UNESCO and Italy join forces to restore Beirut’s explosion-damaged railway station.

BEIRUT, July 24 (Xinhua) — The damaged Beirut Railway Station in the Mar Mikhael neighborhood of the Lebanese capital will soon undergo restoration with the help of foreign funding, as per a UNESCO-Italian deal reached on Monday to recover the industrial heritage site.

The Italian government will provide 2 million euros (about 2.21 million U.S. dollars) for the recovery work through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, a public agency, according to a statement released by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Constructed in 1894, the station was abandoned during the Lebanese civil war, and in 2020, it was further damaged by the explosions in the port of Beirut. The restoration project includes two interconnected initiatives, with one involving the construction of a public green space by UN-Habitat within the 10,000 square meters of the railway station area.

UNESCO will play a role in preserving the original function, cultural value, and authenticity of the site, as stated in the official statement.

Costanza Farina, director of UNESCO’s Multisectoral Regional Office in Beirut, expressed that “the initiative is a testament to our joint commitment to improve the livability of Beirut and strategically contribute to its revitalization.”

“As a space open to the public, the project will support the social and cultural participation of all people, with particular attention to the most vulnerable during times of severe socio-economic challenges in the country,” Farina added.