Program areas at Ico Alliance for Middle East Peace
Good water neighbors (gwn) is the continuation of multi-national effort to safeguard shared water resources and water management, promoting Environmental awareness and peacebuilding around common resources. Gwn encompasses youth education and community involvement and increasingly stand-alone awareness / education in green blue deal program as described below.
Ecopeace introduced its "green blue deal for the Middle East" to create a policy framework for israeli, jordanian and palestinian stakeholders to meet the challenges posed by climate change in our region. Building on decades of Ecopeace activities and research, the green blue deal includes a set of 4 concrete proposals to enhance regional climate and water resilience. It highlights regionally focused "low hanging fruit-; opportunities that have opened up as a result of the severe nature of the climate crisis hitting our region, which can serve as entry points for policymakers to address the climate crisis and maximize fulfillment of self-interests through regional programs. Ecopeace gives emphasis to the particular importance of water and water scarcity issues in addressing the climate crisis, while simultaneously addressing conflict drivers, advancing a two-state solution, and promoting trust and cooperation, that in turn will create riper conditions for Peace.
Shared sea: the shared sea program seeks to solve the plastic waste problem through improved regulation, sustained regional cooperation, and engagement of local communities and municipalities, driven by teachers, youth and young leaders on both sides of the border. The program focuses on developing cooperation between participants, partners and stakeholders in eilat and aqaba, while exploring the possibility of expanding the program to include additional countries along the red sea and address additional issues that affect red sea biodiversity.
Ecopeace created the first-ever integrated regional jordan valley master plan, which identifies projects needed to rehabilitate the jordan river that would allow the river to be utilized again as the natural regional water carrier, meeting the water needs of populations along its banks, and revitalizing economic opportunities along the full length of the river. Ecopeace also helped leverage investment of over us100 million in wastewater treatment facilities which are starting to remove pollutants from the jordan river. Program for water security: Ecopeace worked to expand the knowledge gained in the Middle East to regions in the levant, africa and others. A manual and vr sites were developed and used to disseminate the information. Water cannot wait: Ecopeace will engage stakeholders in the fields of water diplomacy, public health, the environment, energy, and security to become part of a regional Forum that will develop their professional capacities, create a safe space for unmediated communication and information exchange between professional peers, and advance the technical viability of water, environment, and climate arrangements being discussed regionally.