Quadrennial reports 2002-2005 submitted through
the Secretary-General pursuant to Economic and
Social Council resolution 1996/31
Note by the Secretary-General
2. ECOPEACE MIDDLE EAST ENVIRONMENTAL NGO FORUM
(Special Consultative Status granted in 1998)
i. Aims and purposes of the organization and its main course of action
Eco Peace Middle East Environmental NGO Forum, commonly know as Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) is an 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.
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.
ii. Changes that had a significant impact on the organization vision and/or functions in terms of orientation, program or scope of work
New organization affiliation, 2005: Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) – a coalition of grassroots organizations which foster people-to-people coexistence in the Middle East.
II. Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations
i. Participation in the work of the Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary bodies and/or major conferences and other United Nations meetings (+side events)
· World Summit for Sustainable Development, 2002, Johannesburg, South Africa; FoEME exhibited at the ‘Water Dome’, side event presenting water issues in the Middle East
· Preparatory Committee IV-Peoples Forum: World Summit on Sustainable Development, Side Event, 4 June, 2002, Bali, Indonesia
· United Nations Secretary General High Level Panel on Security: 2004, New York,
· United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, April 2004, New York,
· United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development – Side Event – “Protecting Shared Israeli-Palestinian Water Resources from Sewage”, 27 April, 2004, New York,
· United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development – Held side event together with United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) – “Water, Peace and Sustainable Development – Implementing Johannesburg to Prevent and Resolve Conflicts”, 29 April, 2004, New York
· United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, May 2005, New York
ii. Cooperation with United Nations bodies and/or specialized agencies in the field and/or at Headquarters
· UNEP extensively consulted with FoEME in its 2003 “Desk Study on the Environment in the Occupied Palestinian Territories”
· United Nations Decade of Culture of Peace – 5 year report. FoEME contributed information about its “Good Water Neighbors” project as well as recommendations for the future.
· United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) gave support and participated in FoEME’s Conference “Rehabilitate the Jordan River” for World Heritage Listing of Jordan River and Dead Sea, 8 March, 2005, Peace Island, Jordan
· UNEP – participated in FoEME Conference “Rehabilitate the Jordan River”, 8 March 2005, Peace Island, Jordan
iii. Initiatives undertaken by the organization in support of internationally agreed development goals, in particular the Millennium Development Goals
· The organization contributed to the Millennium Development Goals in the geographic region of the Middle East (Jordan, Palestine, Israel) in relation to:
Goal 3 – Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
· FoEME held workshops for women in Jordan, Palestine and Israel dealing with existing environment & water reality, the promotion of more sustainable water management at the municipal / household level and good governance – 35 workshops
Goal 7 – Ensure Environmental Sustainability
· Target 1 – Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes; reverse loss of environmental resources
ACTIONS:
o Water scarcity awareness activities – 6,800 youth, 6,000 adults in Jordan, Palestine and Israel.
o Teachers trained in use of “WaterCare” book for school curriculum
o “Mayors Forum” calling for Rehabilitating the Jordan River / Dead Sea
o Helped negotiate declaration; “Mediterranean NGO Declaration for Johannesburg”, December 2002, Nice France
o Publication: Jordanian NGO Shadow Report to the Government of Jordan’s Assessment of Progress in Implementing Agenda 21, June 2002, Bali, Indonesia
o Publication: Israeli NGO Shadow Report to the Government of Israel’s Assessment of Progress in Implementing Agenda 21, June 2002, Bali, Indonesia
o Publication: “The Dead Sea – Between Life and Death, Learning from Other Lakes”, October 2002, Ein Bokek, Israel and Amman, Jordan
o Conference: “After Johannesburg, Where Do We Go From Here?”, 21 November 2002, Washington DC, The United States
o NGO Discussion Paper: “Participatory Review of Opportunities to Strengthen the Collaboration of UNEP / Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) with Civil Society”, Catania, Italy November 2003
o Strategy Workshop: “The Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD) Formulation Process: NGO Recommendations”, Madrid, January 2004
o Publication: Advancing Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Dead Sea Basin – Broadening the Debate on Economic and Management Issues”, March, 2004, Israel
o Paper: “UNEP / MAP (United Nation Environment Program Mediterranean Action Plan) – NGO Partner Input to the MSSD”, October 2004
o Conference: “From Johannesburg to New York via Rome – The Israeli Government’s Sustainable Development Strategy in the Mediterranean and Global Contexts”, Tel Aviv University, February, 2005
o Stakeholders Conference: “Civil Society Conference on MSSD, Rome, March 2005
· Target 2 – Reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation
ACTIONS:
o Construction of 25 grey water / rainwater collection systems in schools and municipal buildings, thus providing drinking water otherwise not available
o Produce 3 reports on sanitation solutions above Mountain Aquifer supplying major drinking water source for Palestinians and Israelis
