Makary and UNESCO Beirut launch a new initiative to digitalize the TeleLiban archives with the support of ALIPH

Established in May 1959, TeleLiban, the first state television in the Arab region, started broadcasting in black and white and it shaped the Lebanese and regional memory in its originality. Its archives are considered national and regional treasure rich in drama, cultural, artistic and historical content. This priceless documentary heritage is under threat of being lost because of lack of investments in restauration and preservation. In partnership with the ministry, UNESCO is launching with the support of ALIPH emergency interventions that will address the critical status of the archives and contribute to safeguarding this historic and documentary heritage.

The initiative will build on the work carried out by the Archive unit at TeleLiban and complement it with emergency digitalization actions. Needed technical equipment and tools will also be procured to save the elements from the historical audiovisual archives that are not yet compromised and to create a detailed and accessible inventory.

"We value the continued partnership between UNESCO, ALIPH, and the ministry, and affirm that this is not our first collaboration. Indeed, we have previously worked together on various projects. This new initiative financed by ALIPH will contribute to make the nomination file of the TeleLiban archives for the UNESCO Memory of the World much stronger. Our mission is to preserve the Lebanese media heritage for future generations" stated H.E Ziad Al Makary in his remarks.

Mrs Costanza Farina, Director of UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office in Beirut, expressed that "UNESCO is very privileged to work in partnership with the Ministry of Information and ALIPH on this very strategic initiative. TeleLiban occupies a special place in the heart of all Lebanese and its archives deserve special attention. I am very grateful to HE the Minister for his leadership and for his appreciation of the archives values and I am thankful to ALIPH for their investment in this true treasure of heritage documentary. Couple the senior technical expertise that UNESCO brings to the initiative, this formula can only succeed!"

Mr Valéry Freland, ALIPH Executive Director, stressed that " Lebanon is a priority for ALIPH, which did its utmost to help preserve the cultural heritage of Beirut's old city after the 2020 blast. For 4 years, ALIPH has supported 31 projects in the country for a total amount of USD 5,1M. We are very pleased to support this new initiative brought by UNESCO and the Ministry of Information: protecting audiovisual archives is crucial because they are the living memory of the country’s history"

This initiative is integral part of a wider technical support package offered by UNESCO leading to the preparation of the nomination file of the TeleLiban archives that can be submitted to the UNESCO Memory of the World international registry (https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world).

Memory of the World is a global UNESCO Programme that aims to facilitate preservation of the world's documentary heritage, particularly in areas affected by conflict and/or natural disaster, to enable universal access to documentary heritage worldwide, and to enhance public awareness about the significant of documentary heritage among the wider public.

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About UNESCO

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication and information. UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding and a more perfect knowledge of each other's lives. UNESCO's programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the 2030 Agenda, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.

About ALIPH

The International alliance for the protection of heritage in conflict areas (ALIPH) is the main global fund exclusively dedicated to the protection and rehabilitation of cultural heritage in conflict zones and post-conflict situations. It was created in 2017 in response to the massive destruction of cultural heritage over the past two decades, predominantly in the Middle East and the Sahel. ALIPH is a public-private partnership assembling eight countries (China, Cyprus, France, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Morocco, Saudia Arabia, and United Arab Emirates) and private donors (Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan, Getty Trust, and Fondation Gandur pour l’Art). Based in Geneva, this Swiss Foundation also benefits from the privileges and immunities of an international organization. To date, ALIPH has supported about 450 projects in more than 35 countries. Building on the strength of these first years of experience, ALIPH is now committed to protecting the heritage in countries vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. ALIPH finances concrete initiatives carried out on the ground, hand in hand with local partners, authorities, and communities. Its mission places cultural heritage protection as a central contributor to peace and sustainable development