UNESCO Director-General reaffirms the Organization’s commitment to Lebanon
During his visit, the Director-General met with President Joseph Aoun, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Minister of Culture Ghassan Salamé and esteemed members of the Government. The visit also saw the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Lebanon, establishing a strengthened framework for cooperation through 2029.
Expand Education Recovery Efforts
Thanks to a grant from the Global Partnership for Education (USD 1 million), UNESCO will reinforce government-led efforts to strengthen national education planning and build a more resilient education system. This new contribution from GPE brings UNESCO’s targeted assistance to emergency education response and recovery in Lebanon to USD 1.8 million, reinforcing efforts to restore learning and strengthen national capacities across the education sector.
During a visit to Mohamad Shamel Public Mixed Elementary School in Beirut, the Director-General met students and teachers participating in UNESCO-backed recovery activities. The visit highlighted the flagship six-week Summer Learning Programme, which is helping students catch up on learning missed due to the conflict and displacement, while providing psychosocial support ahead of the new school year.
Since 2023, UNESCO has trained over 4,000 teachers in digital and flexible learning approaches, reaching more than 10,000 students in the most affected regions.
Increasing efforts for Lebanon’s heritage
The Director-General visited the World Heritage site of Tyre recently added to the List in Danger, where he announced USD 100,000 from the Heritage Emergency Fund. This will advance emergency support to assess damage, stabilize vulnerable structures, protect archaeological remains and mosaics, train young Lebanese heritage professionals, and underpin community-led recovery efforts to safeguard and revitalize one of Lebanon’s most iconic cultural sites.
At Khan Al-Askar in Tripoli, the Director-General acknowledged the potential of the site to serve employment-oriented skills development and TVET programmes. The Director-General visited also the World Heritage Property Rachid Karami International Fair and underscored UNESCO’s support for the conservation of this iconic modern architectural site including through the implementation of a Conservation Management Plan, funding for the restoration of the Water Tower (76.000 USD), and capacity-building for national experts.
Commitment to information integrity and media freedom
The Director-General welcomed the launch on 13 August of the National Campaign against Hate Speech, led by the Ministry of Information, with the support of UNESCO. He also announced a new contribution from the LOOPS Foundation to the Libraries for Resilience initiative. Together with the MCN Build Foundation and Norway, the initiative has now mobilized USD 650,000 to expand access to reliable information, strengthen community resilience, and enhance public library services across Lebanon.
The Director-General also acknowledged the adoption of a new Media Law by the Lebanese Parliament. UNESCO stands ready to continue supporting related reforms and implementation of the law in order to ensure freedom of expression, media independence, and the safety of journalists in line with international human rights standards.
Partnerships and call for international mobilization
The Director-General thanks all of UNESCO’s partners and donors, and reiterates UNESCO’s appeal for increased international mobilization for the new UNESCO Action Plan for Lebanon (2026–2028), which structures UNESCO’s response around three pillars: monitoring, coordination, the provision of emergency assistance to lay the ground for sustainable recovery, and long-term prosperity.
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