In times of crisis, culture is often left behind humanitarian aid efforts, but culture is the soul of communities everywhere, the cement of social cohesion, depository of shared values that enable collective action and recovery. This is particularly true for the Lebanese capital, a Mediterranean city whose vibrant culture has been nourished by the creativity of its diverse communities and many influences. This is the rationale behind UNESCO’s ongoing mobilization of the international community through its Li Beirut (For Beirut) initiative launched immediately after the two explosions in the port of Beirut a year ago to support the rehabilitation of schools, heritage buildings, museums, galleries, and the creative economy. UNESCO and its partners are not only saving built heritage and helping preserve the memory of Beirut, but also contributing to improving the city’s protection and management of affected urban heritage, and supporting creativity to help revive the city’s cultural life. Mobilizing partners and coordinating support Working with Lebanese partners, including the Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA) NGOs and experts, Li Beirut has been supporting museums, galleries, artists and artisans, who, even before the devastating blasts, were suffering from the impacts of COVID-19, and deep social and economic crises. UNESCO’s has been coordinating trainings and technical capacity building, as well providing financial assistance to the cultural sector thanks to an extensive network of international partners that includes ALECSO, ALIPH, ARC-WH, Blue Shield, ICCROM, ICOM, ICOMOS, ICESCO, IFLA, and WMF. The international community needs to work together, side by side with the authorities and people of Lebanon. UNESCO has been coordinating assistance to ensure it reaches the people in need and to avoid duplication and overlapping. A joint International Roadmap for the Recovery of Beirut through Culture, was developed under the coordination of UNESCO. It has identified short-, medium- and long-term objectives, and 15 actions for immediate emergency interventions, to recover and rehabilitate built heritage, museums and repositories, support artists and artisans, and safeguard intangible cultural heritage. Saving built heritage and the memory of Beirut UNESCO, ASPAD, Blue Shield International, Blue Shield Lebanon, ICCROM, Alumni of the Centre for Restoration and Conservation of the Lebanese University, and ICOMOS, assisted the DGA in assessing damage to historic buildings and drawing an inventory that helped identify 640 historic buildings that needed urgent interventions among the 8,000 edifices affected by the explosions. Through its Heritage Emergency Fund, UNESCO was one of the first to work on the stabilization of two buildings, including the famous villa Boustani, a patrician residence turned art gallery. The generous contribution of Germany allowed UNESCO to stabilize and shore another 12 historic buildings.