International development organisations have gathered in the French capital, Paris, to express their desire to work together to help rebuild Syria.

The organisations met in Paris as part of the Paris Conference on Syria to discuss the challenges facing Syria in terms of humanitarian aid and reconstruction, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the UN World Food Programme and a number of international development organisations.

Participants expressed their desire to work together to ensure unhindered humanitarian access to all parts of Syria.

They underlined their willingness to support the reconstruction of Syria by ensuring the lifting of sanctions in priority sectors such as energy, transport and education.