Destruction on the streets of Gaza (archive). UNESCO sends $5.7 million to protect cultural heritage in Gaza Culture and education
UNESCO announced the launch of a large-scale emergency assistance program in Gaza: $5.7 million has been allocated to protect cultural heritage. These funds will also go towards restoring access to education and supporting local media.
The organization plans to further expand these funds to $116.5 million to ensure long-term reconstruction and strengthening of key public institutions.
Damage to Cultural Heritage
Gaza’s cultural heritage suffered severe damage during the war: 164 cultural and historical sites were damaged, many of them important symbols of the Palestinian cause. identity. UNESCO is carrying out emergency repairs to buildings and clearing rubble in Gaza’s Old City. Five facilities have already been strengthened, and seven more are in the process of stabilization. At the same time, satellite monitoring of destruction is being carried out, and local professionals are being trained in emergency heritage protection methods.
Psychosocial support
In addition to preserving cultural values, UNESCO pays attention to the psychological state of the population. More than eight thousand children, adolescents and their parents who were forced to leave their homes received psychosocial support through cultural and creative programs. Going forward, the organization plans to support 21,000 people and provide grants to local artists to restore Gaza’s cultural life.
Education Aid
Gaza’s education system is also facing a severe crisis, with damage to the higher education and training sector estimated at $379 million; more than 80 percent of college campuses are destroyed or damaged. Nine out of ten students need psychological support, and most teachers do not have permanent housing.
Against this backdrop, UNESCO is helping children continue to learn through play-based educational programs in mathematics and Arabic, as well as social-emotional development initiatives. High school students have been provided with more than a thousand tablets to prepare for exams.
Higher education has partially resumed thanks to the creation of the Gaza Virtual Campus, which has already enrolled about 20 percent of students. In the future, it will be able to provide distance learning to more than 30 thousand people. In addition, five temporary study spaces have been opened in the sector, where 13,800 students study, including almost seven thousand women.
Support for journalists
A separate area of work is support for journalists. More than a thousand media workers, 60 percent of whom are women, received psychological help. Laptops, voice recorders, mobile phones and other communication equipment were purchased for 200 journalists. About 600 specialists have been trained in ethical journalism, mobile filming, photo and video production, and combating disinformation.
UNESCO plans to provide comprehensive support to about a thousand journalists in Gaza in the near future.
The organization emphasizes that the scale of the destruction requires long-term international help. Emergency measures are already bringing results, but for the full restoration of culture, education and journalism, further support from the world community is needed.