At the initiative of Fathi Saleh, the Egyptian Ambassador to UNESCO, Federico Mayor, Director General of UNESCO, has decided to record under the "History of the World" the heritage documents making up the "History of the Suez Canal". These heritage documents are kept by the Association in Memory of Ferdinand de Lesseps and the Suez Canal in Paris and by the Suez Canal Authority in Ismailia.

A ceremony, in the presence of Gérard Mestrallet, CEO and the President of the executive board of Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux, was held at the head office of Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux (1, rue d'Astorg, Paris) where the heritage documents are located, at which Federico Mayor unveiled a commemorative plaque on 2nd June.

The ceremony was attended by Fathi Saleh, the Egyptian Ambassador to UNESCO, Aly Maher El Sayed, the Egyptian Ambassador to Paris, and Jean-Paul Calon, President of the Association in Memory of Ferdinand de Lesseps and the Suez Canal.

The inclusion of the "History of the Suez Canal" in the "History of the World" register is a reminder of its exceptional value and the need to protect it for the whole of mankind.

Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux is deeply attached to this evidence of a prestigious past, which has left its mark on the Group's corporate culture, to which UNESCO now pays due tribute.