The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced on Saturday the start of a new phase of its joint project with the European Union to restore archaeological and historic houses in the World Heritage-listed Old City of Sana’a, which was recently damaged. due to the growing problems of climate change.
The UNESCO statement said that the joint project will be implemented on the basis of a comprehensive damage assessment of 10,000 historic houses in Old Sanaa, which was carried out in 2021.
The organization added that the project will open employment opportunities for thousands of young people in Yemen through cash-for-work schemes. Over the past four years, 213 buildings in Old Sana’a have been renovated with the support of a joint UNESCO-EU project, the organization said.
Since last month, Sana’a and several provinces in Yemen have witnessed unprecedented torrential rains, causing torrential rains and flooding that have killed dozens and damaged nearly 500 homes in old Sana’a.
UNESCO inscribed Old Sana’a on the World Heritage List in 1986, but due to the increased risk in the city due to declining national conservation efforts in 2015, the organization decided to move the city to the List of Heritage in Danger. a step that usually precedes the removal of a city from the World Heritage List, unless the national authorities are working to correct violations.
UNESCO has also expressed concern about the impact of the recent floods and floods on the livelihoods of local communities in Yemen. “UNESCO is closely monitoring the situation in historic cities, especially those on the World Heritage List, including the old city of Sana’a, the historic city of Zabid and the ancient city of Shibam,” the statement said.
