Friends of the Earth Middle East (EcoPeace) – 2009 Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship
Speakers
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Nader Al-Khateeb served as Chief Engineer for the Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour Water Authority from 1984 to 1993, where he was responsible for planning and fundraising, as well as operations and maintenance of the distribution network. After returning from leave to acquire his M.Sc. degree, he also became the Project Manager for their drainage and sewerage project. From 1994 to 1997, Mr. Al-Khateeb was a senior water resource engineer with the UNDP's Water Resources Action Program, working as a consultant in the effort to formulate and establish the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA). He then became associated with the PWA itself, coordinating a host of water and wastewater projects.
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Munqeth Mehyar received a degree in Regional Planning and Architecture from the University of Louisiana, USA in 1981, upon which he became the planning engineer for South Amman. Being a committed sportsman, he was the project manager for the German Balsam International Sports Company, and then the Middle East Manager of the Athlete Sports Contracting Company. He serves on the Board of Directors of both the Jordan Sports Federation for the Handicapped, and the Jordan Royal Ecological Diving Society.
Mr. Mehyar was awarded a medal from Al Houssain Distinguished Giving for his charitable activities. Further to being co-founder of EcoPeace Middle East, Mr. Mehyar is also the Founder and Director of the Jordan Society for Sustainable Development, an environmental NGO based in Amman.
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Gidon Bromberg is the founder and 3 decade Israeli co-director of EcoPeace Middle East. EcoPeace is a unique regional organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli environmentalists to promote sustainable development and advance peace efforts in the Middle East.
Mr. Bromberg has spearheaded the organization’s advocacy campaigns in the Middle East and internationally. He developed a cross-border community peace-building program known as “Good Water Neighbors.” The program has helped advance rehabilitation efforts in the Jordan River and defuse the sanitation crisis in Gaza, leading to the removal of most of the pollution from Gaza Strip and southern Israel beaches. The program is seen as a model for environmental peacebuilding in other conflict areas around the world.
Bromberg co-authored EcoPeace’s call for a Green Blue Deal for the Middle East, to advance climate resilience and peace. The report and later EcoPeace efforts led to the signing in November 2021
