Rehabilitating the Sacred Jordan River: Peacebuilding for Climate and Water Security

Freshwater resources are dwindling and more frequent droughts are driving landscape changes. Water scarcity and climate change already contribute to conflicts between and within nations. In general, conflicts escalate as resources become more scarce. But what if it were the other way around? Waterkeeper groups on the Jordan River — including groups in Jordan, Israel, and Palestine — see the region’s increasing scarcity of fresh water as an opportunity to build bridges of peace—while protecting the environment and the climate.

Join us for a panel discussion on how poor water quality, water scarcity, and political conflict are impacted by climate change and how environmental peacebuilding is essential to an equitable and just future.

Speakers:
Marc Yaggi is Executive Director of Waterkeeper Alliance, the largest and fastest-growing nonprofit solely focused on clean water. Marc has dedicated his entire career to environmental advocacy and has been instrumental in expanding the Waterkeeper movement around the world for nearly 20 years. Marc leads with a deep, personal passion for clean water and provides organizational leadership by developing strategic partnerships and promoting the Waterkeeper model of advocacy. Marc works daily to raise public awareness about the issues central to the organization’s vision for drinkable, fishable, swimmable water worldwide.

Gidon Bromberg co-founded EcoPeace Middle East in 1994 and has served as its Israeli Director for the past 23 years. In that time Mr. Bromberg helped develop the flagship education and water diplomacy programs of the organization, recognized by TIME magazine, the Skoll Foundation and the Aristotle Onassis Foundation, to name but a few. Mr. Bromberg has written extensively on the relationship between water issues and Middle East peace and has presented before the US Congress, European Parliament, and UN forums. Mr. Bromberg, an attorney by profession, is an alumnus of Monash University in Australia, Washington College of Law at American University and Yale University’s World Fellows program.

Nada Majdalani is the Palestinian Director of EcoPeace Middle East. Formerly she was a consultant, researcher, and practitioner in the field of environmental management. She has occupied leading technical positions in various projects in the areas of infrastructure development, solid waste management, wastewater treatment, and institutional capacity building. Mrs. Majdalani had extensive experience in the Private Sector Development. This experience allows Mrs. Majdalani to understand the interests of planners and entrepreneurs in contributing to economic growth while considering sustainability aspects.

Yana Abu Taleb is the Jordanian Director of EcoPeace Middle East. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Archeology from the University of Jordan in 1996. As former Deputy Director and Regional projects manager at EcoPeace Middle East, she leads EcoPeace’s projects and advocacy and her responsibilities included supervising project development, planning, and management, serving as a liaison to and lobbying of governmental and private sector figures and organizations on major regional policy issues relevant to environmental protection and national and regional water issues. She has organized many regional conferences, workshops and study tours, co-authored reports and policy papers and speaks regularly at local and international conferences.

Arlo SoHo
231 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10013

Free!