EcoPeace Middle East Annual Conference: Water Security and Sustainable Development for our Common Future

The conference will uniquely bring together high level national decision makers from Jordan, Israel and Palestine, residents and mayors from cross-border communities, international stakeholders and media. Access to water and water security issues will be the focus of the first day of discussions, with a special focus on Israeli/Palestinian water issues. The Jordan Valley and river rehabilitation will be the focus of the second day and will include the participation of transboundary basin commissioners from around the world who will share their experiences and lessons learned.

DRAFT AGENDA

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

12:00 Arrival and check in to hotel

13:00 Lunch & Registration

14:00 Opening & Welcoming Remarks

• Ghazi Musharbash – Chairman of the Board, EcoPeace Middle East
• H.E. Saed Abu Hammour - Secretary General of the Jordan Valley Authority, on behalf of H.E. Dr. Hazim El Nasser - Minister of Water & Irrigation, Jordan
• Israeli Minister (tbc)
• H.E. Dr. Shaddad Attili - Minister in Negotiations Affairs Department, Palestinian Authority
• Anders Jägerskog - Swedish International Development Agency

15:00 Panel: Water & Sanitation Crisis in Gaza
         Moderated by Palestinian participant (tbc)

• Mr. Ahmed Yaqoubi – Water Resources Expert, Gaza
• Ms. Marina Wes - Country Director West Bank and Gaza, World Bank
• Dr. Mahmoud Daher - Head of World Health Organization Gaza sub-office
• Prof. Samir Afifi – Islamic University, Gaza
• Yair Farjun – Mayor, Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, Israel
• Dr. Samih Al Abed – Global Palestine, Connected Gaza
• MK Omer Bar Lev – Ranking member Defense & Foreign Relations Committee, Labor Party

16:30 Coffee break

17:00 Panel: An electrifying effect? Can a water agreement follow?
         Moderated by: Gidon Bromberg, EcoPeace Director

• H.E. Dr. Shaddad Attili - Minister in Negotiations Affairs Department, Palestinian Authority
• Israeli MK (tbc)
• Dr. Oded Eran – Ambassador (ret.), Senior Researcher, INSS
• Robert Piper – UN Deputy Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace Process
• Charlotte De Bruyne – Water Specialist, Office of the Quartet
• Yona Yahav - Mayor, Haifa, Israel

18:30 Closing Remarks, by EcoPeace Directors

20:00  Dinner (Guest speakers to be confirmed) 



Wednesday, November 23, 2016

08:00 Registration

09:00 Welcoming Remarks

• Munqeth Mehyar – EcoPeace Jordanian Director
• H.E. Dr. Hazim El Nasser - Minister of Water & Irrigation, Jordan (tbc)
• H.E. Ayoub Kara – Deputy Minister Regional Cooperation, Israel
• Palestinian Authority (tbc)
• Erik Ullenhag - Ambassador of Sweden to Jordan

09:50 Pre-launch Announcement of Global Challenges Foundation $5 million 2017 Prize

10:00 Leveraging Global Experience of Transboundary Water Management and Lessons Learned for the Lower Jordan
         Introduced by Ms. Elizabeth Yaari - Programme Manager, SIWI and Ms. Zaki Shubber - Institute for Water Education in The Netherlands

10:15 High Level Panel: Basin Commissioners and Basin Representatives
         Moderated by Dr. Sharon B. Megdal – Director, University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center

• Mr. Bokang Makututsa - ORASECOM Lesotho Commissioner, Orange-Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM) (Southern Africa)
• Dr. Dejan Komatina - Secretary General, International Sava River Basin Commission (ISRBC) (Balkan area)
• Mr. Gustaaf Borchardt - Commissioner, International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR) (Central Europe)
• Mr. Edward Drusina (USA) - Commissioner, International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC)
• Mr. Roberto Salmón (Mexico) - Commissioner, International Boundary and Water Commission (Comisión Internacional de Limites y Aguas, CILA)

11:30 Coffee break

12:00 Stakeholder Insights
         Two parallel breakout sessions:

• Session A – featuring Mr. Drusina, Mr. Salmon and Dr. Megdal who will share their experiences with Israeli / Palestinian/ Jordanian Jordan Valley communities
• Session B – featuring Mr. Makututsa, Dr. Komatina and Mr. Borchardt who will share their experiences with Israeli / Palestinian Mountain and Coastal Aquifer communities

13:30 Lunch

14:30 Reporting back from Breakout Sessions – Anwar Abu Hammour, Shelly Lev-Sherman - EcoPeace staff

14:45 Sustainable Financing Proposals:
         
         Traditional and Innovative Financing for Transboundary Water Management
         Presented by Björn Druse, Managing Director, Finance and Administration Department, SIWI

         High Level Panel: Role of Leading Public and Private Financing Institutions
         Moderated by Therese Sjömander Magnusson, Director, Transboundary Water Management, SIWI

• Bjorn Phillip – Program Leader, World Bank
• Ms. Cassandre Pignon – Business Development Director, Shurook, Office of the Quartet
• Israeli representative (tbc)
• Ms. Fida'a Jaradat - Director of Projects Directorate, Ministry of Planning, Jordan
• Palestinian representative (tbc)

15:45 Moving Forward on the Ground
         Moderated by Yana Abu Taleb, Deputy Director Jordan, EcoPeace Middle East

         High Level Panel: Local Leadership from Palestine, Jordan and Israel
         Sharing insights and experiences to advance transboundary water management in the Jordan Basin

• Mr. Edan Greenbaum – Mayor, Jordan Valley Regional Council, Israel
• Oved Yavin – Head of Lower Jordan River Drainage Authority, Israel
• Palestinian Mayor (tbc)
• Hassan Jermi – Joint Service Council Jordan Rift Valley, Palestine
• Khalifeh Dayyat - Mayor, Dier Alla, Jordan
• Ibrahim Al Udwan - Mayor, South Shounah, Jordan

16:30 Closing Remarks and Next Steps – EcoPeace Directors

17:00 End of conference; depart to border crossings