UNESCO chief reaffirms support for Lebanon’s cultural heritage, education

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said on Wednesday the UN cultural agency would continue to back Lebanon in preserving its heritage and supporting its education sector.
On her first visit to Lebanon in five years, Azoulay met President Joseph Aoun at the Baabda Presidential Palace and underlined UNESCO’s “strong and tangible” cooperation with the country, according to a statement from the presidency.
She cited ongoing restoration projects in Beirut, including the historic Mar Mikhael train station and the Grand Theater downtown, carried out in coordination with the government and the culture ministry. “We are working to secure the necessary funding to transform these sites into cultural landmarks,” she said.
Azoulay also pointed to initiatives promoting visual arts and traditional crafts in Tyre and Baalbek, as well as programs to rehabilitate damaged schools and cultural institutions.