BEIRUT (Xinhua) – The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Monday announced the financing of 100,000 U.S. dollars to support cultural and creative industries in Lebanon. “This funding allows UNESCO to provide emergency support to artists and cultural entities in Beirut through grants, so they can continue producing cultural productions,” said the director of UNESCO’s Culture and Emergencies Entity Krista Pikkat, who is paying a visit to Beirut almost 3 years after the deadly port explosions. A statement released by UNESCO stated that “the investment in the vital sector is made through the Heritage Emergency Fund, a multi-donor mechanism established by UNESCO in 2015 to enable rapid response to protect culture in an emergency.”