Lebanon and ILO Move to Modernize Cooperatives and Strengthen Rural Livelihoods

Under the partnership, the ILO will support the requalification of cooperatives, nationwide data collection and stronger institutional capacity within the GDC.

For farmers and workers who depend on Lebanon's cooperatives, better support starts with knowing which organizations are operating, what they need and where assistance can make a difference. The International Labour Organization (ILO), Lebanon's Ministry of Agriculture and the General Directorate of Cooperatives (GDC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to build that understanding, strengthen public institutions and prepare the ground for digital services, with particular attention to agriculture.

The agreement addresses a significant information gap in a sector that supports rural livelihoods and local economies. Lebanon has around 850 cooperatives registered with the GDC, but nationwide information has not been comprehensively updated since 2007, leaving officials reliant on records that remain largely paper-based and fragmented.

Bringing Cooperative Records Up to Date

Under the partnership, the ILO will support the requalification of cooperatives, nationwide data collection and stronger institutional capacity within the GDC. This work will establish a verified, comprehensive picture of the sector, helping authorities improve supervision, develop informed policies and direct assistance towards the cooperatives that need it.

Updated information will lay the groundwork for future digitalization of GDC systems and services. Agriculture Minister Nizar Hany linked the initiative to Lebanon's broader commitment to modernizing public administration, improving transparency and public services, and recognizing cooperatives as important partners in agricultural and rural development.

GDC Director General Gloria Abouzeid emphasized the practical value of reliable information, explaining that stronger systems would help officials understand cooperatives' needs across the country, allocate resources more effectively and develop sustainable strategies grounded in the sector's actual conditions. For organizations seeking assistance, this could mean support that responds more closely to the challenges they face.

Putting Farmers and Workers at the Centre

Agriculture provides livelihoods for Lebanese and Syrian workers, including people in rural host communities and refugees, but employment conditions can leave families exposed to considerable uncertainty. Informal work, low and irregular earnings, limited social protection, occupational safety and health risks, and child labour remain challenges that give the partnership's focus on decent work particular importance.

Cooperatives offer a means of supporting livelihoods and local economic development in these communities. Strengthening their institutions and improving the information available about them can help public bodies make better decisions about how to support farmers and workers, connecting administrative improvements with everyday economic needs.

ILO Regional Director for Arab States Ruba Jaradat described the agreement as the beginning of a process whose success would depend on tangible results. She stressed that the partnership should be judged by its contribution to stronger cooperatives, decent jobs, more secure livelihoods and local economic development across Lebanon.

Building on Loans, Jobs and Market Access

The initiative receives support through the PROSPECTS partnership, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It follows ILO Recommendation No. 193 on the Promotion of Cooperatives, which calls for improved national cooperative statistics to inform policy and development, and draws on the ILO's statistical guidelines as a framework for producing reliable information suited to national needs.

The agreement builds on broader cooperation between the ILO, Lebanon's Ministry of Agriculture and other partners, through which more than 400 subsidized loans worth US$1.33 million have helped create or sustain around 2,000 jobs across the country. These results come from existing cooperation and provide a foundation for the newly signed partnership.

Over the past two years, the ILO has helped more than 1,000 farmers and workers reach new buyers and international markets, alongside efforts to promote decent work and responsible production. The new agreement adds updated records, stronger institutions and preparation for digital services to that work, giving Lebanon a firmer basis for supporting cooperatives and the people whose livelihoods depend on them.