"More jobs and better infrastructure for Lebanon", 18 April 2018

The ILO Regional Office for Arab States, in partnership with Lebanon’s Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Social Affairs, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), launched the country’s first Employment Intensive Infrastructure Programme (EIIP). The programme is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the German Development Bank (KfW)... The Employment Intensive Infrastructure Programme in Lebanon formally employs Lebanese and Syrian workers to build much-needed infrastructure projects in various municipal areas across the country. The EIIP programme works to improve the access of Lebanese and of Syrian refugees to decent employment, improve infrastructure and public assets in Lebanon, and enhance the capacity of contractors and government institutions to plan and implement EIIP programmes. The programme also supports the Ministry of Labour in administering work permits to Syrian refugees in a speedy and transparent manner, so that the refugees can legally and formally take up short-term employment... Projects include construction of agricultural roads, water reservoirs and pavements... The Programme places special emphasis on workers’ rights and Decent Work principles, with jobs divided equally among Lebanese and Syrian workers. The current phase of the programme is set to generate almost 96,000 workdays for some 2,400 individuals, at least 10 per cent of whom are women. The Programme will be implemented over three phases...