In cooperation with the French Institute of the Near East (IFPO), the Lebanese University - Faculty of Fine Arts & Architecture (Department of Urbanism) organized the first seminar in the series of the 2020 meetings on "Ecology, Politics and Urbanism", entitled “Beirut River: What is the river in the city? Sanitation, oasis or link between the city and the interior?”

The seminar held on 16 January 2020 in Beirut - Sodeco, was attended by Stéphane Gotti (University of Montpellier), Adib Dada (consultant), Claudine Abdel-Massih (Arab Center for Architecture) and Ghassan Moukheiber (legal and former MP in the Lebanese Parliament). The seminar was also attended by a group of researchers, university professors and students in Lebanon, and representatives of the civil society and NGOs.

The Head of the Department of Urbanism, Dr. Salahuddin Sadek representing the Faculty Dean, Dr. Mohamed Hosni El-Hajj, launched the seminar, and Dr. Michel Mouton, Director of the French Institute of the Near East, spoke about the importance of cooperation with the Lebanese University.

Dr. Jihad Farah, from the Department of Urbanism at the Faculty of Fine Arts & Architecture, explained the problems to be addressed in the upcoming meetings, and Dr. Guillaume de Vaulx of the IFPO talked about a competition to be launched this year in conjunction with the seminar schedule.