Lebanon

Country Director

Antoine Karam

Our approach

In Lebanon and the surrounding region, Swisscontact invests in assessing development needs in relevant sectors. The organisation organises assessments of the skills and capacities of existing local and national partners with the aim of capitalising on their strengths in specific areas and strengthening them.

We offer expert services, project solutions, and develop local partner capacities to ensure optimal development impact.
We offer nexus oriented impact projects designed through programs linkages
We ensure optimal impact by offering tailor made sustainable and long term solutions in our development projects

In addition to impact project management, we provide technical support services such as risk assessment, resource management and capacity building.

Current assessment

Working in an Economic Nexus context requires an investment in knowledge of local and national dynamics and opportunities. In order to participate in the development of sustainable responses, Swisscontact conducts research to understand what the key areas are and seeks serious partners with coherent actions to outline local based solutions.

WHERE WE WORK

Our expertise

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

In the middle east, most SMEs are micro and small enterprises. They constitute 80% of the labour market and face financial and non-financial barriers to growth.

The entrepreneurial ecosystem was developed to maintain existing jobs, create new jobs, and allows MSEs to generate income.

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Labour Market Insertion

Marginalized segments of society face obstacles to labour market insertion.

These obstacles range from the lack of market opportunities, mismatches of supply of skills and demand of skills, and the lack of skills, and other institutional barriers for particular communities.

As such, our skills development approach not only addresses the skills element in the form of VET, coaching, and upskilling, but also other barriers to entry.

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Sustainable Agriculture

After analysing the market dynamics and technical elements of the Lebanese agriculture sector, Swissontact chose to support national stakeholders in distribution of fresh produce, the establishment of alternative and renewable energy sources, and the diversification of their sources of income.

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Our interventions

Employment Support

Our employment support program focuses on facilitating the successful integration of marginalized Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian youth into the labor market. Through our intervention, we offer a powerful global coaching cycle product known as Coaching for Employment (C4EE), specifically designed to enhance employment prospects. Additionally, we provide a range of employment office services to further support youth in their job search journey. By participating in our program, youth gain valuable skills, guidance, and increased opportunities for employment.

Business Center/Business HUB

Swisscontact in Lebanon has introduced a range of user-friendly digital solutions to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in offering their microservices, to access new markets, and increase their visibility. In addition, we are dedicated to enhancing the technical capacities of these businesses by providing targeted skill development in key areas. Through our employment support program, we also facilitate connections between these enterprises and youth, offering internships and potential employment opportunities whenever possible.

Agriculture

We are currently collaborating with ICRC in Akkar on a sustainable agriculture project. Our focus is on developing locally grown feed substitutes to replace expensive imported livestock feed. This initiative is complemented by alternative energy projects. In other regions like the Bekaa, Swisscontact has partnered with local stakeholders to establish agri-business hubs. These hubs aim to support growers and producers in increasing their income by optimizing and diversifying their agricultural practices.

Re-Suit

We have a collaborative partnership with Arcenciel, a well-known NGO specializing in recycling and agriculture, specifically focusing on textile upcycling. Arcenciel already has established upcycling and collection facilities, while Swisscontact provides technical expertise in logistics, training, and value chain facilitation. Together, we are working towards maximizing the potential of textile upcycling.

TAFAWOQ - Youth employment and skills

The Tafawoq project initially started off as a Coaching for Employment and Entrepreneurship project. Due to the economic crisis in Lebanon, assessments were done on the local contextual needs so we could increase the impact and guarantee labour market insertion. Some of these assessments included the weakened economy’s ability to take in an additional supply of skills, data analysis on the youth target groups, market demand, and how to offset the disadvantages marginalized youth face, all of which constitute barriers to labour market entry.

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