Employment Intensive Infrastructure Programme in Lebanon (EIIP)

Background

Eleven years into the Syria conflict, the situation in Lebanon continues to exacerbate on the economy, institutions, and people across the country. Lebanon continues to host the largest number of refugees per capita and per square kilometre worldwide (1).

To complicate the context even more, since 2019, Lebanon faced an unprecedented and multi-layered economic, financial, social, and health crisis, severely affecting the residents of Lebanon nation-wide. With the current free fall of the economy and skyrocketing inflation, the crisis in Lebanon is most likely to be ranked among the 3 most severe crises episodes globally since the mid-nineteenth century (2). The impact of COVID-19 and the related lockdown measures on people’s livelihood, and the additional suffering resulting from the explosion in Beirut Port were dramatic, in particular for the most vulnerable amongst the Lebanese such as daily workers, elderly, women and men living in poverty, female headed households, and people with disabilities.

With support from The German Government through the KfW Development Bank, the ILO has been implementing the Employment Intensive Infrastructure Programme (EIIP) in Lebanon since 2017, creating short- to mid-term employment opportunities for Lebanese host community members and Syrian refugees through infrastructure works. EIIP in Lebanon is currently in its fifth phase, designing projects based on a thorough assessment of the country’s needs in line with the emerging difficulties, in addition to the lessons learnt from previous phases.

© ILO

The EIIP falls under the livelihoods sector of the Government-led Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) 2022-2023, the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for Lebanon 2023 – 2025, specifically in line with Prosperity section (relating to SDG 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11), where the goal intended for Lebanon is “Improved resilient and competitive productive sectors for enhanced and inclusive income-generating and livelihood opportunities”. 

(1) LCRP 2022-2023 (2022 update)
(2) World Bank Update – October 2021

After the explosion that devastated parts of the Lebanese capital Beirut on August 4th, the International Labour Organization has mobilized its Employment Intensive Infrastructure Programme to clear the rubble, and in the process create decent jobs for Lebanese nationals and Syrian refugees.