SAVAR (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) Employment-Intensive Infrastructure Programme (EIIP) in Lebanon, funded by the German Government through KfW Development Bank, participated in the EIIP South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) Forum held from 8–10 April 2025 in Savar, Bangladesh.
Organized by the ILO and the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) of Bangladesh, the forum brought together government delegations, technical experts, and development partners from across Asia and the Arab States to exchange experiences and best practices on employment-intensive approaches that promote recovery, resilience and sustainable development.
A delegation including ILO EIIP Senior National Advisor Tarek Jaber, Green Plan Director General at Lebanon’s Ministry of Agriculture Raymond Khoury, and Project Manager at the Lebanon Reforestation Initiative (LRI) Sophie Mansour represented Lebanon at the event. They shared insights and achievements from Lebanon’s "Greening the Lands" programme—an initiative that links agricultural infrastructure development with local employment generation, climate resilience and rural revitalization.
Through a strong collaboration with the Green Plan and LRI, ILO EIIP Lebanon supports vulnerable communities by rehabilitating agricultural land, enhancing water security, and creating green jobs. The initiative has created over 1 million worker days for Lebanese and Syrian workers across EIIP projects, and rehabilitated over 1,000 farms and agricultural plots. It has also overseen the construction of 817 water reservoirs, improving rural water access and agricultural productivity. It has worked to strengthen social inclusion, ensuring the participation of women and persons with disabilities in employment opportunities.
The Lebanon team emphasized how employment-intensive and Local Resource Based approaches not only address urgent needs during crises but also build long-term social cohesion, environmental sustainability, and economic empowerment.
Lebanon’s successful model resonated strongly with other countries facing similar challenges, inspiring discussions on future collaboration, cross-border knowledge exchange, and the replication of employment-based rural development strategies. The SSTC Forum provided a platform for exploring new South-South cooperation pathways, reaffirming Lebanon’s leadership role in demonstrating the effectiveness of employment-intensive investments within the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus.
By showcasing its integrated approach to rural recovery and resilience, ILO EIIP Lebanon highlighted how effective partnerships for employment creation can drive sustainable development, offering practical solutions for countries seeking to strengthen livelihoods, foster social stability, and adapt to climate challenges.
The forum concluded with a shared commitment to deepen South-South cooperation and mainstream employment-intensive investment models across national development frameworks—ensuring that jobs remain at the heart of building resilient and inclusive societies.
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