05/29/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/29/2023 23:49
Press release
On a mission to Beirut almost 3 years after the deadly port explosions, UNESCO Director of Culture and Emergencies Krista Pikkat announced the financing of US$ 100,000 in support of the cultural and creative industries outside the Lebanese Capital. The investment in the vital sector is made through UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund, a multi-donor mechanism established in 2015 to enable rapid response to protect culture in emergency.
The Director visited the Sursock Palace, a historical heritage building in the heart of Beirut which was heavily impacted by the Port explosions, to monitor the progress of the ongoing rehabilitation works undertaken by the UNESCO Beirut Office. The project is an integral part of LiBeirut, a UNESCO flagship initiative launched shortly after the explosions to ensure that culture and heritage serve as pillars of recovery efforts.
The work is being carried out in partnership with - and with the financial support of - the Swiss Federal Office of Culture and the Sursock Palace Association. The Director was accompanied by the Minister of Culture, Mr. Mohammad Mourtada, the Swiss Ambassador to Lebanon Dr. Marion Weichelt, and the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut, Ms. Costanza Farina for a tour inside the Palace that showcased the restoration works in its final stages.
Pikkat also represented the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay at the reopening ceremony of the Sursock Museum, which had been severely damaged by the blasts. The generous €1 million funding by Italy had allowed UNESCO to complete complex structural rehabilitation works over the two-year project period, and to pave the way for the reopening of the museum. Speaking at the ceremony, she said:
The Director was also received by the Prime Minister, Mr. Najib Mikati, whom she thanked for his continued support of UNESCO in the areas of culture, education and media. Pikkat also noted that the Conservation Management Plan for the Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli is being finalized following its inscription as a World Heritage site in danger in January 2023.