The LABNE project stems from the desire to revitalize local economies through the promotion of inclusive development and entrepreneurship geared toward public value and social impact (Specific Objective), thereby contributing to human, economic and social development at the local level by strengthening synergies among public, private and non-profit actors (General Objective), in line with SDG8. The 24-month project takes a holistic approach, intervening on the dairy value chain, identified as the key sector for the action, in the Unions of Municipalities (UoM) of Joumeh and Al-Fayhaa – Akkar and Northern governorates.

LABNE is the result of the well-established collaboration among six local, national and international partners (Oxfam, AVSI Foundation, the Chamber of Commerce of Tripoli and North Lebanon – CCIAT, the Ministry of Agriculture – MoA, the Center for International Cooperation – CCI and the Autonomous Province of Trento – PAT), capable of mobilizing complementary expertise in the area of socio-economic development at the local level, while maintaining an international scope.

The intervention logic aims to revitalize local economies through the strengthening of economic actors and multi-stakeholder engagement, and to improve access to the labor market at the local level for unemployed and job-seeking individuals. To ensure its sustainability, the intervention aligns with the local development plans (Roadmaps) defined by the UoMs under UN-Habitat's "Improving Planning Capacities for Social and Economic Local Development," and UNDP and UN-Habitat's "Municipal Empowerment and Resilience Project (MERP)" initiatives. In fact, LABNE aims to translate the "Roadmaps" into concrete action plans, strengthening the capacities of local authorities in the area of governance and the management of participatory processes for the implementation of the plans, with the overall goal of improving the dairy production value chain.

To this end, the initiative includes the following macro-areas of activity:

1. AVSI, who has been active in the agricultural sector for many years, will work on the establishment of Multi-stakeholder Agricultural Coordination Committees in the target UoMs, the activation of a milk collection unit in the UoM of Joumeh, provide support to farmers through veterinary services and laboratory testing (in close collaboration with the MoA,) and technical and vocational training (TVET) on farm management and dairy processing.

2. At the same time, CCI and the Autonomous Province of Trento, thanks to their well-established

experience in facilitating participatory local development models, will promote capacity-building

activities for UoM and CCIAT staff and international exchanges for sharing good practices in order to strengthen their skills in the co-development of innovative territorial policies in the dairy sector.

3. Oxfam, in close collaboration with CCIAT, will work to stimulate the growth of dairy businesses in the two UoMs through training, mentoring, and financial support to enterprises and cooperatives for the integration of digital services and new technologies aimed at improving and making their production systems more efficient; will accompany the CCIAT in playing its role through updating its database of enterprises and improving its facilities and training offer; will facilitate the placement of AVSI-trained youth in on-the-job training pathways to facilitate their absorption into the labor market; and will carry out awareness-raising actions on the issue of decent and inclusive work to promote positive regulatory and operational changes in the target sector.

The Italian and Lebanese partners will thus combine their efforts and expertise in favor of a lasting, inclusive and sustainable socio-economic growth in Lebanon.

This page was produced as part of the LABNE project, co-funded by AICS Beirut. However, the views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the funding body; AICS Beirut cannot be held responsible for them.