Hazmieh: President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, on Wednesday affirmed that T©l© Liban “is an inseparable part of our national identity,” stressing that its renewed strength today “is a message of hope to all Lebanese that we are capable of recovery.” The President was speaking at the ceremony marking the launch of the nomination of T©l© Liban’s archive to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, which was held at the television’s headquarters in Hazmieh.
According to National News Agency – Lebanon, Aoun stated that the nomination “returns Lebanon to its natural place on the global stage in the media and documentation fields” and confirms that the country’s cultural and media heritage “deserves international recognition and preservation.” He also emphasized that Lebanon is entering a new phase of restoring confidence in national institutions and rebuilding the state on transparency and efficiency. He added, “We see a new Lebanon being born before our eyes, through the revival of its institutions and the recovery of their leading role.”
The ceremony was attended by Information Minister Paul Morcos, National Audio-Visual Media Council head Abdel Hadi Mahfouz, T©l© Liban Board Chair Dr. Elissar Naddaf, and other notable figures including diplomats, journalists, and guests. The event commenced with the national anthem and showcased a video highlighting T©l© Liban’s significant programs since its inception.
Dr. Naddaf, in her speech, highlighted T©l© Liban as a living museum of Lebanon’s memory and committed to restoring the institution through restructuring, technical enhancements, and new programming. She also announced plans for expanded sports coverage and prospective free broadcasts of the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Naddaf noted that salary adjustments are underway to align with minimum wage standards, reinforcing the importance of staff.
Additionally, Naddaf detailed various partnerships with international and local organizations aimed at upgrading T©l© Liban’s services and infrastructure. These include collaborations with the International Organisation of La Francophonie, UN Women, and others, with plans to transition the channel to Full HD and bolster its youth programming and governance.
Naddaf also shared that T©l© Liban’s archive, documenting Lebanon’s history since 1958, has been digitized with support from UNESCO’s Beirut office and the Aleph Foundation, and that its nomination file was submitted to UNESCO Paris last week.
Information Minister Morcos expressed his support for the nomination, highlighting efforts to safeguard and digitize the archive and the recent appointment of T©l© Liban’s first board since 1999. He commended the channel’s resurgence as a national platform rooted in professionalism and media ethics.
President Aoun, in his concluding remarks, lauded T©l© Liban as “the faithful voice of the nation” and a protector of collective memory. He recognized the reopening of the Hazmieh building as a symbol of blending heritage with modernization and welcomed the UNESCO nomination as acknowledgment of a “true national treasure.”
The event also included films on the archive’s preservation for UNESCO’s register. Earlier, President Aoun toured T©l© Liban’s facilities with Minister Morcos and Dr. Naddaf to inspect preservation techniques and technologies.