LiBeirut
On 4 August 2020, two massive explosions hit the port of Beirut claiming the lives of 220 people, and leaving more than 6,000 injured and 300,000 families homeless. The capital’s neighborhoods were devastated and disfigured for miles around. Burnt-out cars, glass-strewn streets, houses and shops reduced to rubble, the apocalyptic scene will forever remain in the annals of the city and etched in the hearts and minds of the people of Lebanon, scarred by the tragedy.
Nevertheless, resilience and the instinct of survival soon took over. The young armed with nothing but brooms to clean their city soon rushed to the rescue of their capital. The international community expressed its solidarity with the Lebanese people. Visiting Beirut on 27 August 2020, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, launched the LiBeirut (For Beirut) initiative from across the port, an initiative that aims to mobilize the international community to support the reconstruction of the city’s educational and cultural sectors.
"Beirut, a world, a city of memory, a creative city, was in a few seconds, bruised in its flesh, in its deepest identity".
Follow our activities for Beirut
Our impact in numbers
Today, families in Lebanon are still struggling to find a sense of normalcy.
UNESCO stands by the people of Lebanon to restore the education and culture sectors, in hopes of a better future.
Check out our Melody of Hope #ForBeirut
