UNESCO launches fundraiser to support Beirut's school, culture and heritage

Audrey Azoulay, director-general ofUNESCO, launched during her visit to Lebanon ’s capital an international fundraising initiative to support the reconstruction of schools, heritage buildings, museums, and galleries that were severely damaged by the explosions that occurred in Beirut on August 4.

The Li Beirut initiative intends to focus on education, culture, and heritage as key pillars of reconstruction, and during the presentation, Azoulay expressed UNESCO’s strong closeness to the Lebanese people, “UNESCO, of which Lebanon is a founding member, stands by you to mobilize the international community and to contribute to the reconstruction of the city through and for culture, heritage, and education.”

He added firmly, “I appeal for the protection, through appropriate administrative and regulatory measures, of the historic center from real estate speculation and transactions based on the desperation and vulnerability of the inhabitants.”

In addition to coordinating the United Nations to rehabilitate education in Beirut, which will require initial funding of $23 million from the United States, UNESCO will rebuild 40 of 159 damaged schools with funds already raised. In the coming months, priority will be given to supporting school and distance education. “We will rehabilitate schools, one of the main concerns of families and one of the keys to Lebanon’s future,” said the director-general.

In addition, UNESCO will also work on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Beirut’s culture and art-historical heritage and raise funds to respond to the crisis in the cultural sector. According to estimates, $500 million will be needed to support the heritage and creative economy next year, as museums, galleries, and cultural institutions have suffered major losses in access.

UNESCO launches fundraiser to support Beirut's school, culture and heritage

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