Environmental Peacebuilding Theory and Practice: a Case Study of the Good Water Neighbours Project and In Depth Analysis of the Wadi Fukin/Tzur Hadassah Communities
Publisher: Friends of the Earth Middle East
Date: 2008
Topics: Basic Services, Cooperation, Livelihoods, Renewable Resources, Weapons, Waste, and Pollution
Countries: Israel, Jordan, Palestine
The “Good Water Neighbors” (GWN) project was established by EcoPeace / Friends of the Earth Middle East in 2001 to raise awareness of the shared water problems of Palestinians, Jordanians, and Israelis. The GWN methodology is an original idea that is based on identifying cross border communities and utilizes their mutual dependence on shared water resources as a basis for developing dialogue and cooperation on sustainable water management. There are clear indicators that confirm that GWN has created real improvement within the water sector by building trust and understanding that has led to common problem solving and peace building among communities in the midst of conflict.
Initially eleven Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian communities were selected to participate in Phase I of the project from 2001 to 2005. The project has successfully been expanded to seventeen communities. Each community is partnered with a neighboring community on the other side of the border/political divide to work on common water issues. On the local level, GWN works with community members to improve their water situation through education and awareness activities, and urban development projects. On the regional level, GWN works to encourage sustainable water management through information sharing, dialogue, and cooperative ventures. Program participants include youth, adults, environmental professionals, and municipal leaders. Several thousand people have directly been involved in the GWN project activities and tens of thousands have had indirect contact as friends and neighbors of those involved.