Local UNESCO project provides global model
‘Promotion of peace and security’
A project to provide aid for needy children is opening up new avenues in Lebanon to the UN
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and spurring plans to
reproduce the initiative in countries around the world.
On Thursday, Ute Henriette Ohoven, the visiting United Nations special ambassador for the
education of children in need, inaugurated the UNESCO Cultural Center for Deprived
Children at the organization’s Bir Hassan offices.
“UNESCO is an organization that should remain close to people … especially close
to children who need our help,” Ohoven said during the ceremony.
On hand for the event were Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh; Sidon MP Bahiya Hariri and
Western Bekaa MP Robert Ghanem, who are members of Parliament’s Education Committee;
and Zghorta MP Nayla Mouawad, a member of Parliament’s Women’s and
Children’s Affairs Committee.
Before distributing prizes to the 11 finalists of a UNESCO art contest, Ohoven explained
that the new facility would enable children across the country “to get a glimpse of
the culture of UNESCO.”
For his part, Victor Billeh, director of UNESCO’s regional office, stressed the
importance of the center’s pioneering role.
“Many countries have their own cultural centers here, the British Council or the
French Cultural Center … for example,” he said. “(But now we have
established the UNESCO Cultural Center, which will contribute to the promotion of peace
and security through the promotion of education, science and culture.”
The facility will provide an interactive space for children from deprived regions with as
many as 20 computers, access to the internet, DVDs and a small library.
Ohoven, who also chairs the Helmut Kohl Foundation, arrived in Lebanon on Monday to
research financial resources for projects aimed at assisting children in distress.
She has worked in more than 100 countries in the past 10 years and carried out around 200
projects aiding children.
Earlier, she visited Premier Rafik Hariri at the Grand Serail. Her visit ends Friday. Copyright © The Daily Star |
