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Most World Heritage Sites at Risk of Drought or Flooding: UN

This is Beirut, 01/07 12:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Middle East United States Water UNESCO Drought

Almost three quarters of the globe's cultural and natural heritage sites are threatened by too little or too much water, the UN's cultural agency said on Tuesday. As a result of rising temperatures, extreme weather events including hurricanes, droughts, floods and heatwaves have become more frequent and intense, scientists warn. Seventy-three ...

Egypt Denies Court Ruling Threatens Historic Monastery

This is Beirut, 30/05 22:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

St. Catherine Egypt Greece Monastery Unesco

Egypt and Greece sought to ease tensions over the historic St. Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula on Friday after a controversial court ruling said it sat on state-owned land. Cairo has denied that the ruling threatens the UNESCO World Heritage landmark, a pilgrimage, and tourism site, after Greek and church authorities warned the ...

Iraq’s Famed ‘Hunchback’ of Mosul Rebuilt Brick by Brick

This is Beirut, 06/02 17:05 - Reading : less than a minute

United Nations Mosul Iraq UNESCO

The Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Audrey Azoulay, hailed the completion of the agency’s restoration work in Iraq’s Mosul during a visit to the country’s second-largest city, after the destruction inflicted by the Islamic State group. “What we have done here with the ...

Trump Signs Order Withdrawing US from UN Human Rights Council

This is Beirut, 04/02 23:09 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United States Donald Trump UNHCR UNRWA UNESCO

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order withdrawing his country from a number of United Nations bodies, including its Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and setting up a broader review of US funding for the multilateral organization. The executive order said it withdrew Washington from UNHRC and the main UN relief agency for ...

UNESCO Holds Special Session in Paris to Support Lebanon

This is Beirut, 22/01 11:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

UNESCO Lebanon Heritage Paris

A special information session on Lebanon was held on Tuesday at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, aiming to present the organization’s support plan for Lebanon. This plan, based on a resolution adopted by UNESCO’s Executive Board last October, will provide support for the education, media and journalist protection sectors, and safeguard ...

UNESCO Spotlights Rubab as Afghanistan’s Symbol of Resilience

This is Beirut, 2024-12-30 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

UNESCO Culture Afghanistan Heritage Iran Music

Wood shavings littered the floor of Sakhi's cramped workshop in the Afghan city of Herat as another rubab, the national musical instrument of his homeland, took shape under his deft hands. Sakhi has crafted two rubabs a month for decades, and he refuses to set down his tools even as a Taliban crackdown strangles music in Afghanistan. "I know only ...

Mumbai’s Art Deco Heritage Faces Threats from Urban Modernization

This is Beirut, 2024-12-22 14:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

India Mumbai Cinema Art Culture UNESCO

A towering cinema with a roofline reminiscent of an ocean liner stands out in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, a testament to the city’s remarkable Art Deco heritage, which campaigners warn is in urgent need of protection. Just a short walk away lies a state-run insurance office adorned with Egyptian-style carvings, alongside a palm-lined ...

Pharrell Williams Becomes UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Education

This is Beirut, 2024-12-18 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Culture Art UNESCO Singer Goodwill Paris

Pharrell Williams, global pop and fashion icon, was appointed UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for arts, education, and entrepreneurship during a ceremony held Tuesday at the United Nations organization’s headquarters in Paris. In an official statement, Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO's Director-General, praised Williams as a "complete artist" and a "humanist ...

Artists Abandon Abidjan for Ivory Coast’s Beachside Haven

This is Beirut, 2024-12-09 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Art Culture UNESCO

Far from the hustle and chaos of Ivory Coast’s largest city, the tropical climate, sea air, and rich history of Grand-Bassam have made this sleepy, UNESCO-listed town a magnet for artists seeking inspiration and tranquility. Ibrahim Ketoure, an artist in his 30s, has opened his studio and gallery to fellow creatives, many of whom, like him, ...

UNESCO 'enhanced protection' for 34 Lebanon heritage sites

This is Beirut, 2024-11-18 19:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Baalbeck Hezbollah Israel Unesco Tyre

Dozens of heritage sites in Lebanon were granted "provisional enhanced protection" by UNESCO on Monday, offering a higher level of legal shielding as fighting continues between Israel and Hezbollah militants. The 34 cultural properties affected "now benefit from the highest level of immunity against attack and use for military purposes", the ...

300 Experts Urge UNESCO to Protect Lebanon's Heritage

This is Beirut, 2024-11-17 12:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Baalbeck Hezbollah Israel UNESCO

In a petition addressed to UNESCO, 300 cultural professionals, including archaeologists and academics, called on Sunday for the protection of Lebanon's heritage, particularly Baalbeck. Since September 23, Israel has been engaged in open warfare against Hezbollah, with strikes targeting the cities of Baalbeck (east) and Tyre (south), both of which ...

Moustapha Adib: “Lebanon’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites Are a Legacy for All Mankind”

Elie Valluy - Paris Correspondent, 2024-11-14 19:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Baalbeck UNESCO Tyre Heritage Hezbollah Israel\

Lebanon's ambassador to UNESCO and Berlin, Moustapha Adib, spoke with This is Beirut about the upcoming special session organized by the UN on November 18 in Paris. The session will focus on enhancing protection for Lebanon's historic sites, which are being threatened by Israeli airstrikes. UNESCO announced on Thursday, November 7, that its ...

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