Beirut, 3 July 2025 — The UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut hosted a three-day multi-stakeholder consultation from 1 to 3 July 2025 that brought together national authorities, international experts, and community actors to co-develop an Integrated Management Plan (IMP) for the Damour River Basin from Source to Sea. Held under the umbrella of the GEF UNEP/MAP MedProgramme, the consultation marked …

UNESCO and the Fondation L’Oréal are pleased to announce the launch of the Call for Nominations for the 2025 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards. This prestigious initiative aims to spotlight and reward the achievements of eminent women scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of science. Honouring Excellence in Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Computer Science The …

Join Us for the Next IUPAP–UNESCO International Colloquium on Physics for Society Date: Monday, 16 June 2025Time: 13:00 CESTPlatform: ZoomRegister Here We are delighted to invite you to the third session of the IUPAP–UNESCO International Colloquia on Physics for Society, an ongoing series dedicated to exploring how physics contributes to sustainable development and societal progress. This session features a keynote …

In celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity 2025, more than 50 students from Saint Famille Fanar and Al Doha Schools, both part of the UNESCO Associated Schools Network (ASPnet), visited the Jabal Moussa Biosphere Reserve as part of an educational initiative organized by UNESCO Beirut, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO, …

UNESCO Beirut is proud to announce that Lebanon will be represented at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, through the participation of the High Mountain Phoenician Center, the visitor center of the Jabal Moussa Biosphere Reserve. The center will be featured in Deep Surfaces: Architecture to Enhance the Visitor Experience of UNESCO Sites, a collateral exhibition …

An online event geared towards raising the level of subregional scientific cooperation in the LEVANT region towards sustainable development Date: 07 – 08 May 2025 Background: World Water Day, which is celebrated globally each year on 22 March, focuses on emphasizing the critical role of freshwater in sustainable development. It acts as a dynamic call to scientific action to address …

Jounieh, 22 April 2025In celebration of Earth Day 2025, and under the global theme “Our Power, Our Planet,” UNESCO Beirut, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, organized an immersive educational experience at the Green Demonstration Room, located at the Center for Educational Research and Development (CERD) in Jounieh. The event brought …

On World Water Day, we highlight the urgent need for glacier preservation. As vital freshwater sources, glaciers are rapidly melting, threatening global water security and climate stability. Protecting them is key to sustaining life and combating climate change.

UNESCO is gravely concerned about the impact of the hostilities in the Gaza Strip on students and education professionals. The Organization calls for the protection of educational establishments, which often serve as shelters for the population, and recalls that targeting them or using them for military purposes constitute violations of international law.

The forum will gather women angel investors and businesswomen from the Arab region together with international trainers from around the globe in order to group educate and share together evidence-based information acknowledging the benefits of angel investing on the entrepreneurial eco-system and national and regional innovation economies.

“Shaping Africa’s New Normal: Recovering Stronger, Rebuilding Better” placed a spotlight on African-led solutions to deal with challenges of peace, security and development in Africa. A session on Sustainable Peace and Development through Arts, Culture and Heritage was held at the Forum as part of celebrations for the 2021 African Union (AU) Year of the Arts, Culture and Heritage.

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed teaching, necessitating adaptive methods and new tools due to school closures and the shift to distance learning. Teachers, especially in the Arab region, are facing unique challenges due to conflict, displacement, and poverty, highlighting the need for resilient education systems that prioritize teachers and incorporate lessons from the pandemic.

UNESCO and GGN have initiated a project to advance the Geopark concept in Africa and Arab States, which are unified geographical areas that manage sites of international geological significance with a focus on protection, education, and sustainable development. They foster local pride, stimulate job creation and geotourism, while ensuring geological resource protection.

Emergency department visit rates because of an opioid overdose increased by 28.5 percent across the U.S. in 2020, compared to 2018 and 2019, recent research finds.

Using advanced imaging technology, scientists have provided an unprecedented understanding of the BRCA1-BARD1 protein complex, which is often mutated in patients with breast or ovarian cancer. Their paper identifies aspects of how BRCA1-BARD1 functions, supporting future translational research, cancer prevention efforts and drug development.

Sunlight in, reflected and emitted energy out. That’s the fundamental energy balance sheet for our planet — and for decades, it has been out of balance. The extra energy manifests as higher temperatures, rising sea levels, floods, droughts, more powerful blizzards and hurricanes, and deadlier extreme events. Not only is the imbalance growing, but there’s a 99% chance that the …

In an attempt to find out why the long-term outcomes are poorer for patients with lobular breast cancer — which affects some 40,000 women a year — researchers began looking at the role of the protein MDC1 in tumor cells.

A new study debunks misinformation on websites and in news articles that claim that environmental or biological stresses — such as flooding or disease — cause an increase in THC production in hemp plants.

MicroCT of infected human lung tissue, along with histology and immunohistochemistry, was used to construct images of TB granulomas, airways and vasculature.

The discovery of a gene that regulates the angle of root growth in corn is a new tool to enable the breeding of deeper-rooting crops with enhanced ability to take up nitrogen, according to an international team of researchers.

With the Olympics underway, higher testosterone has often been linked to sporting success, and other kinds of success too. But beyond sport, new research has found little evidence that testosterone meaningfully influences life chances for men or women. In fact, the study suggests that despite the social myths surrounding testosterone, it could be much less important than previously thought.

New research identifies climate change challenges faced by U.S. Department of Defense facilities, and solutions that might serve as a model for other large organizations.

Under normal conditions, pure water is an almost perfect insulator. Water only develops metallic properties under extreme pressure, such as exists deep inside of large planets. Now, an international collaboration has used a completely different approach to produce metallic water and documented the phase transition at BESSY II.

Although cats have lived alongside humans for millennia, it remains a dogs’ world. This bias has historically bled into science as well. It’s time for cats to get their day, argues veterinary medicine experts. Cats, they say, have the potential to be a valuable model organism for geneticists, as the feline genome is ordered similarly to humans.

Scientists have published a new, detailed radio image of the Andromeda galaxy — the Milky Way’s sister galaxy — which will allow them to identify and study the regions of Andromeda where new stars are born.

A team of scientists has developed an approach to disposing wastewater that reduces the danger of triggering an earthquake.

Brain imaging and mathematical modeling reveal previously unreported mechanistic features of symptoms associated with major depressive disorder.

Researchers used some of Europe’s strongest continuous magnetic fields to uncover evidence of exotic charge carriers in the metallic state of copper-oxide high-temperature superconductors (high-Tc cuprates). The team postulated that it is these exotic charge carriers that form the superconducting pairs, in marked contrast with expectations from conventional theory.

Researchers have shown that feeding bumble bees caffeine helps them better remember the smell of a specific flower with nectar inside. While previous studies have shown that bees like caffeine and will more frequently visit caffeinated flowers to get it, this study shows that consuming caffeine in their nest actually helps bees find certain flowers outside of the nest.

In a major advancement in the field of gene therapy for rare and devastating diseases, researchers have developed a “dimmer switch” system that can control levels of proteins expressed from gene therapy vectors. The system is based on alternative RNA splicing using an orally available small molecule and works effectively in tissues throughout the body, including the brain.

Researchers have developed a computational tool that identifies cancer driver mutations for each tumor type.

Researchers surveyed 1,175 surgeons and surgical trainees from across the U.S. to study their or their partner’s pregnancy experiences. They found that 48 percent of surveyed female surgeons experienced major pregnancy complications, with those who operated 12-or-more hours per week during the last trimester of pregnancy at a higher risk compared to those who did not.

Fulfilling a prediction of Einstein’s theory of General Relativity, researchers report the first-ever recordings of X-ray emissions from the far side of a black hole.

The global computer chip shortage has hit car manufacturers especially hard, indicating the importance of supply chain resilience. Yet, for hybrid electric vehicles, it isn’t clear how their production could be impacted by fluctuating supplies and high prices. To get a grasp of these vulnerabilities compared to those for gas-powered models, researchers conducted a thorough analysis, finding that hybrid models …

Twenty months after declaring a climate emergency and establishing a set of vital signs for the Earth, a coalition of researchers says the updated vital signs “largely reflect the consequences of unrelenting business as usual.”

In a first for wild primates, scientists use ‘Fitbit’ technology on a troop of baboons to reveal the price of sticking together — and who pays the most.

Middle-aged stars can experience their own kind of midlife crisis, experiencing dramatic breaks in their activity and rotation rates at about the same age as our Sun, according to new research. The study provides a new theoretical underpinning for the unexplained breakdown of established techniques for measuring ages of stars past their middle age, and the transition of solar-like stars …

Healthy lifestyle factors such as abstinence from smoking and drinking, low body mass index, and exercise correlated with decreased cancer incidence, even in individuals with a high genetic risk.

Researchers have shown that postpartum depression can inhibit a mother’s ability to instill healthy tooth brushing habits in children. The study demonstrates the need to foster greater mental support and management for mothers and incorporate these factors when assessing children’s oral health.

Tragically, the opioid epidemic has led to an increase in accidental and premature deaths, which has also increased the number of hearts available for potential organ donation. Receiving a heart from a donor who used illicit drugs does not impact the recipient’s survival, according to a group of researchers from Virginia, Arizona and Indiana.

Women often struggle with managing their weight and other health risk factors, such as high cholesterol, once they transition through menopause. A new study suggests that dancing may effectively lower cholesterol levels, improve fitness and body composition and in the process, improve self-esteem.

3A research team has observed how bioplastic granule is being accumulated in living bacteria cells through 3D holographic microscopy. Their 3D imaging and quantitative analysis of the bioplastic ‘polyhydroxyalkanoate’ (PHA) via optical diffraction tomography provides insights into biosynthesizing sustainable substitutes for petroleum-based plastics.

A team has demonstrated that fermenting drinks fortified with pea and rice proteins yields the same quality of protein as casein, an animal protein found in milk.

A new analysis of the 2018 collapse of Kilauea volcano’s caldera helps to confirm the reigning scientific paradigm for how friction works on earthquake faults. The model quantifies the conditions necessary to initiate the kind of caldera collapse that sustains big, damaging eruptions of basaltic volcanoes like Kilauea and could help to inform forecasting and mitigation.

Swimming a few laps likely won’t turn your child into the next Katie Ledecky or Michael Phelps, but it just might help them become the next J.K. Rowling or Stephen King. A recent study suggests aerobic exercise, such as swimming, can boost kids’ vocabulary growth.

Researchers have now developed a method that allows the use of multi-focal images to reconstruct the movement of fast biological processes in 3D.

Women have several choices for long-lasting, reversible contraceptives, but most options for men are either single-use, such as condoms, or difficult to reverse, like vasectomies. Now, in a step toward a safe, long-lasting and reversible male contraceptive, researchers have developed magnetic, biodegradable nanomaterials that reduced the likelihood of mice fathering pups for at least 30 days.

Climate conditions play a significant role in the reproductive success of mature female Antarctic krill and are a factor in fluctuations of the population that occur every five to seven years.

A new study of cells shows that antibodies produced by the body in response to COVID-19 may be triggering a blood clotting response in patients with severe disease.

A new article outlines how relaxing Covid-19 restrictions could pave the way for new vaccine-resistant virus mutations. It describes how we are in an ‘arms race’ with the virus and how rising cases could provide opportunities for it to evolve into even more transmissible variants. The researchers say that any new variants could be more virulent, more vaccine resistant, and …

Smaller-bodied ruminants forage primarily for the highest energy intake, while equids — which tend to be larger — choose to forage in areas close to surface water, with less attention to forage condition.

New research has uncovered an essential mechanism coordinating the processes of cell division and adhesion within humans. This discovery has profound potential for advancing understanding of cell adhesion signalling in cancerous tumor progression and metastasis.

While it is well known that fighting over money can lead couples to divorce court, new research finds that differences in risk preferences, especially when it comes to financial matters, are likely a root cause of marital separation.

Positive trends in global education access are expected to decrease dementia prevalence worldwide by 6.2 million cases by the year 2050. Meanwhile, anticipated trends in smoking, high body mass index and high blood sugar are predicted to increase prevalence by nearly the same number: 6.8 million cases.

Researchers have for the first time demonstrated a direct link between the decrease in the Dead Sea’s water table, evaporation and land subsidence.

For decades, a key brain area has been thought to merely regulate locomotion. Now, a research group has shown that the region is involved in much more than walking, as it contains distinct populations of neurons that control different body movements. The findings could help to improve certain therapies for Parkinson’s disease.

A new study shows that over the course of five years, patients who had bariatric and metabolic surgery to treat uncontrolled type 2 diabetes reported greater physical health, more energy, less body pain, and less negative effects of diabetes in their daily lives, compared with patients who had medical therapy alone for their diabetes.

Magnetic fields around black holes decay quickly, researchers report. This finding backs up the so-called ‘no-hair conjecture’ predicted by Einstein’s general relativity.

How do you control ice formation on a plane, even when it’s in flight? Engineers are developing an approach using ice itself. They created a de-icing method that exploits how frost grows on pillar structures to suspend ice as it forms into a layer that’s easier to remove.

In nature, the interaction of molecules at the boundary of different liquids can give rise to new structures. These self-assembling molecules make cell formation possible and are instrumental to the development of all life on Earth. They can also be engineered to perform specific functions — and now, a team of researchers has leveraged this opportunity to develop a material …

The devastating bushfires in Australia had a larger impact on the world’s 2020 climate than the pandemic-related lockdowns, as plumes of smoke cooled global temperatures and pushed tropical thunderstorms northward. New research indicates that regional wildfires can have far-reaching climatic effects that are comparable to a major volcanic eruption.

A new type of wireless charger can charge multiple devices simultaneously, researchers report. The device transfers energy with 90 percent efficiency within 20-centimeter charging range.

Anyone who has ever failed to throw a beer mat into a hat should take note: physicists have discovered why this task is so difficult. However, their study also suggests how to significantly increase accuracy and range.

The fruit fly has multiple taste organs throughout its body to detect chemicals, called tastants, that signal whether a food is palatable or harmful. It is still unclear, however, how individual neurons in each taste organ act to control feeding. To explore this question, a team used the fly pharynx as a model to study whether taste information regulates sugar …

A model using simple changes in microbe growth curves could predict how drug resistance evolves in response to different antibiotic combinations, doses and sequences.

International drilling efforts over the last decades into the seafloor have provided increasing evidence for the existence of an extensive deep biosphere below the seafloor. There, circulating fluids in the sub-seafloor deliver chemical compounds from which energy is produced to fuel microbial life in such deep ecosystems. Our understanding of the role of such chemolithotrophic microbes in the continental deep …

A team of scientists has leveraged artificial intelligence to train computers to keep up with the massive amounts of X-ray data taken at the Advanced Photon Source.

In a recent study of Black American women, low levels of vitamin D appeared to be related to increased incidence of COVID-19 infection.

Hydrogen peroxide reacts with copper to produce hydroxyl radicals with strong antibacterial properties. However, this requires high copper concentrations because two copper atoms have to come close together, which occurs by chance. Now, scientists have engineered a long polymer with copper-containing side units that create regions with locally high copper density, boosting the antibacterial activity of hydrogen peroxide and paving …

Madagascar is renowned for its unique and varied biodiversity, which spans dry grasslands, wet rain forests, mangroves and deserts. This variety, combined with the island’s isolation and size, has fostered distinctive assemblages of plants and animals, including the country’s famous lemurs and baobab trees.

Subtle differences in perception during late-teen years can predict the development of hallucinations, delusions, and, in some instances, psychosis later in life, according to new research.

Several forms of public messages can increase vaccination intentions, but messaging that emphasizes personal health benefits has the largest impact.