Beginning with its establishment in 1961 as the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States in Beirut, the Office has been serving the Arab region and the member states of UNESCO, concentrating on training educational personnel within the Arab States in management and planning of Arab educational systems. The Office seeks to build peace through international cooperation in education, sciences and culture. UNESCO’s programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the 2030 Agenda.

According to UNESCO, the Beirut Port explosion on 4 August 2020 has deleteriously impacted education access for more than 85,000 children and youth in Lebanon. Across the board, schools, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and universities were either damaged or utterly destroyed. Against this backdrop, UNESCO in partnership with EAC, Lebanon’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education and with support from the Qatar Fund For Development, are leading rehabilitation efforts for educational infrastructure to support recovery.

To help build the education system back from the destruction, the joint EAC-UNESCO “Reconstruction & Rehabilitation of Education Institutions Affected by the Beirut Port Explosion” project joint initiative will repair/reconstruct:

• 55 public schools;
• 20 TVET institutions; and
• 3 universities (American University of Beirut, Saint Joseph University, Lebanese University)

Together, the recovery effort aims to ensure that learning never stops and vulnerable children and youth continue to realise their right to education.

For more information about this EAC Implementing Partner, please visit the UNESCO Lebanon website.