UNESCO launches $2.2 million project to revive Lebanon's cultural industry

A new project was launched on Wednesday for creative and cultural industries. A statement noted that associations, groups of artists, creators, and cultural professionals in Lebanon, especially those at social or economic risk, can benefit from grant funding amounting to $2.2 million.   

The new project aims to support cultural production and help revive cultural life in the neighborhoods most affected by the Beirut Port explosion.   

The UNESCO Beirut Office announced this call for project proposals during a ceremony held at Sursock Palace, attended by potential beneficiaries interested in the project as well as cultural experts.  

According to the statement, the project aims to "provide emergency support through grants to artists, creators, and cultural sector institutions in the areas affected by the Beirut explosion, with a focus on an urban recovery approach for the city."   

The activities to be funded include the creation, production, distribution, and presentation of cultural and creative activities as well as the transfer of skills in the fields of performing and visual arts, including photography, fine arts and crafts, intangible cultural heritage, audio-visual and interactive media, literature, journalism, heritage and tourism.   

At least 65 formal and informal cultural organizations and 85 individual cultural professionals are expected to benefit from the project directly, 50 percent women and 40 percent youth. In addition, around 10,000 individuals in local communities are expected to benefit indirectly.    

The support will also prioritize applications from economically vulnerable individuals, single-parent families, individuals with disabilities, and the elderly.   

This call for proposals comes within the framework of the BERYT project, or the "Beirut Housing Rehabilitation and Cultural and Creative Industries Recovery," which aims to support the rehabilitation of historic housing for the most vulnerable people and to provide emergency support to creators and cultural institutions in areas affected by the Beirut port explosion.   

The BERYT project is implemented by UN-Habitat and funded by the Lebanon Financing Facility, a multi-donor trust fund managed by the World Bank. The UNESCO Office in Beirut is supervising the implementation of the project's cultural and creative industries component.