BEIRUT (Enmaeya News) — Four members of the American University of Beirut (AUB) community have been appointed to the newly formed Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO, a body bringing together 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, will lead the Education and Culture Committee, describing education and culture as “our true capital and a vital foundation for a sustainable Lebanon.”

Dr. Shady Hamadeh, professor and director of AUB’s Environment and Sustainable Development Unit, will chair the Science and Communication Committee. “Resilience is an innate Lebanese science to be widely communicated,” he said, expressing gratitude for the appointment and the chance to serve.

The commission also includes Dr. Rachid El Daif, novelist and creative writing lecturer, whose scholarship brings a humanities perspective, and Mona El Hallak, Director of the AUB Neighborhood Initiative, who previously collaborated with the commission to launch Lebanon’s first Week of Sound in 2019.

With several AUB members on board, the commission is set to benefit from the university’s long-standing expertise in education, research, and cultural stewardship as it works to develop initiatives that strengthen Lebanon’s cultural and intellectual life.