ILO Launches Initiative to Enhance Shelter Conditions and Job Opportunities in Lebanon

Beirut: In a significant expansion of its efforts in Lebanon, the International Labour Organization (ILO) is set to improve the living conditions of displaced families and provide employment opportunities for local communities. This initiative, part of the ILO Employment Intensive Infrastructure Programme (EIIP), is supported by funding from Germany through the KfW Development Bank and internal ILO resources. According to National News Agency-Lebanon, the ILO's initiative will focus on enhancing the infrastructure of collective shelters in areas heavily impacted by the ongoing crisis, primarily targeting facilities in Beirut's Dekwaneh area and the northern city of Tripoli. The program aims to provide better living conditions for displaced individuals while simultaneously creating job opportunities for locals. The initiative will initially offer cash-for-work jobs in the rehabilitation of buildings used as shelters. These jobs will be inclusive, aiming to employ vulnerable groups, including women, men, and persons with disabilities. The work includes the installation of temporary partitions to create private living spaces, rehabilitation of essential facilities such as kitchens and bathrooms, and the improvement of wastewater and stormwater systems. This project is part of the broader ILO Lebanon Emergency Response Plan, which is coordinated with the Lebanese government's Emergency Response Committee under the leadership of the caretaker Minister of Environment, Nasser Yassin. The plan not only addresses immediate needs but also seeks to lay the groundwork for early economic recovery and the restoration of livelihoods in communities devastated by displacement. The EIIP's activities are expected to expand, incorporating additional shelters and regions across Lebanon, aiming to mitigate the broader impacts of the crisis and foster long-term economic sustainability and decent work conditions, in alignment with the ILO's mandate for advancing social protection.