What is EcoPeace?
Eco-
Peace
was founded on December 7, 1994 at an historic meeting held in Taba, Egypt
where environmental non-
governmental
organizations from the Middle East met with the common goal of furthering
sustainable development and peace in their region.
For the first time ever, Egyptian, Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian
environmentalists agreed to join forces in an effort to promote the integration
of environmental considerations into the regional development agenda.
Eco- Peace is constituted by a General Assembly, open to all NGOs in the region, a supervisory Board composed of 2 members from each entity and a Secretariat of 4 elected members, responsible for policy implementation. The founding members of Eco- Peace are:
Egyptian:
Arab Office for Youth and Environment
Egyptian Environmental NGO Steering
Committee
Israeli:
Israel Union for Environmental Defense
Life and Environment, Israel NGO
Umbrella
Jordanian: Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature
Palestinian: Environmental Protection and Research Institute
Palestinian Environmental NGO Forum
Eco- Peace 21 Shneyor Street, Tel- Aviv, 63326, Israel Tel: 972- 3- 5256462, Fax: 972- 3- 5256475
Why is Eco- Peace Needed?
The establishment of Eco- Peace, made possible as a result of the peace process, marks the realization in the Middle East that detrimental environmental impacts extend beyond political borders and, therefore, must be addressed from a regional perspective.
The people and wildlife of our region are dependent on many of the same natural resources that together create an area that can be described as a single ecological unit. Shared surface and sub- surface freshwater basins, shared seas, common flora and fauna species and a common air shed are some of the characteristics that make for a common home. Specifically, the Jordan River Basin, a major source of freshwater in a water scarce region, defies political borders and encompasses parts of Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories, Syria and Lebanon. The Gulf of Aqaba, a highly sensitive eco- system giving life to arguably the world's most beautiful coral reef, is shared by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel.
Partly due to the tragic hostilities that have given our region unwanted fame, but no less due to a general lack of awareness and irresponsible neglect, our shared home has been subject to vast environmental degradation that today threatens to reach crisis proportions. In a region of scarce water, contamination has led to a net loss of renewable water resources. The desert lands are encroaching due to overgrazing practices. Air pollution levels in many of our cities are poisoning the people in our urban centers. We have experienced an unprecedented loss of our natural fauna and flora.
In such a context, non- governmental environmental organizations have an essential role to play. Eco- Peace represents the united voice of regional environmental NGOs that are committed to promoting the development of the region in an environmentally sustainable fashion.
Our Objectives:
* Strengthen environmental NGO capabilities to work collaboratively with governments in addressing environmental issues.
* Assess and monitor environmental implications of projects or activities in the region that are likely to have significant trans- boundary impacts.
* Forge a common agenda among environmental NGOs from the region.
* Arrange for information collection and sharing to promote environmental advocacy and public education.
* Address transboundary or common.regional environmental issues where effective coordination among environmental NGOs facilitates and leads to holistic, ecological approaches to those issues.
* Promote a positive attitude toward achieving sustainable development and peace in the region and promote the sustainable use of the natural resources and heritage of the region.
Eco- Peace 1995 Projects:
* NGO Capacity Building Program: Strengthening environmental NGOs in the region by facilitating the creation of environmental umbrella organizations will increase their efficacy in influencing government decisions and promoting environmental public awareness.
* Masts Inventory: Still in the planning stage, the Peace Projects provide the greatest opportunity for environmentalists to incorporate sound environmental planning into the development process.
* Experts Inventory: A compilation of regional experts will enable the professional review of peace projects as well as the broader review and establishment of sustainable regional development policies.
* Public Awareness Campaign on liiquiLWastes in Gaza: No where in our region has environmental degradation reached the levels experienced in Gaza. Gaza has therefore been ear- marked for special attention. A major source of concern is the treatment and disposal of liquid wastes.
* Private Seator Initiatives: With major privatization plans in the region there is a need to educate the private sector of their role in sustainable development.
* Regional Environmental Journal: A regional Journal will be the vehicle for exchange of ideas and a means to promote discussion on regional environmental and development concerns.
* Regional Emergency Environmental Fund: REEF will finance Eco- Peace Projects and act as a facilitator for regional NGOs whereby it will distribute, administer and supervise grants to regional NGOs and reserve a portion of any funds for emergency situations.
Who Supports Eco- Peace?
The United States Agency for International Development, through its Project in Development and Environment (PRIDE) has provided most of the funding for Eco- Peace activities to date; the remainder coming from the very scarce resources of Eco- Peace founding members. At this early stage of the organization, EcoPeace requires substantial assistance to further its vision and to carry out its work program. Eco- Peace will therefore, rely heavily on the support of contributions from individuals, organizations and institutions interested in promoting sustainable development in the region.
For further information contact;
The Secretariat:
Chairperson: Dr. Magdi Allam, (Egyptian)
Secretary General: Mr. Gidon Bromberg, (Israeli)
International Officer: Mr. Adnan Budieri, (Jordanian)
Technical Coordinator: Dr. Adnan Enshassi, (Palestinian).
Office:21 Shneyor Street,Tel- Aviv, 63326, Israel.Tel: 972- 3- 5256462, Fax: 972- 3- 5256475