On 13 September 2019, UNESCO Beirut Director Dr Hamed al Hamami and Director-General of Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF) Major General Imad Othman signed a letter of intent to kick-start a project by which UNESCO Beirut will strengthen the institutional capacity of ISF in the field of communication and information technology. The meeting was attended by UNESCO Beirut’s Programme Specialist for Communication and Information Mr George Awad, ISF’s Public Relations Division chair Colonel Joseph Musallem, and ISF’s Planning and Organization Division chair Colonel Elie Saliba.
Through this project, UNESCO Beirut will provide support to ISF to develop a social media strategy that will help the institution to communicate about its work, thus enhancing the community’s confidence in ISF. In addition, UNESCO Beirut will train ISF officers in the field of communication, in particular the use of Internet and social networking sites, thus improving the performance of ISF members in the field of communication.
This project falls under the framework of a UNESCO-led initiative to strengthen freedom of expression and democracy throughout the Middle East, Latin America, Africa and Asia, with the generous financial support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) through UNESCO's Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists.