Nader Al-Khateeb
Encyclopedia
Nader Al-Khateeb (born July 30, 1960) is the General Director of the Water and Environmental Development Organization (WEDO), a non-profit Palestinian organization that promotes a number of environmental programs and projects centered around water quality control, water conservation, wastewater
treatment and reuse, as well as solid waste management and recycling
. He is also the Palestinian Director of EcoPeace / Friends of the Earth Middle East
(FoEME). FoEME is a unique regional organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli environmentalists to promote sustainable development
and advance peace efforts in the Middle East. It has offices in Amman
, Bethlehem
and Tel Aviv
, employs 40 paid staff and actively involves hundreds of volunteers. It is a member of Friends of the Earth International, the largest grassroots environmental organization in the world.
In 1983, Nader Al-Khateeb graduated from the Middle East Technical University
in Turkey
with a B.Sc. in Geological Engineering. He went on to acquire an M.Sc. degree in Environmental Management
from the Loughborough University
of Technology in the U.K. in 1989. He has since had over 20 years of experience in water management and sanitation.
Mr. Al-Khateeb served as Chief Engineer for the Bethlehem
, Beit Jala
and Beit Sahour
Water Authority from 1984 to 1993, where he was responsible for planning and fundraising, as well as operations and maintenance of the distribution network. After returning from leave to acquire his M.Sc. degree, he also became the Project Manager for their drainage and sewerage project.
From 1994 to 1997, Mr. Al-Khateeb was a senior water resource engineer with the UNDP's Water Resources Action Program, working as a consultant in the effort to formulate and establish the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA). He then became associated with the PWA itself, coordinating a host of water and wastewater projects.
In 1998, he resigned from this role to work with the newly established Water and Environmental Development Organization (WEDO). During this time he also served as a consultant to various international development organizations working in the water sector. He carried out feasibility studies for the industrial waste management
sector in Hebron
under USAID, worked with UNESCO
to prepare a conceptual Emergency Master Plan for the Bethlehem
Region and trained municipal engineers in the Gaza Strip
on wastewater collection and treatment systems along with the German group Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft (CDG). In 2001, WEDO became the base for the Palestinian branch of Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) and Mr. Al-Khateeb has since served as its Director.
He holds a host of professional memberships with such organizations as the Jordan Engineers Association, Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information, Palestinian Technical and Advisory Committees on Water for the multilateral negotiations, and the Consultative Training Board established by the German group Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft (CDG) for training Palestinian professionals in the water sector.
Mr. Al-Khateeb is a registered Professional Engineer
in the West Bank
and a registered Professional Engineer in Amman
, Jordan
, in the Division of Mining Engineering, Section of Geological Engineering.
(Israel) and Munqeth Mehyar
(Jordan) -- were honored by TIME
Magazine as Heroes of the Environment (2008)
and the organization was granted the prestigious Skoll Award in 2009. FoEME also received a 2008 SEED Finalist Award.
For more, see Publications tab on FoEME website
Video Clips on FoEME Projects
Wastewater
Wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations...
treatment and reuse, as well as solid waste management and recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
. He is also the Palestinian Director of EcoPeace / Friends of the Earth Middle East
Friends of the Earth Middle East
Friends of the Earth Middle East is an organization active in environmental peacemaking in the Middle East.-Group focus and efforts:...
(FoEME). FoEME is a unique regional organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli environmentalists to promote sustainable development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
and advance peace efforts in the Middle East. It has offices in Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
and Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, employs 40 paid staff and actively involves hundreds of volunteers. It is a member of Friends of the Earth International, the largest grassroots environmental organization in the world.
In 1983, Nader Al-Khateeb graduated from the Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University is a public technical university located in Ankara, Turkey...
in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
with a B.Sc. in Geological Engineering. He went on to acquire an M.Sc. degree in Environmental Management
Environmental management
Environmental resource management is “a purposeful activity with the goal to maintain and improve the state of an environmental resource affected by human activities” . It is not, as the phrase suggests, the management of the environment as such, but rather the management of the interaction and...
from the Loughborough University
Loughborough University
Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
of Technology in the U.K. in 1989. He has since had over 20 years of experience in water management and sanitation.
Mr. Al-Khateeb served as Chief Engineer for the Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
, Beit Jala
Beit Jala
Beit Jala is an Arab Christian town in the Bethlehem Governorate of the West Bank. Beit Jala is located 10 km south of Jerusalem, on the western side of the Hebron road, opposite Bethlehem, at altitude...
and Beit Sahour
Beit Sahour
Beit Sahour is a Palestinian town east of Bethlehem under the administration of the Palestinian National Authority...
Water Authority from 1984 to 1993, where he was responsible for planning and fundraising, as well as operations and maintenance of the distribution network. After returning from leave to acquire his M.Sc. degree, he also became the Project Manager for their drainage and sewerage project.
From 1994 to 1997, Mr. Al-Khateeb was a senior water resource engineer with the UNDP's Water Resources Action Program, working as a consultant in the effort to formulate and establish the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA). He then became associated with the PWA itself, coordinating a host of water and wastewater projects.
In 1998, he resigned from this role to work with the newly established Water and Environmental Development Organization (WEDO). During this time he also served as a consultant to various international development organizations working in the water sector. He carried out feasibility studies for the industrial waste management
Waste management
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
sector in Hebron
Hebron
Hebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter...
under USAID, worked with UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
to prepare a conceptual Emergency Master Plan for the Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
Region and trained municipal engineers in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
on wastewater collection and treatment systems along with the German group Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft (CDG). In 2001, WEDO became the base for the Palestinian branch of Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) and Mr. Al-Khateeb has since served as its Director.
He holds a host of professional memberships with such organizations as the Jordan Engineers Association, Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information, Palestinian Technical and Advisory Committees on Water for the multilateral negotiations, and the Consultative Training Board established by the German group Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft (CDG) for training Palestinian professionals in the water sector.
Mr. Al-Khateeb is a registered Professional Engineer
Professional Engineer
Regulation of the engineering profession is established by various jurisdictions of the world to protect the safety, well-being and other interests of the general public, and to define the licensure process through which an engineer becomes authorized to provide professional services to the...
in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and a registered Professional Engineer in Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, in the Division of Mining Engineering, Section of Geological Engineering.
Awards
FoEME's three co-directors—Nader Al-Khateeb (Palestine), Gidon BrombergGidon Bromberg
Gidon Bromberg is the Israeli Director of EcoPeace / Friends of the Earth Middle East . FoEME is a regional organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli environmentalists to promote sustainable development and advance peace efforts in the Middle East...
(Israel) and Munqeth Mehyar
Munqeth Mehyar
Munqeth Mehyar serves as Chairman and Jordanian Director of EcoPeace/ Friends of the Earth Middle East . FoEME is a unique regional organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli environmentalists to promote sustainable development and advance peace efforts in the Middle East...
(Jordan) -- were honored by TIME
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
Magazine as Heroes of the Environment (2008)
Heroes of the Environment (2008)
Heroes of the Environment is a list published in Time magazine. After the inaugural list of 2007, the next list was published in September 2008...
and the organization was granted the prestigious Skoll Award in 2009. FoEME also received a 2008 SEED Finalist Award.
Published works
FoEME Reports: co-author- Environmental Peacebuilding Theory and Practice
- Identifying Common Environmental Problems and Shared Solutions
- Good Water Neighbors
- Municipal Cooperation across Conflict Divides - A Preliminary Study
- Nature, Agriculture and the Price of Water in Israel
- Economic Valuation of Resuscitating the Dead Sea
- Advancing Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Dead Sea Basin - Broadening the Debate on Economic and Management Issues
- Let the Dead Sea Live
- Dead Sea Challenges
- One Basin - One Strategy
- Jordan River Peace Park Pre Feasibility Study
- How Past Trans-boundary Security Arrangements Can Change the Future of Peace Parks in the Tri-partite Region
- FoEME Report on the Proposed Red Dead Conduit
- Red Sea-Dead Sea Conduit - Geo-Environmental Study Along the Arava Valley
- A Seeping Time Bomb: Pollution of the Mountain Aquifer by Solid Waste
For more, see Publications tab on FoEME website
External links
- FoEME website
- TIME Magazine Environmental Heroes 2008 article
- Water and Environmental Development Organization (WEDO)
- Jordan Engineers Association (Arabic)
- Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information
Video Clips on FoEME Projects