Four members of the American University of Beirut (AUB) community have been appointed to the recently formed Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO, a body that gathers experts and public figures to advance education, culture, science, and communication in Lebanon, in line with UNESCO’s mission.
Two of the commission’s standing committees will be chaired by AUB faculty. Dr. Nadine Panayot, curator of the AUB Archaeological Museum and associate professor of practice, was chosen to preside over the Education and Culture Committee. She described education and culture as “our true capital and a vital foundation for a sustainable Lebanon,” adding that she was honored to take on this role under the leadership of Minister of Culture Ghassan Salameh.
Dr. Shady Hamadeh, professor and director of AUB’s Environment and Sustainable Development Unit, will head the Science and Communication Committee. Commenting that “resilience is an innate Lebanese science to be widely communicated,” he expressed his gratitude for the appointment and the opportunity to serve.
The commission also includes Dr. Rachid El Daif, novelist and creative writing lecturer in the Department of Arabic and Near Eastern Languages at AUB, whose scholarship adds a humanities perspective to its work. He described his appointment as “an honor” and said he hoped “to contribute actively and usefully to the work.”
Meanwhile, Mona El Hallak, director of the AUB Neighborhood Initiative, drew on her previous collaboration with the commission in 2019 to launch the first Week of Sound in Lebanon. “I am excited to join this commission as a member,” she said, “and I am sure that, with AUB as a strategic partner, we will be able to implement educational, scientific, and cultural projects in Beirut and beyond.”
With the appointment of several AUB community members, the commission will benefit from the university’s longstanding expertise in education, research, and cultural stewardship as it sets out to develop initiatives that strengthen Lebanon’s cultural and intellectual life.
About AUB
Founded in 1866, the American University of Beirut bases its educational philosophy, standards, and practices on the American liberal arts model of higher education. A teaching-centered research university, AUB has more than 790 full-time faculty members and a student body of over 9000 students. AUB currently offers more than 140 programs leading to bachelor’s, master’s, MD, and PhD degrees. It provides medical education and training to students from throughout the region at its Medical Center that includes a full-service 365-bed hospital.
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