Mareef Fadel brings a Lebanese gift to the President of Iceland
Maaref Fadel, a UNU-GEST fellow from Lebanon, visited the presidential office in Reykjavík yesterday offering a gift to Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, the President of Iceland. Previously, on February 14th, the 2018 cohort of UNU-GEST fellows visited Bessastaðir, the Presidential residency. Ms. Fadel was one of three students to deliver a speech for the President and the First Lady about her experience in the UNU-GEST programme in Iceland. During the visit, it was discovered that the President had never visited Lebanon and as a result, she decided to bring the Lebanon to him. The souvenir that Ms. Fadel presented to the President, is a handmade award emblem from Lebanon which represents the cedar tree; a symbol of holiness, eternity and peace, but is also the emblem of the Lebanese national flag. The gift is dedicated to the day of the visit to Bessastaðir and Maaref‘s speech to the President and serves as a token of appreciation for welcoming the group of fellows, but also as a kind encouragement for the President to visit Lebanon during his term in office.