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Regional Environmental Hub for the Middle East
Amman, Jordan

Middle East

Introduction
As part of the focus on international environmental issues, the Department of State established a Regional Environmental Hub at the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan.

The Amman Hub will promote, develop, and support regional water and environment activities, particularly those arising from the Middle East Peace Process. The Hub will work through existing regional mechanisms and institutions, and with national governments, environmental non-governmental organizations, donor organizations, and the business communities within the region. Key areas on which the Hub will focus initially include:

• water
• desertification
• the Gulf of Aqaba

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Key Terms
     Desertification
formation of deserts from previously productive land
     Sustainable Development
economic growth or activity with no net degradation to the environment
     Aquifers
underground rock formations holding large quantities of water
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Regional Environmental Issues
Water: By most accounts, water shortages are the region's most acute environmental problem. Technical experts generally agree that the demand for water in the Middle East will far outpace the sustainable supply. Much of the "fresh" water pumped from Gaza's aquifers is so salty that it does not meet internationally recognized health standards for potable water. In Amman, supply shortages force the city to turn off the taps for several days each week in most neighborhoods. In the Persian Gulf States, the populations rely on desalination technologies to convert sea water into drinking water.

Desertification: Desertification poses another major challenge to the Middle East. With growing populations, and the resultant increasing demands for food production, countries in the region are placing heavy demands on the agricultural sector. The result can be (and has been) over-exploitation of limited water resources, and an expansion of the desert into what were once productive farmlands.

Gulf of Aqaba: The Gulf of Aqaba provides the habitat for some of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world - beauty enhanced by the crystal clarity of the water. The reefs are also home to a diversity of coral species and the world's northernmost mangroves. However, the pressures of industrialization, transportation, and development may cause irreparable harm to the fragile gulf ecosystem. Increased traffic (boats and divers) have injured the reefs, and the threat of a major oil spill from the tankers that use the Port of Aqaba is always present.

Regional Mechanisms
The region's topography suggests that Middle Easterners will need to work together to address their regional environmental problems. The Jordan River Basin, for example, provides water for the Israeli, Jordanian, Palestinian, and Syrian populations. Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia all have coastlines in the Gulf of Aqaba. The political realities of the Middle East suggest that promoting regional environmental cooperation must be done in the context of the broader efforts to promote Middle East peace.

Developing from the 1991 Madrid peace conference, the Middle East peace process provides the diplomatic forum through which Israel and its Arab neighbors are negotiating their long-standing differences. A series of multilateral negotiations were established as part of this process to complement on-going bilateral negotiations between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Five Multilateral Working Groups - Water Resources, Environment, Regional Economic Development, Arms Control and Regional Security, and Refugees - promote regional cooperation through concrete, visible projects and encourage Middle Eastern nations to begin thinking of themselves as a region.

The vast majority of regional water and environment activities take place under the auspices of the Multilateral Working Groups on Water Resources and on Environment. Each group is composed of fifteen regional and more than 30 non-regional parties, with delegations that include senior representation from environment and foreign affairs ministries. Non-regional parties such as the EU, EU member states, Japan, Canada, World Bank, and UNEP provide technical and financial support. The U.S. chairs the Multilateral Working Group on Water Resources and plays an active role in the Working Group on the Environment. To date, these groups have spawned over 15 regional water and environment projects (such as establishing regional water data banks, a regional desalination research center, a regional environmental code of conduct, and an oil spill contingency plan for the Gulf of Aqaba) and scores of regional "experts" meetings to plan and implement these activities. Other mechanisms under the peace process (i.e. U.S.-Israel-Jordan trilateral economic commission) also promote some regional water and environment activities.

State Department Regional Environmental Contact Officer:
Amman, Jordan
George Sibley
P.O. Box 354
Amman, 11118
Jordan
APO AE 09892-0200
Phone: 962-6-592-0101 x2621
Fax: 592-7653
SibleyGX@AmmanWPOA.us-state.gov

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