Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME)
Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) is a unique organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli environmentalists. Our primary objective is the promotion of cooperative efforts to protect our shared environmental heritage. In so doing, we seek to advance both sustainable regional development and the creation of necessary conditions for lasting peace in our region. FoEME has offices in Amman, Bethlehem, and Tel-Aviv. FoEME is a member of Friends of the Earth International, the largest grassroots environmental organization in the world.
Just as some people enjoy the excitement of casinos non GamStop, FoEME offers a different kind of thrill — the opportunity to make a real, positive difference in the world through environmental cooperation and sustainable development.
History
Originally founded as “EcoPeace” on December 7, 1994 at an historic meeting held in Taba, Egypt, FoEME came about as 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.
Rationale
The people and wildlife of our 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.
The Jordan River Basin, a major source of freshwater in a water scarce region, the Gulf of Aqaba, a highly sensitive eco-system giving life to arguably the world’s most beautiful coral reef, and the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth and the world’s saltiest non-shallow body of water, are all examples of unique shared eco-systems in the region which necessitate regional cooperation if they are to be preserved.
How We Work
FoEME is a project oriented NGO, using both a “top-down” (advocacy) approach coupled with a “bottom-up” (grass roots / community) strategy that has proven to be a very effective work model.
We approach cross border environment and peacebuilding issues by first developing a regional strategy. We hire local researchers – Palestinian, Jordanian and Israeli – to gain a regional understanding as to the root cause of the problem and then develop a common vision as to how we might be able to influence decision makers, the media and the general public. A key to our success has been that once the common vision has been developed, our staff from our respective offices take the same vision and present it to their respective audiences; Palestinian to Palestinian, Jordanian to Jordanian and Israeli to Israeli.
Our projects can be categorized according to the following themes:
- Geographical context – the Dead Sea Rift Valley runs from the Gulf of Aqaba / Eilat, in the south, along the Arava Valley, through the Dead Sea, up the Jordan River into the Sea of Galilee and beyond, connecting the peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean. Many of our projects are located along this shared, complex ecosystem.
- Socio-Economic based projects focus on issues such as sustainable water use, water privatization, trade, sustainable development, water as a human security issue, developing renewable energy and healthy food practices.
- Climate change stands on its own, as being one of the greatest environmental, social and economic threats facing the planet today, especially to our scarce water resources.
FoEME employs 45 paid staff and involves hundreds of volunteers through its “Good Water Neighbors” community program. Projects are carried out by staff in our three regional offices, led by a Director in each office, Munqeth Mehyar (Amman), Nader el Khateeb (Bethlehem), Gidon Bromberg (Tel Aviv), office staff and over two dozen field staff.
Through our projects we cooperate and coordinate with a wide range of official and civil society groups (some are listed on our links pages) whose work has an impact on environmental protection and peacebuilding.
Affiliations & Partnerships
In addition to its own projects, FoEME plays an active role in the following international environmental organizations.
- Friends of the Earth International (FoEI)
Friends of the Earth Middle East is an affiliate member of Friends of the Earth International, one of the world’s largest federations of environmental organizations with representative offices in over 70 countries throughout the world. FoEI organizations campaign internationally, nationally and locally on important environmental issues. Each organization sets its own agenda and priorities independently and voluntarily chooses to work in concert with FoEI affiliates on selected global issues.
- Mednet
The FoEE Mediterranean Programme (FoE MedNet) was established in 1992. It operates as a network of FoE member organisations from Croatia, Cyprus, France, Italy, Malta, Spain, Tunisia and the regional Middle East office. It monitors important political issues for the Mediterranean environment particularly the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) of the Barcelona Convention and the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD), stimulating NGO participation in these political processes.
- Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE)
FoEME is an active member organization in MIO-ECSDE, a federation of Mediterranean NGOs for the environment and development, headquartered in Athens, Greece.
- Global Nature Funds – Living Lakes
Living Lakes is an international network and partnership whose mission is to enhance the protection, restoration and rehabilitation of lakes, wetlands, other freshwater bodies of the world and their catchment areas. FoEME is a member of this international network with the Dead Sea registered as the partner Lake.
- ALLMEP
The Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) is a coalition of non-government organizations working to build a genuine and sustained peace in the Middle East through people-to-people programs promoting mutual respect, cooperation and understand between Jews and Palestinians, Israeli and Arabs.
- United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
FoEME has special consultative status with ECOSOC, the U.N. body under the authority of the General Assembly, that coordinates the economic and social work of the U.N. and its large family of specialized and affiliated institutions
- Environmental Liaison Center International (ELCI)
Based out of Nairobi, Kenya, the Environmental Liaison Center International is a base for sharing of information among organizations active in environmental protection.
- University of Miami – Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies
FoEME has recently partnered with The Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies of the University of Miami in an effort to explore joint programs in the Middle East region, including public health issues and conflict resolution between Israelis and Palestinians.
- Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP)
The MAP is a regional cooperative effort involving 21 countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, including Israel. Through the Mediterranean Action Plan, these Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols are determined to meet the challenges of protecting the marine and coastal environment while boosting regional and national plans to achieve sustainable development.
- Paths to Sustainability
Life and Environment is coordinating the joint initiative of environmental and social NGOs to participate in and monitor the process of drafting an Israeli strategy for sustainable development (Agenda 21). The Tel Aviv office of FoEME is a member NGO in this initiative.
