The Office of the Italian Trade Agency in Beirut, organized today, under the patronage of the Embassy of Italy and in cooperation with Assorestauro – Italian Association for Architecture, Art and Urban Restoration – a Workshop on technology and Know-how Exchange in the field of restoration and reconstruction at the headquarters of “Rebirth Beirut” in Gemmayze, at the heart of Beirut that was largely damaged by the Aug 4 explosion.
The venue for carrying out the works of the event was chosen precisely because it is representative of a heritage civil building that has been completely restored and returned to the city to preserve its history and culture.
The initiative includes visits to restoration and construction sites in the capital, in addition to a technical Seminar organized by Alba (Académie Libanaise des Beaux Arts).
The event planned by ICE Beirut office as a hub for consolidating relations between companies and business associations of the two countries, is part of a broader spectrum of activities in the restoration field involving various actors from both the public and private sectors.
In the opening, Claudio Pasqualucci, the Director of ITA Beirut outlined the strategic phases of the project, introduced the speakers and presented the next edition of the International Restoration Exhibition to be held in Ferrara from May 10 to 12, 2023, which will feature for the first time, exhibiting companies from Lebanon.
Afterwards, within the core of her speech, H.E. Ambassador Nicoletta Bombardiere highlighted the importance of Italian intervention in the restoration sector in Lebanon, reminding of the various restoration projects and works already executed and those to be implemented in the country. Then, Mr. Gaby Ferneine, founder of Rebirth Beirut established in Beirut in 2020, took the floor and described Rebirth Beirut’s activities to support sustainable urban development in Beirut and the ongoing projects undertaken to highlight Beirut as a capital of culture and prosperity.
Italian institutional speakers at the event included delegates from AICS (Italian Agency for Development Cooperation), Assorestauro (Italian Association for Architecture, Art, and Urban Restoration), and Ferrara Fair.
In addition to Rebirth Beirut, Lebanese institutional speakers represented by the Lebanese Contractors Syndicate, Beirut Order of Engineers and Architects, UN Habitat, RDCL (Lebanese Business Leaders Association) and Beirut Heritage Initiative, were present at the event.
In the session dedicated to business matching, the nine participating Italian companies (Associazione SOS Archivi, Bonifica Spa, Fibre Net Spa, Fima Engineering Srl, Hydea S.p.A, Lucente International Lawyers, Saciarkeo, Syremont Monument Management Spa, Vetreria d’Arte Gamberini) were presented to an audience of about 100 local business people, completing a total of 180 B2B meetings with their local counterparts in attendance.
In parallel to the works, Director Pasqualucci underlined that the initiative confirmed the potential offered by the Lebanese market to Italian companies and showed how after years of complex economic and social crisis, Lebanon is witnessing some signs of recovery supported, above all, by private initiatives. He also highlighted the importance of deepening synergies in a field in which cooperation between the two countries is particularly intense among both institutional and private partners.