BEIRUT, 28 July 2015 – New employment and income opportunities for residents of vulnerable communities in the Bekaa region, created under a project implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), have helped stimulate the economic recovery of this crisis-affected region of Lebanon.
The project helped some 300 households, approximately 1,500 people maintain their existing jobs, as well as increase employability, and create further job opportunities for residents from the vulnerable communities in five industrial sub-sectors, including paint, wood, aluminum, textile, and metal.
To mark the end of the project, “Supporting host communities affected by the high influx of Syrian refugees in Lebanon”, which was financed by Japan and implemented by UNIDO in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry, a ceremony was organized today in Beirut.
The Minister of Industry, Hussein El Hajj Hassan, expressed his gratitude to the Government of Japan and to UNIDO for the support provided, and called for more similar cooperation initiatives. “This project created employment and income opportunities for residents from the vulnerable communities in the Bekaa region, and also helped strengthen the social cohesion locally,” he said.
Cristiano Pasini, UNIDO Representative to Lebanon, said that UNIDO emphasizes the potential of the industrial sector for boosting economic resilience and for generating sustainable employment and shared prosperity. He added that “by providing direct and needs-based technical support to small- and medium-sized enterprises, in the form of access to equipment, capacity development and provision of specific business support services, the project has stimulated the economic recovery of the country”.
Since 1971, UNIDO has helped implement over 100 technical cooperation projects in Lebanon, according to Pasini.
Counselor and Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Japan to Lebanon, Keisuke Yamanaka, also took part in the event.
For more information, please contact:
Cristiano Pasini
UNIDO Representative to Lebanon
See email
