Newsletter NOV , DEC 2015

Al-Qassem: APN’s Annual Dinner… My Happiest Day!

The Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN) celebrated 15 years of achievements and hard collective work at its annual dinner held on Dec. 5th, 2015. More than 900 supporters and guests attended the event to the music of May Nasr, accompanied Humam Eid and Bassem al-Jaber. A special guest honoured by the event was 77 year old Palestinian farmer Abdel Rahman al-Qassem who after 31 years reclaimed ownership of his land stolen from the Beit Eil colony in the Ramallah region,winning a court order to regain the land which was confiscated by the Israeli occupation authorities.

The Second phase of ‘Plant Your Tree in Jerusalem’

Over six thousand fruit tree saplings are to be planted in eight villages north of Jerusalem in the Occupied West Bank as part of the second phase of the ‘Plant Your Tree in Jerusalem’ project carried out by APN .

APN Awarded Medal by the ‘3rd International Convention for the Solidarity with Palestine’ in Beirut

The Global Campaign to Return to Palestine has honored APN with a medal in recognition of its voluntary assistance and support to Palestine. APN President Razan Zuayter received the medal at a special ceremony held in Beirut on Dec.9th, 2015, on the sidelines of the 3rd International Convention for the Solidarity with Palestine. 1

APN and the Bank of Jordan Plant Hundreds of Forest Tree Saplings in Jarash

Around forty volunteers joined efforts in planting 500 forest tree saplings in Bleila area in the Jarash governorate in Jordan.

‘Plant Your Tree in Gaza’

The first stage of APN’s ‘Plant Your Tree in Gaza’ project is underway in conjunction with the group’s partners in Palestine. The campaign is financed by Jordan Engineers Association and the Popular International Committee to Support the Gaza Strip. It will be implemented by the Palestinian Farmers Union. 1

APN Organizes a Regional Conference on Public-Private Partnerships in Amman

Representatives from eight food production groups from Arab countries took part in a conference organized on Dec.19-20, 2015 in Amman on food security and public-private partnership. Experts and specialists from Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Yemen, and Lebanon participated in the conference.

Planting Hope in Beit Ummar - Hebron

Planting Hope in Beit Ummar - Hebron Scores of volunteers have planted fruit tree saplings in the Palestinian village of Beit Ummar north of Hebron in the Occupied West Bank. The planting of 2230 saplings was made in line with APN’s campaign slogan ‘they uproot one tree, we replant ten’ and came as part of continued efforts to help Palestinian farmers hold on to their lands in the face of threats of confiscation by Israeli occupation authorities.

Tree Planting in Jordan and Palestine in Conjunction with Deloitte

Four hundred fruit and forest tree saplings have been planted in Jordanian and Palestinian lands in a joint operation implemented by around 100 Deloitte Company officials and APN volunteers. The saplings were planted in areas around Wadi al-Qattar Jordan and Ramallah in Palestine. APN President Razan Zuayter said the project was part of the Society’s Green Caravan campaign launched to increase the green cover in Jordan as well as the 3rd Million Tree campaign in Palestine.

Enhancing Food Security in the Jordan Valley

More than 180 fruit tree saplings have been planted in Ghor al-Mazra’ area by APN in cooperation with Masar youth initiative group and financial support from BCI Company. Saplings of pomegranate, guava, fig, olive, grapes and citrus trees were planted in the area, which suffers from extreme poverty. Head of APN’s Green Caravan campaign Eng. Mohammad Qtaishat said the planting work was carried out with the help of Mrs. Darine Dairiah, the Masar Initiative coordinator. He said it involved planting the saplings in Numeirah charitable society and around homes of a number of village women.

APN and BCI plant Grape Seedlings in Ajloun

Seedlings of 300 grapes trees have been planted by APN on land owned by Khadr Mohammad Onnab in Kafranja in Ajloun governorate in Jordan.

APN at the Arab Forum for Environment and Development Annual Conference

APN has taken part in the meetings of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development Conference held in Beirut, Lebanon on Nov.17th, 2015. The Conference theme was ‘Sustainable Consumption’ with a major report indicating that the imbalance in the subsidized prices of water, energy and food in the Arab region is encouraging consumption patterns characterized with waste and over-spending. However, the 2015 AFED report on Sustainable Consumption revealed a trend towards change with six Arab countries starting to introduce measures to reform the subsidy system.

Projects to Empower Families of Palestinian Martyrs

APN joined the Palestinian Voluntary Work Committee in planting five thousand thyme seedlings in the village of Burin near Nablus in the Occupied West Bank. The planting in an area facing violations by Jewish settlers of a nearby colony, was designed to aid and support the family and relatives of Palestinian Ahmad al-Najjar who was killed by Israeli soldiers.

APN Calls on the IUCN to Pay More Attention to the Impacts of Wars on Environment

APN President Razan Zuayter has voiced concern that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is not paying sufficient attention to the impacts of conflicts, wars and occupation on the environment and natural resources in the Arab region. Her comments came at the IUCN regional conference held in Amman on Nov.10th-12th, 2015. They received positive response from the IUCN senior official at the conference.APN also took part in an exhibition held on the sidelines of the conference with a presentation on its various projects.

APN President Honored by the Ministry of Culture in Jordan

APN President Razan Zuayter was honored by the Ministry of Culture at a special ceremony held in Amman in recognition of the work, efforts and initiatives by a number of Jordanian public figures.The Minister of Culture Lana Mamkegh said at the ceremony held on Dec.2nd, 2015 that the event, the second of its kind, aims at celebrating their work to create new themes in culture, including that of giving with love and enthusiasm, invoking the true meanings of life and joy and making a difference in people’s lives. She noted that each of those receiving honors has achieved one’s reputation through a

APN: Developed Countries Should Bear the Responsibility to Reduce Causes of Climate Change

APN has taken part in a meeting in Amman on Nov.5th,2015 on climate change called by Jordan Ministry of Environment in conjunction with Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

Heavy Media Presence at APN Annual Press Conference

APN has briefed media representatives on its achievements in the areas of agriculture, food security and environment during a press conference held on December 2nd, 2015 to announce its annual dinner event. A large number of reporters and journalists supporting the group’s land and environment causes were present.

Raad’s Music plants 200 trees!

16-year old Raad Barhoush, entertained an audience with songs dedicated to Palestine at a special event on Nov.12th, 2015. The young student activist of Amman Academy school, composed the music, and wrote and sang the lyrics. Proceeds of this musical evening were used to plant 200 tree saplings.

APN at ‘Shop the Night Market’ in Dubai

APN through its volunteer Bahaa AlKayyali participated at the ‘Shop the Night Market’ in Dubai on Dec.16th, 2015. Bahaa aimed to increase awareness about the organization’s projects and campaigns, and collect donations for its Million Tree campaign.

APN meets the UNEP Regional Director in Beirut

APN President Razan Zuayter has attended a meeting held by the UN Environment Program (UNEP) on the sidelines of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development Conference in Beirut, Lebanon. Speaking during the meeting on Nov.17th, 2015, Zuayter underlined the need to further develop communication between the UN agency and Arab civil society. She said attention should be directed to impacts of occupations and wars on the environment and ways to deal with them. The meeting was held by UNEP Middle East Regional Director Iyad Abu Mughli and attended by Mrs.

Media Interviews

The Jordanian Roya TV station hosted an interview on APN work with the group’s board member Ziad Al-Moghrabi who was joined by the Lebanese singer and activist May Nasr.APN was also invited to four talk shows on Radio Mazaj FM and Farah Radio withAl-Moghrabi , May Nasr , Palestinian farmer Abdul Rahman Al-Qassem, and volunteer Hassan Jaajaa.