International community's reaction after August 4: Rehabilitating universities impacted by the port blast

By Albert Geokgeuzian, Staff Writer and Cherly Abou Chabke, Featured Writer

June 25th, 2021

The ceremony was attended by His Excellency the Lebanese Minister of Education and Higher Education (MEHE), Tarek Majzoub, His Excellency the Ambassador of Qatar in Beirut, Mohammed Hassan Jaber Al-Jaber, the President of the Lebanese University, Dr. Fouad Hussein Ayoub, the president of the American University of Beirut, Dr. Fadlo Khoury, and the president of the Saint Joseph University (USJ) Father Salim Daccache. This project entails the restoration of over 30 buildings across the Lebanese University (LU), the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the Saint Joseph University (USJ).  

The Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Education in the Arab States in Beirut, Costanza Farina, thanked Qatar’s government for its generous support and praised the MEHE for trusting UNESCO to lead the coordination efforts of the rehabilitation and recovery of the education sector. She mentioned that the goal of the “Li Beirut” initiative is to emphasize on the role of education and culture in reconstructing and mobilizing international and local resources and partnerships. She later reiterated: “As Lebanon continues to battle multiple crises, education must be protected to avert a generation catastrophe.”

In his speech, the President of the Lebanese University, Dr. Ayoub, highlighted the importance of the cooperation between the Lebanese University and UNESCO in general, especially given the country’s circumstances. He reminded everyone that the UNESCO office in Beirut was the first to help the LU confront the humanitarian and infrastructure paralysis that they had suffered from as a result of the Beirut blast through the “Li Beirut” initiative. He thanked UNESCO for the constructive initiative and the support given, because it has enabled 87,000 students to continue their studies at the Lebanese University.

For his part, the President of the American University of Beirut, Dr. Fadlo Khoury, referred to Lebanon as the Phoenix of the Greek mythology, rising stronger and better after each disaster, albeit unfortunately. In his speech, he thanked UNESCO for their quick actions after the disaster that occurred on August 4th, how they rushed to conduct rapid assessments and commence the rescue process in different parts of Beirut. He also mentioned how UNESCO has long been supporting “this university’s cultural initiatives, honoring its outstanding faculty, and partnering with it on youth education and development for decades.” The reconstruction of some of AUB’s buildings - which “have been the liberal space where more than 70,000 alumni worldwide obtained their education, interacted on campus, and created lifetime memories” - through the “Li Beirut” initiative will “enhance these iconic structures at AUB.” 

Father Salim Daccache, the President of the Saint Joseph University in Beirut (USJ) also expressed his gratitude and thanks towards UNESCO, and the “Li Beirut” initiative for the tremendous support offered to Beirut and USJ after the blast. He then went on to pay tribute to the victims of the explosion and offer his condolences to their families. The aim of his speech was to call upon the help of UNESCO for moral and material assistance on three levels: the first one is to help anchor youngsters in the country, in hopes of reinforcing their trust in educational establishments and higher education specifically in Lebanon. He then stressed on the need to keep these institutions robust, firm and solid so that students feel that universities in Lebanon will stay inviolable organizations. The second one is to persuade some foreign colleges, particularly in Europe, to quit trying to lure Lebanese students with scholarships, money and equipment, and along these lines work to exhaust the country of the crucial components required for its institutions. Third, seeing its necessity for students, professors and researchers, Father Daccache emphasized on the importance of having high-tech equipment such as hardware, software, newspapers, books and electronic magazines, that constitute at least forty percent of the annual procurement budget in universities today.  “When we call UNESCO, we consider it the incubator of culture, science and education. Higher education institutions define themselves as holders of a national non-lucrative mission, and who else can be the tool that secures science, education, culture, competencies and skills”, he concluded. 

During the ceremony, the Ambassador of the State of Qatar in Beirut, Mohammed Hassan Jaber Al-Jaber, indicated that "the Education Above All Foundation and UNESCO have united their efforts with the financial support of the Qatar Fund for Development, which amounts to about $10 million, in order to rehabilitate 55 schools, 20 TVETS and 3 universities.” According to him, the aim of this project is to guarantee the progression of the instructive mission and ensure the right of kids and youth to get back to their study halls and have access to quality education in an adequate and safe climate. The support of Qatar in August of 2020 came as no surprise, since Al-Jaber confirmed that the foundation’s projects has reached and benefited nearly 30,000 people in Lebanon since 2013.  

For his part, Minister Tarek Majzoub reminded the audience that no hope is lost with the presence and support of international parties and countries that are friends, and who perceive education as a tool for development. “From here comes our appreciation and gratitude for the beautiful countries, organizations, and institutions that respond to our growing needs in light of the cumulated crises that we cannot bear alone”, he said. After acknowledging the importance of the ceremony and thanking the concerned collaborators for their colossal interest in the project, Majzoub highlighted the need to recognize the protection of the educational sector and its members as a “national priority”, by affirming that “we have succeeded in placing education at the beginning of the vaccination campaign, so that our children return to schools and universities”.

This ceremony reinforced and strengthened the ties between UNESCO, the Education Above All Foundation – Educate A Child Programme (EAA-EAC), and the Qatar Fund for Development on an-going project initially launched by “Li-Beirut” on August 27th, 2020, and thus reassured the Lebanese students that the international community is willing to keep on helping them with the recovery of the educational sector after the August 4th tragedy.