A sign bearing the "Blue Shield" emblem of UNESCO, installed in the ancient hippodrome of Sour, in southern Lebanon, on March 23. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient-Le Jour)
The day is gray. Part of the Eiffel Tower disappears behind a veil of thick clouds, but inside UNESCO headquarters, the energy is electric. In Room XI, diplomats, experts and delegates hold their breath.This meeting, convened at the request of Lebanon's permanent delegation to UNESCO, is part of a diplomatic campaign closely coordinated with Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh and the Directorate General of Antiquities, led by Sarkis al-Khoury.Experts have rallied around them: Jad Tabet, architect, urban planner, adviser to the minister of culture and honorary president of the Order of Engineers and Architects of Beirut; Samar Karam, cultural heritage expert. All share the same goal: to have the urgent need to protect a country under threat recognized.At 10:12 a.m., a quorum is reached. The extraordinary session of the Committee for the...
The day is gray. Part of the Eiffel Tower disappears behind a veil of thick clouds, but inside UNESCO headquarters, the energy is electric. In Room XI, diplomats, experts and delegates hold their breath.This meeting, convened at the request of Lebanon's permanent delegation to UNESCO, is part of a diplomatic campaign closely coordinated with Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh and the Directorate General of Antiquities, led by Sarkis al-Khoury.Experts have rallied around them: Jad Tabet, architect, urban planner, adviser to the minister of culture and honorary president of the Order of Engineers and Architects of Beirut; Samar Karam, cultural heritage expert. All share the same goal: to have the urgent need to protect a country under threat recognized.At 10:12 a.m., a quorum is reached. The extraordinary session of the Committee for...
