The UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and President of Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development, Ms. Bahia Hariri, considered that “the wars, conflicts and crises in the world and our region make us look once again to the good will to keep abreast of peoples’ aspirations and will to know and live in safety and peace” and considered that “education is a feature of authentic life and when education stops, life stops.”
Hariri’s speech came during her participation in the symposium “Greening Education in Lebanon” organized by the UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut as part of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States on the occasion of “International Day of Education”, in cooperation with the UNESCO National Committee in Lebanon and the Ministries of Education and Higher Education and the Environment, in the presence of the Ministers of Education, Higher Education and Environment of the Caretaker Government, Justice Abbas Halabi, Dr. Nasser Yassin, and the UNESCO Beirut Director Costanza Farina, Director General of Education Imad Al-Ashqar and Head of the Educational Centre for Research and Development, Hiam Ishaq education”, UNESCO educational and environmental officials and activists.
Hariri said, “We are pleased and honored to welcome UNESCO’s invitation to the Green School in Lebanon, the Green Homeland, whose sons chose the Cedar tree as a symbol of their national unity, and for the greenery to blend with white pure skies. To be the first to believe in UNESCO’s mission and its educational, cultural and scientific role…. whihc is known in speaking about the headquarters of the Ministry of Education in the UNESCO region….”
“Lebanon has raised its generations to be at the beginning of their school year on the first Sunday of December…the annual celebration of Tree Day where they met, sang and identified their belonging to their green Lebanon from Naqoura to the Great River… The green school we meet today to make it an educational target is at the heart of every Lebanese…”
“We highly appreciate UNESCO’s call today to activate this global will to meet the challenges of the climate that threatens our great planet, which has desperated a cosmic village. The experience of the coronavirus pandemic on a planet-wide scale renews our confidence and belief in the mission of the UNESCO, which coincided with the founding of the General Assembly of the United Nations to entrust it with the task of culture, education and science. This underscores the importance of renewing UNESCO’s mission to protect the planet from climate abuse and purity. ”
“The wars, conflicts and crises that the world and our region are witnessing make us look forward once again to the good will of keeping abreast of the aspirations of peoples and their will to science and knowledge, to live in safety and peace, to face the challenges of the climate and all forms of compelling and destructive conflicts. Education is the authentic feature of life and when education stops, life stops. Renewal, development, science, innovation and discovery are features of generational succession…. and renews the national and human life…. The evolution of global concepts and trends must be immediately transformed into educational curricula in line with the speed and evolution of the means of communication. Years ago, when Lebanon’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education decided to integrate development concepts into the educational processes, there were no educational curricula in which to integrate them. During this special meeting, we call for the development of a green curriculum to be incorporated into the green school to restore life and hope to Lebanon’s green homeland… “.
