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Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) |
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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.
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History |
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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.
As of 1998, EcoPeace officially became the Middle East chapter of Friends of the Earth International, the world's largest international network of environmental organizations. |
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Rationale |
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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.
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Affiliations & Partnerships |
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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.
- 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
- 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.
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
The Heschel
Center 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.
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