UNESCO - Beirut
NEWSLETTER
Volume 5 - Issue No 15, October - December 2015
2015: An Ideal
Conclusion
for a Typical Year
Education in the
Arab States
Culture
Communication &
Information
Social and Human
Sciences
Natural Science
Capitalizing on a phenomenal start of the
year, and benefiting from the momentous
commitment and exceptional devotion of our
network of partners amid the severe challenges
faced throughout 2015, we can easily say that the last three months were
the perfect reflection of yet another milestone year in the course of UNESCO
Office in Beirut.
In terms of Education, 2015 was the year of new agendas, as it marked
the target year for both the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the
Education For All (EFA) goals.
Leading the international talks on the post-2015 Education agenda,
UNESCO organized the “First Arab Regional Meeting on Education 2030”
in Cairo, Egypt, resulting in the adoption of the ‘Arab Regional Roadmap for
Education 2030’.
Major steps were also taken on the culture scene, as UNESCO Beirut office
and UNIFIL held a training seminar on the 1954 Hague Convention for the
protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict. UNESCO also
partnered with the European Union, the International Centre for Migration
Policy Development (ICMPD), and the Lebanese Ministry of Culture to
organize a national seminar on “Building capacities on the fight against
illicit trafficking of cultural objects”, while December 2015 was specifically
marked with the adoption of the action plan for the management of the
world Heritage site of Qadisha Valley.
Moreover, under the NETMED youth project, UNESCO conducted a mapping
activity of youth targeting interventions at Ministries and Municipalities. A
training programme was also launched to empower Youth NGOs in Lebanon
in media and communications disciplines.
In the framework of its natural sciences programme, UNESCO Beirut Office
actively participated in the organization of the “National Conference on
Coping with Water Scarcity”, agreeing on a set of recommendations that
will make an integral part of a national preparedness plan for drought.
Finally, I would like, on behalf of UNESCO Beirut Office, to thank our devoted
partners, generous donors, dedicated colleagues in UNESCO Headquarters
and field offices, as well as citizens of the Arab region for their trust and
precious support throughout 2015, wishing you all a joyful, peaceful, and
successful 2016.
Education in the Arab States
First Arab Regional
Meeting on Education
2030: A Roadmap for
Collective Action
Under the auspices of His Excellency Dr El-Helaly
El-Sherbiny, Minister of Education and Technical
Education in the Arab Republic of Egypt, UNESCO
organized on 15 and 16 December 2015 the “First Arab
Regional Meeting on Education 2030”, under the theme
“Towards Collective Action in Achieving Education
2030 Goal in the Arab Region”. The Regional Meeting
was attended by over 90 participants, including
high level officials from Ministries of Education and
Foreign Affairs as well as Parliamentarians in charge
of Commission on Education from 17 Arab Member
States. The UN co-convenors, regional organizations,
civil society organizations and private foundations
also took active part in the Meeting.
issues include effective coordination and partnership,
need for increased financing and efficient use
of resources, good governance, institutionalized
capacity development, and sound monitoring and
evaluation mechanism.
The objectives of the First Regional Meeting were to
articulate the interconnectedness of the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development and central role of
education in achieving it, discuss the Education 2030
(SDG 4) Framework for Action as well as agree on a
roadmap to its operationalization in the Arab Region.
With this adoption UNESCO will continue to lead the
coordinating process together with UN co-convenors,
regional organizations, civil society organizations and
private foundations, and reaffirms its commitment to
accompany and support Member States throughout
the implementation process of the Agenda for the
Sustainable Development Goal 4.
During the Meeting, participants highlighted
emerging and pressing educational issues common
to the region, which need to be addressed for a
successful implementation of the new Agenda. These
After two days of fruitful, forward looking deliberations
from the perspectives of Member States as well as
those of participating organizations, the Meeting
culminated in the adoption of ‘Arab Regional Roadmap
for Education 2030’ which sets out immediate actions
to be undertaken in 2016 by Member States and
partners in order to operationalize the Education
2030 agenda in the Arab Region.
Education in the Arab States
Education and Knowledge for People
with Disabilities in Lebanon
In his opening speech, Dr. Nawaf Kabara, NARD
president, stated that “no less than 30% or 72 million
child around the globe do not attend schools due to
disability”, adding that “95% of the disabled youth are
eliminated by the educational systems in the Middle
East and North Africa”.
In another major step towards promoting full
inclusion in Lebanon, UNESCO Beirut Office and
the Lebanese National Association for the Rights
of Disabled People (NARD) organized the National
Conference on “The right to education and knowledge
for people with disabilities in Lebanon”.
The conference that took place on 16 -17 November
2015, at the Crown Plaza Hotel, in the heart of Beirut
city, gathered major stakeholders from civil society,
ministries of Education and Higher Education, social
affairs and Communication, people with disabilities
and their families in addition to, educators working in
educational inclusion and accessibility of people with
disabilities in Lebanon.
The conference objectives included:
•
Highlighting the current educational status
for people with disabilities in Lebanon;
•
Discussing the plan of the Centre of
Educational Research and Development
and related programmes of the Ministry
of Education with the aim to set a
comprehensive plan to merge the people
with disabilities in schools;
•
Aspiring to endorse a national plan for
educational inclusion;
•
Discussing UNESCO “Model policy for
information and communication technology
(ICT) in education for people with disabilities”.
“It is our responsibility now more than ever to
rethink our educational systems and curricula, to
be violence free, and raise our students as human
beings disregarding color, gender, race, or religion”,
considered Dr. Hamad Al- Hammami, Director of
UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab
States. “Our statistics point that 90% of disabled
children in under developed countries do not attend
schools. Taking this in hand, UNESCO is working
with the member states and through its four sectors
to create a nursing, suitable and supportive setting
to the people with disabilities”.
People with disabilities face specific challenges in
the pursuit of their right to education resulting in a
reduced access to mainstream education, specific
provisions guarantee their right to education and
encourage countries to adopt an approach that is
inclusive to all, including those with disabilities.
UNESCO takes a leading role in the development
and enhancing the role of people with disabilities.
In particular, believing in the important role of ICT
and how it is changing people’s lives, UNESCO
launched at the global level, a “Model policy for ICT
in Education for people with disabilities”. This model
was presented by Mr. George Awad, programme
officer at UNESCO Beirut with the different steps
on how Lebanon can benefit from the model to
convert it to its own national policy. In addition, Awad
showed also the importance of engaging all national
stakeholders in this exercise, from government, to
civil society and academia and most importantly
people with disabilities and their families.
This event was co-sponsored by the National
Collaboration Fund financed by the Finnish Ministry
of Foreign Affairs.
Education in the Arab States
Open Dialogue Session
on EASE Project:
Ensuring the Right
of Education for All
in Lebanon
In the framework of the new project entitled ‘Enhancing Access to Secondary Education and Quality Results
for Youth Affected by the Syria Crisis (EASE)’, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Lebanon and
UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States – Beirut organized on 24 November a “Consultative
Open Dialogue Session with Secondary School Teachers and Principals”, with the aim to introduce beneficiaries
and partners to the EASE initiative and provide an overview of the project and its expected outcomes, as well
as identify a number of relevant topics to be addressed in further capacity development activities in order to
enable schools to perform better.
More than 70 of teachers and principals from 35 schools, as well as senior representatives from the Ministry
of Education and Higher Education, UNESCO regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States, and the Centre
of Educational Research and Development (CERD), attended this event.
The EASE Project did facilitate the enrolment of around 1500 students in secondary schools located in all
Lebanese governorates. Students benefited from direct support in the form of school registration fees,
contributions to parents’ councils, and stationery, while around 35 schools were provided with needed school
equipment.
This three-year regional initiative will be jointly implemented by UNESCO Offices in Beirut and Amman in
close collaboration with the concerned Ministries of Education and will directly benefit students, teaching staff
and administrators of partner schools, in addition to Ministry specialists and decision makers.
Kuwait Donates US$ Half a Million
The State of Kuwait has made an important contribution to UNESCO
Education Response to the Syria Crisis in Lebanon. At the solemn
handover ceremony
on 16 October in the Kuwaiti Embassy in
Enhancing
Access held
to Secondary
Lebanon, Dr. Hamed Al-Hammami, Director of UNESCO Regional
Education and Quality Results for
Bureau for Education in the Arab States received the cheque of US$ 500.000 from Mr. Mohamed Al
Affected
by ofthe
Syria
Crisis
Saoud Al-Waqyan, DeputyYouth
Ambassador
of the State
Kuwait
in Lebanon.
This contribution will be invested to scale up UNESCO interventions in the area of secondary education
for Syrian refugees and host
Lebanese‫ﻋﻠﻰ‬
communities.
‫اﻟﺘـﻌﻠﻴﻢ‬
‫ﺗﻌﺰﻳـﺰ ﻓﺮص اﻟﺤﺼﻮل‬
Dr. Al-Hammami praised this
“support‫ﺟـﻮدﺗﻪ‬
that has now
become ‫اﻟﺜـﺎﻧـﻮي‬
typical from Kuwait in the recent years,
‫ﻟﻠﺸﺒـﺎب‬
‫وﺿﻤـﺎن‬
for education and development
in
this
region”,
emphasizing
UNESCO readiness to cooperate more
‫اﻟﻤﺘـــﺄﺛــﺮﻳـﻦ ﺑـﺎ‚زﻣـــﺔ اﻟﺴــﻮرﻳﺔ‬
closely with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Kuwait to achieve the common goals.
‫اﳉﻤﻬﻮرﻳـــﺔ اﻟﻠﺒﻨﺎﻧﻴـــــــــــﺔ‬
‫وزارة اﻟﺘﺮﺑﻴﺔ واﻟﺘﻌﻠﻴﻢ اﻟﻌﺎﻟﻲ‬
Culture
Security, Policy and
Law during the National
Seminar on Illicit
Trafficking of Cultural
Property
The urge to address illicit trafficking of cultural
property and the need to push towards the adoption
of preventive measures to facilitate recovery through
strict methods and appropriate channels, have long
been placed on UNESCO top priorities. In light of
armed conflicts spreading in the region, several
historic sites, some listed on the World Heritage list,
are subject to destruction, looting and vandalizing.
With its geographical location, Lebanon is being used
as a transit country for looted antiquities coming
from Syria and Iraq.
Judges from the Department of Justice,
representatives from the National Interpol Office,
high-ranking officers from various security agencies
(army, internal security forces, border police and
customs), in addition to directors and officials from
various museums, and the cadre of the Department
of Antiquities at the Ministry of Culture participated
in this seminar, along with representatives from
UNESCO, the European Union, ICMPD (Vienna), and
the International Council of museums (ICOM).
Sessions were facilitated by a number of prominent
experts from UNESCO Office in Beirut, UNESCO
Cultural Heritage Protection Treaties Section (Paris),
the INTERPOL, World Customs Organization (WCO),
the Swiss Federal Police, ICOM Lebanon, UNIDROIT,
The Association for Research into Crimes Against
Arts (ARCA), as well as academics from British
universities.
Culture Programme Officer in UNESCO Regional
Office in Beirut, Joseph kreidi, stressed that “the
current situation of cultural heritage in this region
of the world raises serious concerns”, noting that
“many archaeological sites and museums were
subject to acts of vandalism and looting”. Kreidi
considered that “Lebanon has long made the issue
of fighting illegal trafficking of cultural property at
the top of its priorities, through adopting strict and
preventive measures, also facilitating the recovery
process through the appropriate channels and
methods”. “Strengthening national and regional
international cooperation is vital to combat illicit
trafficking”, he added.
The seminar also contained a special component
dedicated to spreading media awareness on the 1954
Hague Convention, as it focused on working towards
the immediate ratification of the Convention’s
second Protocol, through enabling participants
and familiarizing them with its content, as
well as other international conventions
adopted in this field such as the
1995 Convention of the International
Institute for the Unification of private
law (UNIDROIT).
Throughout this event, participants
have been empowered to take
full advantage of the tools
developed by international
organizations,
thereby
enabling
them
to
disseminate the use of
those tools and that
knowledge within their
respective institutions
in view of a better
implementation
of the 1970
Convention.
Culture
Director-General Condemns
the Destruction of the Arch of Triumph
in Palmyra
On 5 October UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, strongly condemned
the destruction of the Arch of Triumph in Palmyra, an iconic 2,000-year-old
civil monument of the city that is inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
Despite their relentless crimes, extremists will never be able to erase history, nor
silence the memory of this site that embodies the unity and identity of the Syrian people.
Each new destruction should spur us to share knowledge of the significance of this heritage
in museums, schools or the media. This is an important part of safeguarding the city and of the global fight
against the cultural cleansing underway in the Middle East. I commend teachers, journalists, associations, and
professionals in the field of culture, as well as members of the public, who are helping transmit the story of
Palmyra to future generations.
“There will be no impunity for war criminals and UNESCO will make every effort, at its level and in close cooperation
with the International Criminal Court, to ensure that the perpetrators of these acts of destruction are tried and
punished. In the face of this new war crime, UNESCO reaffirms its determination to continue protecting all that
can be saved by relentlessly fighting against the illicit trafficking of cultural objects, documenting heritage and
establishing networks to link the thousands of experts in Syria and abroad working to transmit this heritage,
notably with the help of modern technology.”
UNESCO and
UNIFIL: Seminar
on the 1954 Hague
Convention for
the Protection of Cultural
Property in the Event of
Armed Conflict
As witnessed in countries living an armed conflict in
the region, cultural heritage is particularly at risk,
owing to its inherent vulnerability and tremendous
symbolic value. Intentional targeting and destruction
of heritage sites, illicit trafficking of artifacts, and
illegal excavation are causing major losses that can
deprive a community of its memory, the physical
testimony to its past, but also of a precious resource
for social and economic wellbeing.
With these new enormous challenges, it has become
necessary to develop and improve the mechanisms
and tools for the protection of cultural property,
especially in the case of disputes.
Forty senior officers from the UNIFIL’s military
sections (Infantry, the Armor/Tanks, the Artillery as
well as the Air force); in addition to high level officers
working in legal and political departments participated
in this event held on 24 and 25 November in UNIFIL
Headquarters in Naqoura, Southern Lebanon.
The seminar was composed of five thematic
sessions, providing participants with a wide and
detailed overview of the Convention’s legal assets,
penalties, and best implementation practices,
focusing on military measures, with practical
examples from the region. These sessions were
facilitated by international and national experts, that
started by an Introduction into the Hague Convention
and its two Protocols followed by Specific examples
of UNESCO’s activities regarding the region and
viewing of the Military aspects of the implementation
of the Hague Convention and its two Protocols then
came a session regarding the Measures of respect
relating to The Hague Convention and its two
Protocols, Penal aspects of The Hague Convention
and its two Protocols.
Dedicated to UNIFIL officers (military and civilians), this
seminar comes to follow up on the recommendations
declared during a first similar event held in Beirut in
June 2013 for the Lebanese Army.
New UNESCO Initiative:
1600 Students to Learn
about the Protection of
Cultural Heritage
UNESCO - Beirut Office is organized, under the patronage of the Minister of Culture, HE Raymond Arayji, and
in collaboration with Biladi, an NGO specialized in heritage preservation, eight workshops targeted students
aged between 11 and 15 years, in order to increase their awareness about the protection of heritage in times of
war, and to introduce them to UNESCO Conventions (1954, 1970,1972). These activities fall into the framework
of the International Campaign #UNITE4HERITAGE, launched in Lebanon by the UNESCO Director General Irina
Bokova during her visit to the Lebanese National Museum, in May 2015.
1600 students from various schools in Lebanon will be invited to participate in a guided tour, either in one of the
World Heritage archeological sites of Lebanon or in the National Museum. During these visits, the students will
have the opportunity to acquire information on UNESCO International Conventions for the protection of heritage
by following interactive educational methods designed especially for this initiative , namely maps, pictures and
publications, aimed at helping students to assimilate the acquired data.
This initiative is launched by the UNESCO-Beirut office at a time when so many relics and archaeological sites
are in danger, and as many historical sites have already been devastated by violence, so it is crucial to increase
the young generation’s awareness on the urgency to protect the region’s heritage, against the attempt to erase
their collective memory.
Management
of Qadisha Valley:
Action Plan Adopted
UNESCO-Beirut Office in cooperation with the
Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO organized
a seminar for the adoption of the Action Plan for the
World Heritage Site of Qadisha Valley. This seminar
was held under the Patronage of the Patriarch Bechara
Boutros al-Rahi, and in the presence of the Minister of
Culture HE Raymond Araiji, MPs Setrida Geagea and
Elie Keirouz parliamentarians of Becharré, mayors
and senior officials from the region’s municipalities,
as well as representatives from UNESCO Beirut
Office, Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO,
and concerned NGOs.
Held on Tuesday 15 December 2015, in Bkerki, and
after more than 20 coordination meetings organized
by UNESCO culture sector in Beirut over the past
two years, the seminar represented a main platform
during which all relevant stakeholders discussed
the key issues raised in the UNESCO Action Plan to
manage this World Heritage site.
Minister Raymond Araiji described the meeting as “a
milestone for the Sacred Valley”.
Following the opening statements, technical experts
from UNESCO, the Lebanese Ministry of Culture,
and from the Valley, made a series of presentations
explaining the newly endorsed management plan,
as well as the valley features, including the different
roads and entrances; Existing infrastructure;
Heritage inventory; Natural disasters management
plan; and organizing the entrance to the valley.
The action plan consist of 3 volumes:
•
Good Management Practice;
•
Conservation Guidelines; and
•
A set of selected pilot projects for the region.
Over the past two years, UNESCO Beirut Office has
been working with the Ministry of Culture, Religious
authorities, and other stakeholders in Lebanon to
set a long term management plan for this unique
site with the aim to cherish and preserve its cultural
and religious value, while at the same time allowing
residents from surrounding villages to benefit from
its great economic potential as a prime pilgrimage
and touristic destination.
Social and Human Science
Social Sciences:
The Tool for a Healthy
Transformation
Sports to Promote Intercultural
Dialogue among Youth in Lebanon
Vibrant social sciences research has
proven to be an efficient vehicle for better
management of social transformations,
and can better inform policy making
process in general in the emerging social
problems linked to poverty, inequality and
climate change.
Making social sciences research more
vibrant and relevant to policy making
is facing a double challenge in the Arab
region: social sciences are often viewed
as a troubling disciplines without few
career opportunities on one hand, and
culture and practice of evidence informed
policy making in general and especially
with regards to social justice and equity.
In line with UNESCO Strategy on Youth
(2014-2023), and the efforts of the Arab
Council for the Social Sciences (ACSS)
to raise awareness and understanding of
possible career options as social sciences,
UNESCO and ACSS jointly organized a
consultation meeting entitled: “Social
Sciences as a career choice: Awareness
creation among secondary school
students in the Arab region”. The event
took place on 30 and 31 October 2015 in
Gefinor Rotana Hotel, Beirut.
The workshop aimed to Share the
updates on the tools in preparation by
ACSS and get the feedback for finalization
(mapping studies, a story board for a
documentary film, a draft poster and
other communication items), as well as
Sharing the outreach strategy plan, and
plan a national campaign in coordination
with partners to have an aligned approach
in the pilot phase
Fifteen young managers and trainers in youth and civil society
organizations in Lebanon and Syria met at Hoops Sports Club Hazmieh to participate in a workshop on “intercultural dialogue
through sports”. This three-day training workshop was organized
by UNESCO in collaboration with Hoops Sports Club, facilitated
and monitored by its trainers from 14 to 16 October 2015.
Through this workshop, managers and trainers from youth
NGOs enhanced their essential skills in the design and
implementation of youth targeting activities, aiming to promote
social cohesion by using sport.
Skateboarding World Champion James Kelly also attended
this workshop as a special guest to show how to integrate
skateboards in youth activities.
As proven in similar experiences, sport is an effective tool to
promote social integration in culturally mixed communities,
in particular among young people. Sports help fight negative
prejudices, and enhance the understanding and appreciation
of cultural differences.
Since the outburst of the Syrian conflict, around two million
Syrian refugees have fled the war and entered to Lebanon. In
the midst of armed conflicts, political instabilities, worsening
economic conditions, and the rise of extremism, youth find
themselves increasingly marginalized with fewer choices,
decreasing opportunities, and a limited ability to effectively
exercise their civic role as a dynamic force of positive change.
Within the framework of its Social and Human Sciences
programme, UNESCO Office in Beirut launched a series
of activities to promote intercultural dialogue and positive
interaction between youth in the countries affected by the
Syrian Crisis (Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq).
Social and Human Science
Mapping of Youth Targeting Interventions
at Ministries and Municipalities
As part of the joint efforts with the Ministry of Youth
and Sports (MOYS) and other partners in supporting
the implementation of the National Youth Policy
(2012-2021), and in the framework of the NETMED
Youth project, UNESCO conducted a mapping
activity in partnership with Notre Dame University
(NDU)- CARE Center: more than 30 students who
will be trained to collect information on youthtargeting activities implemented by ministries and
municipalities on the local and national level. This
activity comes as a pre-requisite to the National
Youth Policy action plan drafting process, which
should start later in 2016.
On 18 November 2015, during an induction meeting
held at UNESCO premises in Beirut, 21 participants
representing 7 ministries (Youth and Sports,
Environment, Interior, Labour, Social Affairs,
Information, and Industry), municipality unions,
municipalities and local councils as well as civil
society organizations, were introduced to the aim
and the procedure of the mapping activity.
Dr. Seiko Sugita from UNESCO welcomed the
participants and explained the objective of the
meeting. Dr. Bassel Akar from NDU talked about
the outputs and strategy of the mapping activity, and
Mr George Awad presented UNESCO Plan for Youth
Outreach. Follow-up meetings will be organized
between the students and the participants who
expressed their commitment and their willingness
to facilitate this mapping activity.
The Net-Med Youth Project is a pioneering initiative
implemented by UNESCO and funded by the EU. It
aims to create an enabling environment for young
women and men to develop their competencies,
exercise their rights and meaningfully engage as
active citizens, particularly in decision-making
relating to political, social, economic, educational
and cultural policy and planning processes. Through
the different components of this programme,
UNESCO is eventually aiming to improve the access
and effective participation of youth in developing
and implementing national strategies and policies
affecting young women and men.
Communication & Information
85 Secondary School Students and Teachers Benefit
from UNESCO and LAU Youth Coding Programme
As part of the YouthMobile initiative, UNESCO Office
in Beirut, the Lebanese American University in Beirut
(LAU), and the Lebanese National Commission for
UNESCO concluded today, a series of trainings for
teachers, and secondary school students, in an effort
to integrate programming skills and computing
thinking concepts in the education system in Lebanon.
85 participants gathered today, 5 December 2015,
in LAU campus in Beirut for a special ceremony
organized to mark the conclusion of this programme’s
training activities, that has started in October 2015.
campaigns, technical training workshops, as well as
competitions. Statistics show universities in the Arab
World have less than 20% of the students majoring in
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)
are females. Through this programme, UNESCO and
LAU hope to attract and motivate more Lebanese
females to computing-related fields at universities.
In this context, 15 teachers participated in a training
workshops held during October 2015, while 70
secondary school students - all part of the UNESCO
Associated Schools Project (ASP); participated in 3
workshops between October and December 2015.
Participants were selected giving particular attention to
both less privileged communities and female students.
UNESCO’s Youth mobile initiative is a new endeavour
that targets engaging young women and men to
develop mobile applications, in a time when the
number of smart phones is rising exceptionally in
developing countries. Realizing the major employment
opportunities that are created by teaching students
to develop mobile applications, UNESCO and its
partners strive to provide young people with the highlevel skills and confidence to develop, promote, and
sell locally relevant mobile apps. Those apps, directly
related to everyday problems, are intended to solve
local issues of sustainable development, and provide
employment. Under this programme, UNESCO
provides multi-lingual training materials, training
of youth trainers and teachers, while also creating
the first global mobile application competition for
additional motivation.
UNESCO-LAU Youth Coding Programme comes as an
outcome of UNESCO’s Youth Mobile that builds on the
experience of many worldwide initiatives to introduce
young people to programming (learning-to- code)
and problem solving (coding-to-learn). It also seeks
to build on experiences targeting young women who
are vastly under-represented in this field.
This programme also aims to reach out to a wide
range of schools in Lebanon through awareness
In addition, a Mobile App Development Contest was
launched for secondary schools students and its
results will be announced end of March 2016.
Communication & Information
UNESCO Conduct a Media Training Programme
to Empower Youth NGOs
As part of Net-Med Youth Project, an initiative
implemented by UNESCO with support of the
European Union, UNESCO Beirut office launched a
Media training programme for youth-led NGOs to
enhance their communication skills, enabling them
to build media relations, increase their capacity to
produce media material, push their news through
national and international channels, and efficiently
monitor this process.
Over the period from September to December 2015,
more than 30 representatives of youth-led NGOs took
part in a series of introductory sessions and trainings
conducted by experts and specialists in media and
communication disciplines. General Manager of
Radio Voice of Lebanon Mr. Sam Menassa, Managing
Editor at Annahar Newspaper Mr. Ghassan Hajjar,
and Social Media expert Philippe Abou Zeid were
among the experts who conducted these trainings.
In the inaugural session, Communication and
Information programme Officer at UNESCO Mr.
George Awad talked about the programme, its
stages, benefits and the commitments needed from
each NGO. This was followed by a brief on each
NGO current communication status, which was
lead by Ms. Nada Hamzeh, UNESCO consultant.
Participants were also introduced to the results of
a UNESCO survey conducted last May with the aim
to understand youth media preferences and trends
in Lebanon.
Training topics included online safety, social
media, news writing, and photography, with the
aim of supporting NGOs and helping them develop
their knowledge and practices in the field of
communication. Participants were guided through
the main media features, including traditional and
new platforms, ethics and best practices, privacy
and security, campaign design and management,
and strategic planning.
Considered to be a main pillar in the NET-Med youth
project, this Media Training Programme provided
young leaders with a comprehensive insight on
available media and communications tools,
eventually allowing them to voice their concerns,
express their views, and play a more effective role
in decision making processes in youth-related areas.
Natural Science
National Conference on
“Coping with Water Scarcity”
Under the patronage of HE Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Akram Chehayeb,
the National Conference on “Coping with Water Scarcity” was launched on
Monday 14 December 2015, at the Movenpick Hotel, in Beirut. This event
is organized by UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut in partnership with
Rafik Hariri foundation, and with the cooperation of Lebanese Ministries,
committees from the private and public sector, specialized national
and international organizations, and Lebanese as well as international
universities.
In her opening statement, The Director of Rafik Hariri Foundation Mrs. Salwa Sanioura Baasiri marked the
need to “combine efforts to approach the issue of water scarcity”. Talking about the seriousness of this
issue Mrs. Baasiri added that “levels of water stress in Lebanon are excessive, equivalent to 4.75 out of 5
points, ranking it 16 out of 167 countries according to the global estimates for 2020”.
On his behalf, Mr. George Awad, Natural Sciences Programme Officer at UNESCO Beirut Office,
considered that “our destiny is committed to our water. In order for us to build the future that we want, we
need to ensure water security through the reinforcement of science and innovation”. Mr. Awad added that
“the role of human behaviour, cultural beliefs and current water attitudes , as well as socio-economic
research to better understand and develop tools to adapt to water availability, are some of the issues that
must be addressed”.
In his speech for the occasion, Minister of Agriculture HE Mr. Akram Chehayeb warned from the seriousness
of the current situation, praising the “exceptional importance” of this conference, hoping for it to “pave the
way for establishing a water policy”, allowing “a more rational use of the country’s water wealth, which
requires a scientific management and a rationalized policy”.
Following the launching ceremony, two working days took place on Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 December
at UNESCO Office in Beirut. National and international experts guided more than 50 participants through
key topics related to water and drought management.
Participants agreed on a set of recommendations on how to cope with water shortage, better manage water
resources, and address related social, economical, and environmental setbacks. Those recommendations
will be an essential contribution towards the development and implementation of a national preparedness
plan for drought.
International Days (January - March 2016)
•
World Radio Day, 13 February
•
International Mother Language Day, 21 February
•
International Women’s Day, 8 March
•
World Poetry Day, 21 March
•
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 21 March
•
World Day for Water, 22 March