BEIRUT, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- An official with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Monday called for continued support for the Lebanese people hit hard by a protracted financial crisis.
Costanza Farina, director of the UNESCO Regional Bureau in Beirut, made the remarks at a ceremony to mark the re-opening of UNESCO's regional headquarters in Beirut after its rehabilitation and renovation between 2020 and 2022.
"Lebanon is facing multiple complex crises; UNESCO is still here and will remain here," she said.
For his part, Nick Jeffreys, assistant director-general for administration and management at UNESCO, said that the regional office would remain a pillar at the regional level, responding to the needs of the countries it covers, while interacting with stakeholders including national governments and the United Nations system.
Lebanon has been mired in a full-blown financial crisis since late 2019, as its national currency has lost about 90 percent of its value on the parallel market. According to the United Nations, more than 80 percent of Lebanese people live below the poverty line. ■
