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EcoPeace / Friends of the Earth Middle East is pleased to
announce that we were named as
"Environmental Heroes 2008" by TIME Magazine
FoEME's work to bring Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians together to rehabilitate our shared environment and promote cross border partnerships is turning heads all over the world for its effective results and innovate methodology.
TIME selected FoEME's three directors Munqeth Mehyar, Jordanian Director, Nader Khateeb, Palestinian Director and Gidon Bromberg, Israeli Director as Environmental Heroes alongside internationally renowned leaders, entrepreneurs and scientists in the environmental field. The award's accompanying article highlights FoEME's efforts to rehabilitate the Jordan River- Dead Sea ecosystem and to establish the cross border Jordan River Peace Park.
The Introduction to the Environmental Heroes award further highlights FoEME's work in quoting Andrew Lee Butters, Middle East TIME correspondent, who wrote of FoEME that "They understand that 'the road to sustainability, like the road to peace, is going to be a slow, messy human project of community organizing, education and trust-building.'" FoEME's Good Water Neighbors project takes just this grassroots approach by advancing cross border municipal level cooperation, even in the midst of conflict and building cross border alliances based on the common interest of rehabilitating shared water resources. This method aims to build cross border cooperation and trust – building a constituency of peace makers, one community at a time.
Former Palestinian National Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei joined the international community in honoring FoEME's efforts in  a meeting with FoEME's three Directors. His Excellency Qurei applauded FoEME's efforts and commitment to cross border environmental peacemaking. In the coming month, FoEME's Directors are scheduled to meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Jordanian Prime Minister Nader Dahabi as a follow up to the important award.
Click here for the full Award
FoEME would like to take this opportunity to thank our many friends and supporters whose generosity and support enables our work to be undertaken. This award is truly shared with you, our partners in this effort, including: the United States Agency for International Development’s Conflict Management and Mitigation program and the U.S. Government’s MERC program, the European Commission’s Partnership for Peace program and LIFE Third Countries program, the UK’s Department for International Development’s Global Conflict Prevention Pool, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, GreenCross France, the Green Environment Fund, Global Nature Fund, Blaustein Foundation, Apte Family Fund, Sigrid Rausing Fund, Freidman Foundation, Firedoll Foundation, the Embassy of Finland, the Embassy of Australia, the Heinrich Boll Foundation, Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Roth-Zeldes Family, the Troen Family, the Weisberg Family, the Jewish Youth Philanthropy Institute, and the NGO Development Center. Furthermore, Al Quds University, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, the Jordanian Royal Scientific Society, Yale University, the University of Texas at El Paso, the University of Miami and Florida International University have all contributed to further research at FoEME.
Wishing you all an Eid Mubarak for the Ramadan feast and a
Shana Tova for the Jewish New Year | |
