Main Projects / Activities

Climate Water Diplomacy
Ecopeace’s Climate Water Diplomacy initiative focuses on using the management of shared water resources as a platform for regional cooperation, specifically in the face of climate change. This approach includes:

Advocacy for Regional Cooperation: Ecopeace promotes multilateral cooperation between Israel, Palestine, and Jordan on water-related climate challenges. They encourage these countries to work together to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change on their shared water resources, such as the Jordan River and the Dead Sea.

Policy Development: The organization has been involved in policy discussions aimed at addressing the impact of climate change on water availability in the region, with a focus on joint action and resource-sharing mechanisms that promote sustainability. They push for integrated water management policies that are responsive to climate-related stresses like droughts and shifting rainfall patterns.

ater-Energy Nexus: Ecopeace also explores the connection between water and energy in the context of climate change, advocating for renewable energy solutions (e.g., solar power) that can both reduce the region's carbon footprint and improve water management.

Climate Resilience: Through Climate Water Diplomacy, the organization is helping to shape regional agreements that improve climate resilience. This includes building the capacity of decision-makers to address environmental threats while emphasizing the importance of peacebuilding through shared environmental efforts.
National Projects for Eco-Friendly Schools in the Jordan Valley (with UNRWA Schools)

EcoPalestine National Projects for Eco-Friendly Schools aim to integrate environmental sustainability into education, particularly in the Jordan Valley, which faces unique environmental challenges such as water scarcity and agricultural vulnerability.

Eco-Friendly School Design and Infrastructure: In partnership with the UNRWA schools, EcoPalestine has launched initiatives to transform schools into eco-friendly spaces. This includes upgrading school facilities with energy-efficient technologies, such as solar panels, and implementing water-saving systems (e.g., rainwater harvesting, water-efficient plumbing).

Environmental Curriculum: As part of these projects, EcoPalestine works with UNRWA schools to integrate environmental education into the curriculum. This helps students understand the challenges of water scarcity and climate change while encouraging them to take active roles in environmental protection. Students are taught practical skills such as recycling, water conservation, and energy efficiency.

Awareness and Community Engagement: EcoPalestine’s projects also focus on raising awareness about climate change and environmental issues within school communities. This often includes organizing workshops and activities for students, teachers, and local communities, creating a culture of sustainability that extends beyond the school walls.

Training and Capacity Building for Teachers: Teachers are provided with specialized training to help them deliver effective environmental education, empowering them to inspire and guide students in adopting eco-friendly behaviors. This training ensures that schools become hubs for sustainability that influence students’ families and local communities.

From the beginning of the war, EcoPeace acted quickly to address the developing humanitarian crisis. In response to the displacement of Gazan workers to the West Bank, the organization collaborated with various stakeholders, providing essential items, hygiene kits, and emergency protocols for managing shelters. We also acted to provide services to the Israeli families displaced from the Gaza border towns as well as from the Lebanese border, including environmental day trips, beach tours, and workshops. Emergency relief efforts also extended to Gaza, where we purchased and distributed drinkable water, chlorine, and hygiene products to displaced families in UNRWA shelters. Advocacy efforts for Gaza were focused on persuading the Israeli authorities to reopen the water supply pipes into Gaza that were closed at the start of the war and to allow the entry of fuel needed to operate WASH facilities.

EcoPeace seeks funding for the installation of small-scale, solar-powered (we hope that the solar panels will be approved Gaza, if not the batteries will operate them), reverse osmosis (RO) units in shelters across Gaza. Each unit can purify 16 cubic meters of water per day, providing survival-level water consumption for up to 2,300 people daily. The units can be bundled together to produce larger quantities of water post-conflict and are housed in military-grade shock-resistant cases for maximum longevity and easy transportability. We also received funds from other donors for spare parts to keep these units operational long-term and for machinery critical for the supply of other WASH sector needs.

Given the recent conflict, which has displaced thousands of people in Gaza, there is also an urgent need for a containerized sewage pumping station to manage wastewater effectively. Many displaced individuals are sheltering in overcrowded temporary shelters near the coast, which are highly susceptible to flooding, especially with the approaching winter season. The proposed sewage/winterization pump would be a factory-assembled, modular, portable prefabricated unit capable of autonomous operation, ensuring reliable performance under challenging conditions. This pump will prevent environmental contamination and outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and hepatitis by efficiently managing wastewater and mitigating flooding risks.

Additionally, the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) is managing water chlorination across Gaza using its contingency reserves of sodium hypochlorite, which are projected to last only a month. With increased chlorine dosing requirements due to degradation of the chlorine solution, urgent efforts are needed to facilitate the importation of sodium hypochlorite into Gaza to maintain safe drinking water standards.
EcoPeace has already raised over € 400,000 in commitments for three small portable desalination units and are seeking additional funds to cover the cost of five additional desalination units and their spare parts, which will provide drinking water for 12,500 people daily upon installation (one will serve around 2,500 persons per day). Currently, the EcoPeace ME Palestine office finished the procurement process and are in the process of entering three of these portable desalination plants into Gaza. In addition, we have also raised € 180,000 in funds for two containerized sewage pumping stations and we will hopefully soon finalize the tendering process. These needs were allocated according to the actual need in Gaza and with close coordination with the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU).