The NCA Group congratulates Maha El-Khalil Chalabi on her appointment as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.

Maha El-Khalil Chalabi is named "in recognition of her commitment in favor of the League of Canaanite, Phoenician and Punic Cities (LCPPC), notably her work with the International Association to Save Tyre and the Tyre Foundation, and for her dedication to the ideals of UNESCO."

Born in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, Maha El-Khalil Chalabi has led numerous welfare and cultural campaigns for her native city, which has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 1984. She notably initiated the establishment of a medical and social care centre and the International Festival of Tyre.

In 1980, she founded the International Associate to Save Tyre which has lent its support to undertakings including UNESCO's International Campaign for the Preservation of Tyre and Its Surroundings, which was launched in 1998 to develop and revitalized the city. She also initiated the creation of the Tyre Foundation which has been working for the development of a museum for the city, among other projects.

As a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Ms. El-Khalil Chalabi will contribute to the work of the League of Canaanite, Phoenician and Punic Cities. Created in 2009 by the International Association to Save Tyre and the Tyre Foundation, the Leagues facilitate cooperation and the exchange of skills, experiences and know-how among the members of the network it constitutes.

The UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors are an outstanding group of celebrity advocates who spread the ideals of UNESCO through their name and fame. They extend and amplify UNESCO's work and miss and have generously accepted to use their talent and status to help focus the world's attention on the work of UNESCO. Through their careers and humanitarian commitment they have made an important contribution towards the objectives and aims in UNESCO's four fields of competence, which are education, culture, science, and communication/information.