Established 25 years ago, EcoPeace Middle East is the only organization that brings Palestinians, Israelis and Jordanians together under a single mandate. The organization is a trailblazer in the implementation of environmental peacebuilding. With offices in Ramallah, Amman and Tel Aviv, EcoPeace focuses on the shared environment as a means to promote cooperation. The organization’s work on water and climate security has attracted global attention.
Climate change will contribute to even greater water stress and regional insecurity in the Middle East.
EcoPeace engages environmentalists and community leaders in essential dialogue about managing shared water resources.
EcoPeace builds support for collaborative water management and an international Jordan River Peace Park. Results include a master plan for the Jordan Valley, and a Good Water Neighbors program engaging 28 Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian communities.
EcoPeace combines community-based activities with research-based advocacy to show Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians that their national destinies and self-interests are inextricably linked to their shared environment, encouraging people to view natural resource management as an opportunity for cooperation across borders, rather than a source of conflict.
EcoPeace adds value and achieves scale through cooperation: its educational activities are embedded within national school systems, reaching thousands of youth in the region; its strategies and methodologies are shared with international organizations and networks, accelerating innovative ideas and projects.
Former Palestinian Director, EcoPeace Middle East
Chair and Jordanian Director, EcoPeace Middle East
EcoPeace co-director, EcoPeace Middle East
Gidon Bromberg began his work in environmental peacebuilding while studying international environmental law at American University in 1993, with a focus on the environmental implications of peace. Fearing that unsustainable regional development plans were being vetted as part of the then-nascent Oslo peace efforts, Gidon, from Israel, joined forces with Munqeth Mehyar from Jordan in an effort to promote the integration of environmental considerations into the regional development agenda. In 1994, Gidon and Munqeth established EcoPeace Middle East as an environmental, non-governmental organization with the goal of bringing together Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian environmentalists to work together to put environmental issues on the peace process agenda and to create a regional vision and response to water crises, furthering sustainable development and peace in the region. In this tripartite structure, Gidon serves as the Israeli Director and Munqeth, who has a background in regional planning and architecture, serves as the Jordanian Director. In 2001, Gidon and Munqeth recruited Nader Al Khateeb, an engineer with experience working for UNDP’s Water Resources Action Program, to serve as the Palestinian Director. In 2017, Ms. Nada Majdalani, formerly a board member, replaced Nader as the Palestinian co-director of EcoPeace and as its first female co-director. EcoPeace and its three country directors have received international recognition in the field of environmental peacebuilding and water security, receiving international awards such as the Aristotle Onassis Prize for the Protection of the Environment, TIME Magazine’s Environmental Heroes Award, the Green Globe Award and the Euro-Med Award for Dialogue between Cultures.
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