Crisis Response
ILO continues its support to Beirut City after the devastating Port explosion last year
The ILO’s EIIP programme in Lebanon continues to rehabilitate official authority buildings that were severely damaged in the Beirut Port explosion and create decent jobs, with funding from Germany’s KfW development bank.
BEIRUT (ILO News) – Directly after the devastating explosion in Beirut, the ILO was one of the first organizations to mobilize its resources and provide a rapid response in the city, supporting in clearing rubble and generating decent job opportunities. More than one year has passed, and the ILO is still present on the ground, exerting all efforts to provide continuous support to the city and its people.The ILO’s Employment Intensive Infrastructure Programme (EIIP), funded by Germany through the German Development Bank (KfW), has worked closely with the Beirut Municipality and Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MoPWT) to repair the police station in Beirut’s Karantina area - one of the city’s most disadvantaged areas and one of the hardest hit by the blast – and to rehabilitate the customs building, which was heavily damaged during the blast.
In addition, the EIIP will upgrade the pedestrian network in Karantina in coordination with sister UN agencies (UNDP, UNOPS and UN Habitat), the American University of Beirut and other development partners.
These activities are expected to generate more than 500 decent short-term jobs for Lebanese and Syrian men and women residing in the area.
The ILO with its dedicated EIIP team remains committed to supporting Lebanon through difficult times, all the while promoting decent work and creating new job opportunities for all.