Women’s Economic Participation
Women’s Economic Participation (WEP) is a UNDP Lebanon initiative funded by the government of Canada and implemented in the South and Bekaa regions in partnership with ACTED Lebanon,ESDU at the American University of Beirut (AUB), ABAAD MENA and DOT Lebanon.
WEP initiative is implemented in the South Governorate (Saida, Tyr, Bent Jbeil and Nabatieh).
The targeted value chains include freekeh, beekeeping, fruits and vegetables, handicraft, rural tourism, renewable energy, and ICT. In addition, to the Bekaa Governorate (West Bekaa, Central Bekaa and Rachaya), the targeted value chains include freekeh, beekeeping, fruits and vegetables, handicraft, and rural tourism.
WEP targeted in each governorate 650 unique participants of which 10% received coaching and mentoring services. The project provided support for 17 cooperatives and 9 start-ups/SMEs and provided tailored capacity building for 10 municipalities/union of municipalities which were provided by technical and financial support for the development and implementation of local economic initiatives/action plans defined by targeted municipalities. In addition, awarenessraising and community mobilization on women’s rights and economic participation were conducted reaching 25,000 women and men.
Aim of the Project
- Improve women’s access to secure and sustainable incomes and livelihoods, through increased productivity of selected value chains in target districts
- Enhance the capacity of stakeholders at institutional and community level to recognize women’s specific economic needs, and to enact/support policy change to address them.
Partners
Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development ACTED, Lebanon
Environment and Sustainable Development Unit ESDU at the American University of Beirut
Abaad MENA
DOT Lebanon