The manager of the GTZ Program for Sustainable Urban Development (UDP) visited Tartous governorate on Tuesday 3rd of February 2009 to hand over the final report on the preservation and development of the old city of Tartous to his Excellency the Governor of Tartous.
The report's main themes had been developed earlier in a two day workshop conducted by the GTZ-UDP Aleppo project and stakeholders from all sectors in Tartous city on 17th to 18th of November 2008. Aleppo project is one of the four projects of the GTZ-UDP "Program for Sustainable Urban Development", it has achieved a great success in cooperation with Aleppo city council and directorate of the old city of Aleppo in the rehabilitation of the old city of Aleppo. UDP management aims now to transmit this experience and success to other old cities in Syria.
GTZ-UDP General Director Mr. Hilmar von Lojewski emphasized three major necessities:

1. Immediate interventions to ensure safe living conditions for people and visitors in the old city and allocation of related funds.
2. Elaboration of a rehabilitation strategy based on the major findings of the workshop
3. Seeking alliances with private sector based on public-private agreements on uplifting the physical and economic situation of the old city
Mr. von Lojewski added that the UDP-Aleppo project team is ready to support Tartous old city in advising further on the rehabilitation strategy, and GTZ-UDP encourages the local authorities to establish close links with the private sector for the acquisition of funds.
On his side, His Excellency the former Governor of Tartous Dr. Waheeb Zeineddin stressed that Antrados Project is expected to rehabilitate the facades of Tartous Old City. Further details on this private funding still need to be elaborated.
Click on the link below to download the full report.

Tartous Old city report in English