We are writing with an end of year update to share with you what the EcoPeace family was able to achieve in 2024, and to express our thanks for your past support that helped make it possible. In honor of this Giving Tuesday, we hope you will be able to continue to support EcoPeace in our work – bringing the people of our region together to protect our shared environment, providing clean water to the most vulnerable, and building cross-border cooperation that can lead to a sustainable peace.

We write to you at the close of what has been the most devastating year in our region since EcoPeace’s founding 30 years ago. Never before have we seen this level of bloodshed or this degree of widespread suffering. Many among our staff and program participants are still coping with grief over loved ones lost to the violence. The ongoing war means that healing has not yet begun. October 7 and the wars which followed have shaken the belief of many that peace is still worth fighting for. Despite a backdrop of so much despair, we are proud to report that EcoPeace continues to stand as a symbol of steadfast commitment to environmental stewardship, and peace. Our staff in Amman, Tel Aviv, and Ramallah recommit themselves every day to advancing EcoPeace’s twin goals of regional climate resilience and a just peace between our peoples and between people and nature. That commitment, paired with the generosity of supporters like you, has enabled us to achieve successes this year against all odds.

At the start of the war, we pivoted our efforts, leveraging our legitimacy, reputation, and relationships with relevant stakeholders to advance humanitarian relief in Gaza – helping to supply potable water and hygiene kits to thousands of displaced Palestinians – and to provide educational programs to Israelis displaced from the northern and southern borders. Over the course of the year, EcoPeace’s strong ties in our respective communities and the close coordination between our offices enabled us to maintain our programming. Our education departments achieved high levels of participation in our Climate Diplomacy Young Professionals and Teacher Training programs; our participants in Eilat and Aqaba worked tirelessly to protect the Red Sea; and, whenever the security situation permitted, our Neighbor Path Tours continued to expose the cost of zero-sum thinking around the pollution of transboundary waters. EcoPeace’s government relations department advanced policies that facilitated the reopening of the water supply pipes from Israel to Gaza, supported smoother transfer of humanitarian aid from Jordan to Gaza, and recruited high-level stakeholders in our region and around the world to support our advocacy priorities. Both our education and advocacy programs succeeded in bringing Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian participants together – incredibly, in the midst of war – to reaffirm the critical need for cooperation and to discuss EcoPeace’s vision of what a Day After scenario could look like for Gaza and the region.

With our deep gratitude and wishes for peace, the return of hostages, and a meaningful holiday season,