EcoPeace Middle East, formerly Friends of the Earth Middle East (1994–2014), is a regional environmental peacebuilding organization in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, bringing together

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

ians,

Palestinians Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenou ...

, and

Israelis Israelis (; ) are the Israeli citizenship law, citizens and nationals of the Israel, State of Israel. The country's populace is composed primarily of Israeli Jews, Jews and Arab citizens of Israel, Arabs, who respectively account for 75 percen ...

Name

EcoPeace was formed in 1994, bringing together Israelis, Palestinians,

Egyptians Egyptians (, ; , ; ) are an ethnic group native to the Nile, Nile Valley in Egypt. Egyptian identity is closely tied to Geography of Egypt, geography. The population is concentrated in the Nile Valley, a small strip of cultivable land stretchi ...

, 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 grassroots environmental organizations in 73 countries. About half of the member groups call themselves "Friends of the Earth" in their own languages; the others use other ...

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 ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ) is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, that serves as the administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusalem, at an average elevation of abov ...

, and

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

, which 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 (, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn''; , ''Nəhar hayYardēn''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Sharieat'' (), is a endorheic river in the Levant that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and drains to the Dead ...

Dead Sea The Dead Sea (; or ; ), also known by #Names, other names, is a landlocked salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east, the Israeli-occupied West Bank to the west and Israel to the southwest. It lies in the endorheic basin of the Jordan Rift Valle ...

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

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

. 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, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

and

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 11th president of the World Bank Group, a position he held from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2012.Silvan Shalom Zion Silvan Shalom (; born 4 August 1958) is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Likud between 1992 and 2015. He held several prominent ministerial positions, including Deputy leaders of Israel#Vice Prime Minister, Vi ...

, 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 continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine to EcoPeace's three co-directors: Gidon Bromberg (Israel), Munqeth Mehyar (Jordan) and Nader Al-Khateeb (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