Lebanon

EIIP Lebanon aims to strengthen resilience of local host communities by improving livelihoods for host community members and Syrian refugees through job creation and infrastructure development.

Current EIIP Involvement

The Employment Intensive Infrastructure Programme in Lebanon (EIIP Lebanon) is in its fourth year of implementation. The Syrian crisis has had serious negative repercussions on the Lebanese economy and the labour market, both for displaced Syrians and the Lebanese host communities. The COVID-19 pandemic hits Lebanon at a time where the country is already facing an unprecedented economic crisis, further impairing the capacities of already vulnerable Lebanese and refugees and heightening the risk of social instability.

The EIIP strategy was introduced in 2016 with the development of a project to create short- to mid-term employment opportunities for Lebanese host community members and Syrian refugees through infrastructure works. EIIP Lebanon is funded by Germany through the German Development Bank (KfW) and the first Financing Agreement was signed in December 2016. The project is in its third phase of implementation, until June 2021, and ILO is currently negotiating a fourth phase with KfW.

At the centre of this project is local resource based technology and principles of decent work. Labour-intensive infrastructure interventions include rehabilitation of agricultural roads, construction of markets and irrigation networks, maintenance and spot improvement of secondary roads etc.

Project implementation started in January 2017 in the most vulnerable municipalities that host the most deprived Lebanese and refugees, covering all governorates of the country. The infrastructure measures are complemented by trainings on employment intensive methods for contractors and capacity building for public institutions and communities, including principles of Decent Work and Gender Mainstreaming. Institutional support includes development of operational guidelines and working with the Ministry of Labour to promote development of simplified work permit procedures for Syrian refugees allowing them to legally and formally take up employment.

EIIP Lebanon
Decent Work, Better Infrastructure

Upcoming publications include:

• EIIP Guideline Lebanon May 2020
• EIIP Lebanon COVID-19 Guidance May 2020
• Rapid assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable workers and small enterprises in Lebanon

COVID-19 Response

While the EIIP commits to its objectives of supporting hosting and displaced communities and delivery of highest quality of livelihoods projects, the safety and security of its partners and workers remain at its utmost priority. In response to the current COVID-19 outbreak the ILO Regional Office for Arab States and the EIIP in Lebanon are currently working on two immediate actions: 1) operationalizing the EIIP Guidance on employment-intensive works in response to COVID-19 and raising awareness on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH); and 2) Identifying new EIIP interventions in direct response to the COVID-19 outbreak that can support job retention and support infrastructure development in the priority agro-food sector while boosting employment and income in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, The ILO, together with FAFO Institute for Applied International Studies, has conducted a rapid survey on the impact of COVID-19 on the labour markets in Lebanon, with a focus on refugee, migrant and national workers employed in the informal sector. The work is being conducted through phone-based surveys representing workers and enterprises. In Lebanon, the surveys are being jointly implemented with UNDP and five other international agencies including IRC, DRC, Mercy CORPS, Save the Children, and Oxfam. Data collection in Lebanon began on April 6, 2020 and the report expected to be published towards the end of May 2020.

Historical Information

Prior to the above project, EIIP contributed to two national workshops in 2015 and 2016 to share global experiences on employment intensive investment schemes with international and local NGOs involved in cash-for-work schemes in Lebanon and strengthen their capacity to improve the quality and impact of such programmes.

ILO also collaborated with the World Bank in 2016 to assess the immediate direct, indirect and induced impacts of investments in the road sector on employment in Lebanon. A team of consultants collected and analysed employment-related data and prepared a report for ILO which assessed the employment impacts of roads sector investments in Lebanon (Employment Impact Assessment or EmpIA).