EcoPeace Middle East, formerly Friends of the Earth Middle East (?–2014), is a regional

environmental peacebuilding Environmental peacebuilding (frequently also termed environmental peacemaking) examines and advocates environmental protection and cooperation as a factor in creating more peaceful relations. Peacebuilding is both the theory and practice of identify ...

organization in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

, bringing together Jordanians, Palestinians, and Israelis to create shared solutions for the most water-scarce region on the planet.

Name

EcoPeace was formed in 1994, bringing together Israelis, Palestinians, Egyptians and Jordanians in the wake of the Arab-Israeli peace processes of the 1990s. After joining the international

Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is an international network of environmental organizations in 73 countries. The organization was founded in 1969 in San Francisco by David Brower, Donald Aitken and Gary Soucie after Brower's split wi ...

network, EcoPeace became Friends of the Earth Middle East, but in 2014 it left the network, reverting to the initial name as EcoPeace Middle East.

Description

The people and wildlife of the region are dependent on many of the same natural resources. Shared surface and sub-surface freshwater basins, shared seas, common flora and fauna species and a shared air-shed are some of the characteristics that necessitate regional cooperation. As a tri-lateral organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli environmentalists, EcoPeace's primary objective is the promotion of cooperative efforts to protect a shared environmental heritage. EcoPeace has offices in

Amman Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 as of 2021, Amman is ...

Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ar, رام الله, , God's Height) is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank that serves as the ''de facto'' administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerus ...

, and

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

, employs around 50 staff and actively involves hundreds of volunteers.

Actions

EcoPeace publishes scientific and social research, spearheads national-level advocacy campaigns and engages in grassroots community development. One of EcoPeace's major efforts is a regional advocacy project to promote discussion and sharing of water resources. Its efforts are focused on the rehabilitation of the

Jordan River The Jordan River or River Jordan ( ar, نَهْر الْأُرْدُنّ, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn'', he, נְהַר הַיַּרְדֵּן, ''Nəhar hayYardēn''; syc, ܢܗܪܐ ܕܝܘܪܕܢܢ ''Nahrāʾ Yurdnan''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Shariea ...

Dead Sea The Dead Sea ( he, יַם הַמֶּלַח, ''Yam hamMelaḥ''; ar, اَلْبَحْرُ الْمَيْتُ, ''Āl-Baḥrū l-Maytū''), also known by other names, is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Ban ...

, Mountain and Coastal Aquifers and fostering awareness about the regional impact of

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

. EcoPeace's focal program, the ''Good Water Neighbors project'', engages residents of all ages, mayors and municipal representatives in twenty five communities throughout

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, Palestine and

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

in a united effort to rehabilitate the regions' shared water resources. EcoPeace has taken a leading role in calling for action to save the Dead Sea, which may be in danger of drying up due to some environmental factors.Dead Sea needs world help to stay alive
by Ahmad Khatib, Agence france presse, 11/25/09. Various groups and government officials from several countries say that a pipeline from the Red Sea is needed to save the Dead Sea. In June 2009, after a meeting with World Bank President

Robert Zoellick Robert Bruce Zoellick (; ; born July 25, 1953) is an American public official and lawyer who was the eleventh president of the World Bank, a position he held from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2012. He was previously a managing director of Goldman Sach ...

, the Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister, Silvan Shalom, announced a pilot project to build a "pilot" pipe long from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. The pipe would pump 200 million cubic meters per year. Half of this would be desalinated for Jordanian consumption and half put into the Dead Sea. Some experts questioned this project. Hebrew University of Jerusalem Prof. Avner Adin said more studies were needed on the potential environmental impact.Water expert: Red-Dead 'pilot' project could be premature
By EHUD ZION WALDOKS, Jun 28, 2009.

Awards

* ''Heroes of the Environment 2008'' by ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' magazine to EcoPeace's three co-directors:

Gidon Bromberg Gidon Bromberg (born November 26, 1963) is the Israeli director of Friends of the Earth Middle East, EcoPeace Middle East (formerly Friends of the Earth Middle East). EcoPeace is a regional organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinia ...

(Israel),

Munqeth Mehyar Munqeth Mehyar ( ar, منقذ مهيار) (born January 16, 1957) serves as Chairman and Jordanian Director of EcoPeace Middle East (formerly Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME)). EcoPeace Middle East is a unique regional organization that br ...

(Jordan) and

Nader Al-Khateeb Nader Al-Khateeb ( ar, نادر الخطيب) (born July 30, 1960) is the General Director of the Water and Environmental Development Organization (WEDO), a non-profit Palestinian organization that promotes a number of environmental programs and p ...

(Palestine) * ''Skoll Award'' in 2009. * 2008 SEED Finalist Award * ''Green Globe Award 2010'' for the best Environmental Education project for its Good Water Neighbors project * ''Onassis Prize'' for the Protection of the Environment. * ''Outstanding Leadership Award 2011'' by the International Development Committee (IDC) of the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) *''Mount Zion Award'' for having significantly contributed to the understanding of the three Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, in Israel.

References

External links