Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has been supporting Lebanon’s economic and social development for more than 40 years. Its office in Beirut is associated with the company’s office in Amman, Jordan.
Lebanon is striving for a sustainable future and is eager to overcome its economic, social and environmental challenges. The 15-year Lebanese civil war from 1975 to 1990 inflicted lasting damage on the country’s economic and social infrastructure. According to the latest census, Lebanon hosts more than 175,000 Palestinian refugees and has taken in around 1.5 million displaced people from neighbouring Syria since 2011. With the highest number of refugees per capita worldwide, the country’s infrastructure is under severe pressure: poverty, humanitarian needs, pre-existing developmental obstacles and socio-economic disparities have increased.
Working mainly on behalf of BMZ and with substantial co-funding from the European Union (EU), as well as the Polish Government, GIZ aims to contribute to maintaining Lebanon’s stability, promote economic growth and improve living conditions for the Lebanese population, displaced Syrians and Palestinian refugees. In Lebanon GIZ works in the following areas:

Education
Drinking water quality
Economic development and employment
Security, reconstruction and peace
In the field of education, development cooperation has improved the contributions to the comprehensive rehabilitation of public schools across the country. These interventions have significantly increased the schools’ capacities and given students a safe and appropriate learning environment.

To improve the quality of drinking water, on-going projects provide equipment, technical advice and training for water establishments in 60 water-treatment locations in southern and northern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.
Aiming at increasing jobseekers’ employability, programmes in Lebanon work on improving the quality of technical and vocational education and training (TVET). The training’s relevance and responsiveness to the needs of the local labour market have been thus far improved. Additionally, GIZ is pursuing an integrated approach combining the improvement of urban infrastructure with measures aimed at creating job opportunities, fostering youth employability, sustaining social stability, creating short-term employment opportunities and building entrepreneurs’ skills in various sectors.

To enhance peaceful coexistence and empower women and young people, multiple programmes foster mutual understanding and dialogue between different social and religious groups. Lebanese women are supported and encouraged to be socially and politically active. GIZ Lebanon systematically addresses gender inequalities with its gender mainstreaming approach and reduces barriers to gender equality in political, economic and social participation and leadership.