EIIP Lebanon Monthly Update –May 2026

‍General Overview

Humanitarian, development, as well as livelihoods needs in Lebanon remain acute and continue to evolve amid ongoing hostilities and repeated displacement orders due to the escalation of the war as of March 2, 2026. Continued insecurity has triggered further displacement of more than 1,000,000 internally displaced persons, particularly affecting Beirut and Mount Lebanon, the South, and parts of the Bekaa. Displacement patterns remain highly dynamic, with many households forced to move multiple times on short notice and with few safe alternatives. Based on the IOM situation report number 11, 130,369 individuals are still displaced across 632 collective shelters as of 31 May, overwhelming hugely overstretched services .

As such, the Employment-Intensive Infrastructure Programme (EIIP) Phases V (2023- 2026) and VI (2024–2027), funded by the Government of Germany through KfW and implemented by the ILO, remain a critical crisis response and recovery instruments in Lebanon’s highly volatile context. Furthermore, the financing agreement for EIIP Phase VII (2026 – 2027) was also signed with KfW and put in effect as of early January 2026 for a budget of 9.95 million Euros.

Covering the period May 2026, this factsheet reflects a phase focused on shifts to programme set-up, project identification, and implementation due to the escalation of conflict that started on March 2, 2026.

Sustainable Infrastructure Development:

By the end of 2025, EIIP Phase V contributed to improved access to essential public infrastructure across multiple governorates through municipal works, routine road maintenance, agricultural and environmental activities, as well as emergency shelter rehabilitation. Most planned interventions were completed, while a few additional projects commenced under the extended timeframe. A formal request for a no cost extension on the phase agreement was sent to KfW for an additional 2 month period (till end of August 31 2026) to be able to allow for the proper completion and contractual closure of ongoing activities, without any additional funding requirements, and to ensure that all outputs are delivered in a technically sound and fully compliant manner.

For Phases VI and VII, project identification followed a structured, evidence-based and participatory approach. A prioritized pipeline of infrastructure interventions was developed across municipal infrastructure, routine road maintenance, agricultural (green) infrastructure, and social protection facilities (pending clearance). The process applied vulnerability criteria and technical, economic, social, and sustainability assessments to ensure transparent and impactful selection. Projects were shared with KfW for review, with some allocated to Phase VI and others deferred to Phase VII.

Nevertheless, as of March 2, due to the ongoing security situation and evolving crisis, several EIIP projects scheduled to begin implementation in the coming months have been temporarily placed on hold until conditions allow for safe execution. A careful geographical review was conducted to assess accessibility and security risks.

Projects located in relatively stable and accessible areas will proceed as planned. Their continued implementation remains critical to:

• Providing short-term employment opportunities for vulnerable and unskilled labour

• Supporting essential municipal and community infrastructure

• Addressing urgent service gaps affecting both host communities and displaced populations

The EIIP remains flexible and responsive, continuously adapting implementation timelines and geographic priorities to ensure safety, maintain operational continuity where feasible, and sustain crisis-response support.

In this context, EIIP has recently advanced the longlist of projects previously shared with KfW under the Phase VI identification process, with increased focus on vulnerable yet accessible localities. Thus, new potential projects have been identified to replace interventions planned for in both phases VI and VII that are currently impossible due to the security constraints. The same vulnerability assessment tool that was developed for phase VI was used, however through replacing the weights introduced on conflict effected areas due to 2024 war by accessibility criteria due to current war. The new updated list was shared with KfW for their no-objection.

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Below is a table indicating status of each project within phases V and VI:

Phase V:

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Phase VI:

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Employment Generation:

By the end of May 2026, the project had generated 368,678 worker-days and 5,884 jobs, reaching almost 98% of its updated Phase V employment targets. Employment generation has not yet materialized for phases VI and VII, however recruitment should start by July 2026 together with the commencement of several projects as mentioned in the tables above.

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‍Overall employment figures

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Capacity Building and Institutional Strengthening:

During the reporting period no activities have been completed under the capacity building pillar, mainly due to the ongoing conflict and thus complete shift in national and local government priorities.

During the reporting period no activities have been completed under the capacity building pillar, mainly due to the ongoing conflict and thus complete shift in national and local government priorities.

Specifically, within phase V, two outputs have not yet been completely achieved mainly concerning number of MoSA and MoL officials trained on EIP and ESSF guidelines. A workshop is confirmed to be done for the Ministry of Social Affairs on June 18 tackling decent work, OSH, and employment intensive guidelines, targeting around 25 SDC and staff members. The EIIP team has been in touch with the Ministry of Labour focal points, however no reply has been received yet. Further efforts will be directed towards ensuring that the workshop will take place before the end of Phase V. A clearer reality on this should be reflected during the upcoming report.

A workshop is also to be conducted on the 9th of June for prequalified contractors on Local resource-based technology, employment intensive projects guidelines, OSH, decent work …etc.

Furthermore, the update of the EIP guidelines is currently being finalized beyond which comprehensive institutional strengthening activities under phases VI and VII will commence as per annex 03 of the Phase VI semi-annual report covering till end of December 2025.

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Communication and Visibility:

Theproject has solicited a supplier for videography and photography under remainingphase V funds to support visibility of EIIP and showcase the activities underthe ongoing phase V infrastructure projects with further focus on emergencyresponses, including testimonials and success stories from beneficiaries andstakeholders. The material should be developed before the end of the phase Vterm.

During thecourse of June, interviews and field visits will be conducted in the TownClearing activities in Beirut and Mount Lebanon as well as Haouch el Harime andMarj projects.

More information on EIIP Lebanon can be found on thewebsite: www.EIIPLebanon.com.

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Program Studies and Knowledge Hub:

The program has launched a tender for a consultant to conduct a tracer study to assess the employment and on the job orientation outcomes of EIIP short-term workers. The aim of the study is among others to measure impact on livelihoods on the beneficiary and their households during their short-term employment within the EIIP (disaggregated by gender, nationality, and disability) and assess employment status and income changes at 3,6, and 12-month intervals post-project. The study is expected to convene with the beginning of the second half of 2026.

As per the ILO Evaluation Guidelines, an Evaluability Assessment of phase VII is also being planned, the purpose of which is to systematically the program’s objectives, whether they are clearly defined and its results are measurable. It ensures that a future evaluation is justified, feasible, and will yield reliable, evidence-based results. The RFQ for the consultant is to be launched during the month of June 2026.

A new round of daily wage monitoring survey is currently being planned with the aim to provide an updated analysis of prevailing wage rates for daily workers across Lebanon. The survey will generate evidence on current labour market conditions, wage trends, sectoral variations, geographic disparities, and factors influencing wage determination in the current volatile context. The findings will support the development of evidence-based recommendations to inform wage-setting practices in employment programmes and contribute to ensuring that wages remain aligned with labour market realities, workers' needs, and principles of decent work.

The assessment will further contribute to strengthening coordination among partners by providing a common evidence base for wage-setting decisions and helping ensure consistency, fairness, adequacy, and accountability across employment-intensive interventions implemented throughout Lebanon. The study is expected to take place during the months of July-August 2026.

The newly published MoL regulations on working permits for non-nationals, the recent circular on jobs restricted to nationals with the exceptions under which the Minister of Labour may still authorize foreign workers, subject to the conditions of Decree 17561/1964 and applicable sector quotas, in addition to the dissolution of the UNHCR refugee registration system pose many questions to the mere application of the short-term employment programs. Thus, ILO is currently closely coordinating with both MoSA and MoL to identify best practical measures for these regulations to be applied and updates in this matter will be duly communicated with KfW and partners. Additionally, ILO is also co-leading on the coordination between the regularization and livelihoods responses with both UNHCR and UNDP. Guidelines developed within these coordination groups will be duly shared with KfW for information and feedback within the aspects of short-term employment.

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