Skoll Entrepreneur(s): Munqeth Mehyar, Nader al Khateeb and Gidon Bromberg
Change(s) Addressed: Peace & Security
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Ecopeace
DESCRIPTION:
Gidon received a masters’ in international environmental law at American University in 1993, focusing on the environmental implications of peace. He feared unsustainable regional development plans were being vetted as part of the then-nascent Oslo peace efforts. Gidon brought together Egyptian, Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian environmentalists to create EcoPeace (also known as Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME)). Munqeth co-founded the organization and now serves as chair and Jordanian director. Nader joined as Palestinian director in 2001 at a critical time for keeping the tripartite nature of the organization alive.
KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS OF 2010
- FoEME has involved over 10,000 Palestinian, Jordanian and Israeli neighboring residents in neighbor’s path tours to learn about their crossborder water issues, highlighting the interdependent nature of the water resource and the need for cooperation to advance sustainable solutions.
- FoEME has leveraged an investment of over $70 million from local governments and donor states in water and sanitation infrastructure solutions in the expanded 25 Good Water Neighboring communities, rewarding them for identifying common visions and solutions.
- The FoEME methodology of linking topdown and bottomup advocacy for concrete problem solving has been recognized and adopted for replication in conflict areas by key donor institutions such as USAID and the European Commission and policy institutions, such as the United Nations Environment Program.
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