Mapping of Environmental Actors in the Palestinian Civil Society Sector

Last Wednesday, 05 December 2012, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Ramallah presented its new mapping study of those actors in the Palestinian civil society that are working in the field of environment. Nada Majdalani-Azzeh, environmental assessment and management specialist and author of the study presented its methodology and main findings, and representatives of the various Palestinian NGOs as well as of the Ministry of Environmental Affairs discussed the results and possible open questions.

According to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of the Interior, 2,245 NGOs are currently registered in the oPt, but only a few of them are focused on the environmental sector. An initial list of environmental actors (based on research, lists of organisations involved with the Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network, a list of organisations registered under the Ministry of the Interior, and data provided by the Ministry of Environmental Affairs) included 104 registered civil society organisations in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. However, upon further research, only 64 of them turned out to be still active.

The mapping survey shows the limits, needs, and opportunities for environmental cooperation in Palestine. While environmental issues, apart from water, have long been considered of minor importance, their direct relation to the ongoing occupation as well as the fragmentation and marginalisation of Palestinians is obvious.

Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Ramallah would like to invite you to send your comments and feedback regarding the mapping study until 15 January 2013 to svenja.oberender@ps.boell.org.

Please download the study here: (English, PDF, 1.08 MB)

You can find pictures of the presentation and discussion on our facebook page .