mohammad Maarouf. He replaces Eng. Makram Obeid who has become Minister of Transport in the new government.