OUR JORDAN VALLEY ;20 YEARS OF DEDICATED WORK,

LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS

Yana Abu-Taleb 20 Oct. 2014

www.foeme.org| info@foeme.org

Friends of the Earth Middle East

EcoPeace/Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME)

Environmental peacemaking organization working in Jordan, Palestine, and Israel

Our primary objective is to promote cooperative efforts to protect our environment and to promote lasting peace in our region

FoEME’s focus is on trans-boundary water resources, including the Jordan River, Dead Sea, and Mountain and Coastal Aquifers

FoEME is change oriented; we seek to shift the status quo

Fair Share of trans-boundary natural resources

Approach

1. “TOP DOWN” - Research / Lobby / Advocacy

2. “BOTTOM UP” - Community / Grass Roots

3. Involving experts from relevant societies;

4. Gaining credibility and support of local and regional stakeholders;

This combination of lobby activities & community work has proved extremely successful…

FoEME’s JR Strategic Pillars

Fair Share between People and Nature: Master plan balances the needs of people and nature

Cross-border Water Justice: Palestinian riparian rights and fair share of the benefits of an accessible and rehabilitated river central to the master planning process.

National Environmental Activism: Encourages community based activism to promote livelihood benefits for community residents.

The Lower Jordan River

Rich in Cultural, Historical Heritage

Holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims

Unique Eco-System

Meeting point for flora and fauna of three continents

Migratory flyway for 500 million birds twice annually

The Historical Lower Jordan River

Average annual flow of over 1.3 billion cubic meters including: Upper Jordan: 540 mcmYarmouk: 480 mcmSide Wadis: 280 mcm

Supported a wide variety of habitats/ rich biodiversity

The Great Water Grab

What is left for the Jordan?

Campaigning for the Jordan

Launched in 2005 Community activism in schools, mayors,

parliamentarians. Studies and policy papers published. Local and world media attention.

Progress towards rehabilitation

Sewage being removed by all sides: WWTPs being advanced in Israel, Jordan and Palestine

Israel commits to first ever return of fresh water to the Lower Jordan River.

Israel initiates a Master Plan for the Israeli section of the Lower Jordan River.

Jordan/Israel Water Committee National Master plans

Master Plan for the Jordan River Basin: Vision and Objective

"The Jo rda n Rive r: Re ha bilita te d a nd Acc e s s ible , a re g io na l s ym bo l o f p e a c e a nd s o urc e o f p ro s p e rity fo r

Pa le s tinia n, Jo rda nia n a nd Is ra e li inha bita nts . "

To build consensus and sustainable co-operation links between the Jordanian, Israeli and Palestinian leaderships which actively promote sustainable water management policies an practices through a regional approach to IWRM in the Lower Jordan River (LJR) Basin.

Target Groups and Beneficiaries

Relevant Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli government ministries and authorities, national level decision makers and local government leaders.

The immediate beneficiaries include the 600,000 Palestinian, Jordanian and Israeli residents of the Jordan Valley as well as faith based communities, tourists etc.

Project Activities

First SWIM-JR SIWI Middle East Seminar held September 9-11, 2012 in Amman

Second SWIM-JR SIWI Middle East Seminar to be held in November 2014.

Ongoing: Advocacy efforts to support the implementation of the master plan’s recommendations including media tours, parliamentary visits, leveraging of international investment in region etc.

Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholder consultation meetings and Public hearing events

Discuss proposed interventions with relevant stakeholders

Multi-criteria analysis

The Way Forward

The Master Plan Interventions address the following categories:

Water ManagementPollution Control and Environmental ManagementEcological RestorationAgriculture ImprovementUrban and Infrastructure DevelopmentTourism and Cultural Heritage DevelopmentInternational Co-operation and Institutional Development

Trans-boundary streams can’t be rehabilitated without wastewater solutions

Sustainable Tourism as a Catalyst for Cooperation

Working together towards a cooperative future for the JR basin

For more information visit:www.foeme.org