Newsletter July to October 2015

The Arab Group for the Protection of Nature Occupies the Committee on World Food Security

Local organization The Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN) made a massive impact last week in Rome at the 42nd Plenary of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS). A delegation of three was sent to coordinate and participate in meetings and events relevant to food security and nutrition, representing the interests of civil society from the Arab region.

APN Granted Special Consultative Status at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

It was announced at the Coordination and Management Meeting of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) that was held at the end of July 2015 that the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN) will be granted Special Consultative Status.

Planting Life on Land Cleared of Mines in Occupied Hebron

Scores of APN volunteers and the Palestinian Voluntary Work Committee and its partners have planted around 1000 fruit tree seedlings in the village of Om Lasfa, in the Hebron region.

Gaza Fishermen Receive New Fishing Nets

A group of fishermen in Gaza Strip were compensated for losses they sustained during Israel’s war on the area in 2014, with 156 new fishing nets supplied by APN in cooperation with the Agricultural Works Committees. Sixty four fishermen supporting 384 member households received the nets. The aid is part of APN’s campaign to revive the agricultural sector in Gaza which suffered losses as a result of the Israel attacks estimated at more than US$550 dollars.

Building Hope in the Land of a Palestinian

APN has planted 5,000 thyme seedlings in the land named after the Palestinian martyr Ahmad al-Najjar in Burin village in Nablus governorate, in conjunction with the Palestinian Voluntary Work Committee. The land was equipped with ground water storage and irrigation pipes. The cultivation of the seedlings is designed to provide support to the residents of the area exposed to continued violations by Jewish settlers in two nearby colonies.

APN General Manager Elected as Representative for West Asia

By a vote of 27-1, APN General Manager Mariam Jaajaa was elected as a representative for West Asia in the global Civil Society Mechanism (CSM). The group is an interactive forum for the world’s civil societies on food security, while the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) is the highest international and governmental platform working to ensure nutrition and food security

APN Urges for Further Global Action on Nutrition and Food Security

APN President Razan Zuayter as a member of the Coordinating Committee of the Civil Society Mechanism (CSM) has attended a meeting of the consulting group of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) in Rome.

Field Visits to Select New Sites for Tree Cultivation in Jordan

A group from APN has made a number of field visits around Jordan as part of the society’s Green Caravan campaign aimed to promote food security by cultivating fruit trees in some of the environmentally marginalized areas in the country at the beginning of the rainy season. The group made the first visit to Wadi al-Qattar in conjunction with Amman Municipality.

Reclamation of Palestinian Land Surrounded by Jewish Colonies in Hebron

Work has started in early September, 2015 to reclaim around 100 dunums of land owned by al-Ayadeh family in the Shoyokh village in Hebron.

Supporting Food Sovereignty in Ramallah Village

Farmers in the village of Deir Abu Misha’l, west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank have received from APN 1,200 fruit tree seedlings to plant on their lands. They were distributed to 150 families in cooperation with the village agricultural committee. The move is part of APN’s activities supporting food sovereignty.

Symbolic Tribunal on Jordan’s Gas Deal with Israel

Jordan’s National Campaign to Thwart a Gas Deal with Israel, of which APN is a founding member, held on Sep.5th, 2015 a symbolic tribunal of the deal denouncing those who stand behind it. The tribunal, which was convened in cooperation with the Professional Associations criticized Prime Minister Abdullah al-Nsour and the National Electricity Company for signing the deal, ruled in favour of an annulment of the deal on grounds that the gas will be stolen by the Israeli occupation authorities from Palestinian land.

Workshop in SOS Village on Environmental Awareness

APN has conducted a workshop in an SOS village to educate its children on ways and importance of protecting the environment.

Work Underway to Launch the APN’s Annual Dinner

APN’s annual charity event will be held on Dec.5th, 2015 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Amman. The event will host Lebanese activist/singer May Nassr and the Jordanian musician Hamam Eid. Another guest will be Palestinian farmer Abdul Raheem Qassem who won an Israeli court ruling allowing him to restore his land seized 31 years ago for construction within a Jewish colony. Qassem refused an offer to sell it for US$28 million dollars.

APN and ANFS Welcome the ICCM4 Resolution on Hazardous Pesticides

2 October, 2015 – the Fourth International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM4) in Geneva has recognized highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) as an “issue of concern”, acknowledging that HHPs cause severe adverse effects on both human health and the environment. ICCM4 also emphasized the need to promote agroecological alternatives to chemical pesticide use.

The IUCN National Committee Discusses the Annual Action Plan

APN President Razan Zuayter has attended the regular meeting of the National Committee of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) held in Amman. Noting at the meeting on Sept.2nd, 2015, that Jordan’s benefit from the Union was very modest in 2014, she emphasized the need to build a strategy to develop and build on such benefit for better results.

Activities and Achievements Reviewed by APN’s Founding Members 2014

The annual meeting of APN founding members has reviewed its work and the 2014 administrative report.The meeting on Aug.17, 2015 was attended by 15 founding members, the administrative board, APN’s team and the Society’s auditor assigned for the job by Talal Abu Ghazala Company.

Meetings to Arrange for Further Tree Cultivation in Palestine

A delegation from APN has met Dr Essam Mustafa board president of the Global Popular Society in Support of Gaza to discuss future cooperation and re-cultivation of trees in the area. Earlier in July 26th, 2015, APN President Razan Zuaiter accompanied by a number of the Society’s members met with board president of the Palestinian Agricultural Development Society (Agricultural Relief) Khalil Sheiha.