BEIRUT (ILO News) – The northern Lebanese coastal city of Tripoli is taking significant steps toward a greener, safer and more connected future with the Tripoli Pedestrian Network project.

This transformative initiative, part of the ILO Employment Intensive Infrastructure Programme (EIIP) in Lebanon funded by Germany through the KfW Development Bank, aims to enhance pedestrian safety by constructing sidewalks in particularly hazardous locations. The project will rehabilitate a once-abandonedand unsafe area for pedestrians due to traffic hazards and make another wise inaccessible area open to the public once again. It will also incorporate an adjacent protected cycling lane, creating a total of some 6,000 square metres of safe and accessible space.

In coordination with the municipality of Tripoli and with the participation of CSO representatives, the ILO had previously identified the need for safe pedestrian access for both functional and recreational use, given the city's lack of public spaces designated for pedestrians.

The rehabilitated route will run along a main road which serves as one of the main entrances into Tripoli, and which has already been rehabilitated by the Chamber of Development and Reconstruction in Tripoli.

The infrastructure works will also include major drainage pipes and manholes designed to collect surface runoff from the neighbourhood into an existing rehabilitated drainage channel. Furthermore, underground irrigation water reservoirs will be built to collect and store water for dry seasons, ensuring the most sustainable irrigation practices.

This project will create 12,980 worker days as part of ILO’s short term employment generation for vulnerable local people, including women and persons with disabilities, adopting decent working conditions. ILO EIIP projects prioritize manual labour and use local resources, to create local jobs and to ensure that the benefits of development stay within the community.

The project is scheduled to be completed in early 2025 and focuses on providing on-the-job orientation for women and persons with disabilities, providing them with new skills and opportunities to actively participate in infrastructure work.

The community and local authorities were closely consulted throughout the planning and construction stages of the project and say that they are looking forward to being able to safely navigate the streets again separate from the busy traffic.

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