Press Release from EMPOWERS The EMPOWERS Partnership has now available the 'Guidelines for Improved Local Water Governance'   The Guidelines consolidate the experience gained over the past 4 years in developing and testing a range of participatory planning tools for local water development. These have been developed through action research with a wide range of stakeholders in Egypt, Palestine,... [read more]

Press release from UNEP Regional office for West Asia (ROWA):   Manama, 19 February, 2007, The United Nation Environment Programme/Regional Office of West Asia organized a Capacity Building and Coordination Meeting for the Arab Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Team in Manama-Kingdom of Bahrain. The goal of the meeting is to build capacity on the concept of integrated ecosystem assessment and... [read more]

Bonny Mascarenhas Bahrain Tribune   Manama Municipalities Council Chairman voiced concern yesterday over the possible sale of a vacant plot in the Diplomatic Area. During his last term as councillor he had made request to the Ministry of Works and Housing to purchase the land with the intention to build 1,460 housing units. Speaking to the Tribune, Majeed Milad the Council Chairman, said: “I... [read more]

By Faisal Darem Yemen Observer   Ten years ago, the Sana’a streets were awash in sewage gushing from the drains and out onto the streets. Every time it rained, waste flowed down the streets, increasing the risk of disease in the city and fouling the air.  Frustrated and disgusted, people demanded that the government find a solution to the mess.   But at the time, the Yemeni government couldn’t... [read more]

Derek Sands UPI February 20, 2007 CAIRO -- Egypt may soon harness the same physics that a child uses to burn an ant with a magnifying glass, to generate electricity from the sun, a move that reflects the growth of Concentrating Solar Power technology worldwide. Plans to build a 150 megawatt (MW) combined solar- and gas-powered electric plant near Cairo are part of a larger effort by Egypt, and... [read more]

By Assem Abi Ali Special to The Daily Star RAMLIEH, Aley: Eco-tourism suffered greatly during the summer 2006 war with Israel, and one of the main victims was the Aley village of Ramlieh, where local investors and other stakeholders had been planning an extensive program before hostilities broke out on July 12. Ramlieh was at the vanguard of Lebanese villages seeking to cash in on eco-tourism,... [read more]

By Daniel Zimmer- World Water Council Executive Director   The Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources signed an agreement with the World Water Council in Ankara recently to host the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul, that takes place in March 2009. Building on the success of the 4th World Water Forum held in Mexico City last March, which boasted over 15,000 visitors from every continent,... [read more]

Kuwait Times By A Saleh KUWAIT: Informed official sources at the radioactivity protection department at the Ministry of Health recently disclosed that 18,000 barrels of contaminated sand, 200 tanks, some machinery, projectiles and shells that had been contaminated and left over after the 1991 Kuwait liberation offensives were ready to be shipped to the US. The sources added that the areas from which... [read more]

Yemen Observer By Ali Marmaduke Garbage collection is something that is generally noticed by the public only when it is not done well. Streets strewn with bottles, bags, and orange peels are visible evidence of a flawed system.  But when our waste is disposed of efficiently and smartly, few think to comment. Recently, there has been a quiet revolution in solid waste collection in Sana’a that surely... [read more]

By: Batir Wardam   Planning and policy formulation in Jordan prior to the 1990s was based on a sector-specific approach with little consideration for environmental concerns. It can be said that environmental planning and policy formulation came to age in 1991 when the National Environmental Strategy (NES) was formulated by a national consultation process led by the Ministry of Municipal, Rural... [read more]

Blogging has became a highly effective and free expression medium that is spreading all over the Arab world. Amongst thousands of blogs in the Arab World very little focus can be found on environmental issues. One of the best and most informative Jordanian bloggers is "Khalaf" and he has proven to be environmentally aware in many posts. This is a collection of some of Khalaf's best environment related... [read more]

In December 12-13 2006 the internatioanl symposium on the advancement of science in the Arab World was held in Damascus. One of the major topics discussed in the symposium was Biodiversity. This is the statement of Dr. Ahmad Djoghlaf the executive sectratary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in which he focused on the importance of science in acheiving the Biodiversity 2010 targets... [read more]

From Kuwait Times By Velina Nacheva   KUWAIT: Two Greenpeace activists visiting Kuwait yesterday warned the public about the presence of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in products available in retail outlets in Kuwait. The activists, however, failed to provide specific information on the direct impact GMOs have on human health. Greenpeace is an international environmental advocacy group... [read more]

From: Gulf News   By Sunil K. Vaidya, Bureau Chief   Muscat: Fresh pugmarks and hearing of a big cat's calls have given an Omani Biosphere Expeditions survey concrete evidence of the existence of the endangered Arabian Leopard in Oman's Musandam region. "The entire team is elated and we have set up camera traps at promising sites hoping to catch a glimpse of the Arabian Leopard," said... [read more]

From : Gulf News By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief   Al Ain: The beauty of one the highest spots of the country, Jebel Hafeet, and the long winding road up to the top, are being spoiled by waste left behind by tourists. Some of the places are also fast becoming landfills. Most of these places are inaccessible ridges and cannot be cleaned on regular basis. Strong winds carry around the lighter... [read more]

From: Gulf daily News   By REBECCA TORR   BAHRAIN's ecosystems are under attack from invading foreign species, an environment expert warned yesterday. Animals are either being brought into the country by ships or are released into the wild by humans, revealed Bahrain Natural History Society member Abdulqader Khamis. He said that terrapins, cats, birds and other animals - including the... [read more]

From: Gulf daily News   By GEOFFREY BEW MANAMA: Greenpeace vessel the Rainbow Warrior II made an unscheduled stop in Bahrain as part of a tour of the Gulf, it has emerged. The ship, which had a crew of 19, arrived on February 5 before leaving two days later to Qatar, where it is still docked. It arrived from Abu Dhabi and has also visited Kuwait and Dubai as part of a campaign to encourage... [read more]

From: Gulf daily News   By TARIQ KHONJI   RISING demand for water in the Gulf region will mean that governments will need to take conservation more seriously, predicts an industry leader. Suez Environment chief executive officer Jean-Louis Chaussade believes that the current level of water consumption, in which very little recycled water is being used, is not sustainable. Suez Environment... [read more]

Faiz Al-Mazrouei, Arab News   Large quantities of recycled water for irrigation, landscaping and industrial purposes will be available in the Eastern Province with the completion of several projects under construction in Dammam and Qatif. The projects, when completed, will have a capacity to reclaim 350,000 cubic meters of sewage a day. Abdul Rahman Al-Manie, director general of Water Department... [read more]

From: Arab News   Muhammad Al-Qarni   ABHA, 17 February 2007 — The romantic scenery of the legendary Asir region is under threat as locals complain of both expatriate residents and Saudis dumping garbage and ruining the landscape. Many locals fear the dumping may escalate and claim there is a massive environmental disaster in the making. Asir is a beautiful mountainous area located in... [read more]

From: Al Ahram Weekly   Amira El-Noshokaty   You hang onto it as if it were your saviour -- and sometimes it is. You never turn it off; those who care about you may be offended. You talk into it for hours, regardless of where you are -- you even tuck to into bed with you; you, and more than a sixth of the world's population -- 18 million in Egypt alone. The rapid development of the mobile... [read more]

Source: Jordan Times   By Hana Namrouqa    AMMAN — Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions that are responsible for climate change is a major priority of the country’s environmental strategy, Minister of Environment Khalid Irani said this week. Irani said the ministry is implementing several projects to share the international responsibility of reducing global warming. Earlier this month,... [read more]

Source: The Star-Jordan   By Mike Derderian Star Staff Writer   The JD70 million Dibbeen Tourism Project, which is the brainchild of the Jordan Dubai Capital (JDC) and the investment unit at the Social Security Corporation (SSC), is causing quite a controversy in the Kingdom. Non-governmental organizations and many Jordanian environmentalists are dubbing it as illegal and harmful to the... [read more]

Manama, 12 February 2007 – The Director and Regional Representative of the United Nation Environment Programme/Regional Office of West Asia, Dr. Habib N. El-Habr announced that UNEP Governing Council was wrapped up at UNEP Head Quarters in Nairobi, Kenya. The Opening of the 24th Session of the Governing Council (GC24)/Global Ministerial Environmental Forum (GMEF) was commenced on the 5th of February,... [read more]

Nairobi, 6 February 2007—The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reinforced the bond between fighting poverty and protecting the environment today by launching the joint Poverty and Environment Facility in Nairobi during the 24th session of the UNEP Governing Council. The Facility, one of the first tangible examples of UN reform in action,... [read more]

An international conference on Waste Management & Minimization Congress" will take place in Abu Dhabi, UAE on the 28th & 29th May, 2007. The conference will be attended by over 300 senior personnel from Ministries & Municipalities& major industries and large organization from all across Middle East region& Europe and Africa, 40 speakers from top and senior level management, award... [read more]

UNEP has just launche dits annual summary report on the state of global environment entitled "GEO Yearbook 2007". The full contents of the publication can be viewed and downloaded from http://www.unep.org/geo/yearbook/yb2007/   The chapter on West Asia focuses agaon on our symptom of "environment and conflicts" where palestine, Iraq and the Lebanon take center stage for all the wrong reasons... [read more]

Press Release from UNEP UNEP headquarters hosted the Joint Ministerial Meeting between the Arab States and the Community of South American Nations on environmental Development between the two Regions. The meeting aims at enhancing cooperation in environmental protection and achieving sustainable development in the Arab Region and in Southern America in the framework of south-south cooperation and... [read more]

Source: Jordan Times- 6 February 2007   By Mohammad Ben Hussein   AMMAN — Deputies on Monday criticised former and current officials responsible for the construction of the failed JD60 million Karameh Dam and called for sending its file to the prosecutor general for investigation. In a three-hour session held specially to investigate the reasons behind the failure of the dam, 32 deputies... [read more]

On 2 February 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) adopted the Summary for Policymakers of the first volume of “Climate Change 2007”, also known as the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). “Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis”, assesses the current scientific knowledge of the natural and human drivers of climate change, observed changes in climate, the ability of science... [read more]

This is an interesting opportunity for a two week educational programme organised by The Property and environment research center (PERC) in Montana, USA. PERC's Enviropreneur Camp is an intense, two-week educational experience in Bozeman, Montana, for environmental entrepreneurs who want to have a better understanding of how business and economic principles can be applied to environmental problems... [read more]

The Oxford Business Group has published a summarised profile on the agricultural sector in Jordan and potential for improving farming systems. This is the full text:   Amidst programmes designed to position Jordan at the heart of the Middle East's communications and technology boom and attract ICT developers and investors to the country, Amman is proposing an overhaul to its small but vital... [read more]

Mahmoud Bakr- Al Ahram Weekly mbakr@ahram.org.eg Making profit while keeping the environment clean has always been a challenge for Egyptian enterprises. However, lately hopes have been high that such an equation could be worked as the Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs (MSEA) praised the implementation, by small and big industrial enterprises, of clean production regulations. In January... [read more]

Prince Hasan Bin Talal of Jordan and H.E Mr Cherif Rahmani from Algeria were among 7 winners of UNEP's champions of the Earth 2007. Following is a press release by UNEP.   Seven leaders whose achievements range from chemical safety, sustainable waste management and the greening of sporting events to the conservation of deserts, rainforests and the global climate are to be honoured as Champions... [read more]

The Arab Group for the Protection of Nature and the Friends of Environment society in Jordan have launched a campaign to protest against the plans designed by Dubai Capital Co. to set up its devastating investment project in Dibbin Forest north of Jordan. The Project is enough to destroy the biodiversity of this area of Jordan which is known for its magnificent beauty and unique plant and animal  ... [read more]

Middle Eastern countries, which are facing the prospects of fresh water shortage, will invest $117 billion in the next nine to ten years in the water sector. With population and economic growth stretching the supply of fresh water, and making the scarce commodity into an even more critical resource to humanity, governments in the Middle East region would be boosting investments in fresh water projects... [read more]

Amira El-Naqeeb Al Ahram Weekly Stuck in the congested traffic of Cairo has become a daily routine that car drivers must endure everyday. Nonetheless, the slow traffic would have been bearable were it not for the increasing pollution. For pedestrians and drivers, a breath of fresh air has become a scarce luxury. The number of pollutants has been increasing over the past few years; and the number... [read more]

As shortage of irrigation water is a common environmental problem in all Arab countries, experimentation in designing landscapes with water conservation plants is becoming an essential tool for water conservation and fighting desertification. One of the most promising experiences has been conducted by the Center for the Study of the Built Environment (CSBE) in Jordan where a special programme on water... [read more]

The Second session of the ministerial council in charge of water and irrigation of the Union of the Arab Maghreb (UMA) was held the 22 and January 23, 2007 in Nouakchott (Mauritania) with in the chair Mr. Omar Salem, Water Director in Libya. The meeting considered the evaluation of the implementation of recommendations resulting from the first session of the council held in April 2003 in Algiers (Algeria),... [read more]