Heinrich Böll Foundation

Welcome to the Arab Middle East Office of the Heinrich Böll Stiftung

Introduction

The Heinrich Böll Foundation, associated with the German Green Party, is a legally autonomous and intellectually open political foundation. Our foremost task is civic education in Germany and abroad with the aim of promoting informed democratic opinion, socio-political commitment and mutual understanding. The AMEO is responsible for projects and programs in Palestine, and Jordan.

Ecology

01 – 05 September 2013 in Amman, Jordan

Third Regional Summer School: An Introduction to Natural Resource Governance in the Arab Middle East and North Africa

June 16, 2013 - One of the great challenges of the 21st century is to bring about global equity without further overstepping the planet’s ecological limits nor overusing the earth’s finite resources to the extent that future generations are deprived of the opportunity for shaping a sustainable and equitable social coexistence and the associated economic and production patterns. Social equity is inseparable from ecological sustainability. Inequitable distribution and overuse of resources, both domestically and internationally, is one of the key reasons why millions of people today live below the poverty line, while at the same time the earth’s sustainable ecological limits have long been exceeded.. more»

PUBLICATION

Marginal Oil: What is driving oil companies dirtier and deeper?

- February 12, 2013 - With conventional oil production in decline, the global oil industry is investing heavily in dirtier and riskier forms of unconventional oil such as heavy crude, tar sands, and oil shale. These investments pose a challenge to the climate, the environment, and local communities. This report is a document that describes the drivers behind marginal oil investments and gives an overview of existing and potential projects across the globe.. Sarah Wykes and Lorne Stockman more»

Article

The German Energy Transition

- February 13, 2013 - Germany has drawn a lot of attention for the Energiewende - the aim to switch to a renewable energy economy, phase out nuclear power and leave fossil fuels behind. But what exactly is the German energy transition: How does it works and what challenges lay ahead? Check out this new website.. Arne Jungjohann more»

An analysis of the outcome of the UN climate change conference (COP 18) in Doha, Qatar

The “Doha Climate Gateway”: will the camel go through the eye of the needle?

- January 14, 2013 - Expectations for the climate summit in Doha were so low that it is quite remarkable that the meager results still managed to fall short of them. Many NGOs condemned the conference as a failure. The EU and Germany called it an important step in the right direction. A summary of the results of the climate conference in Doha. Lili Fuhr and Liane Schalatek more»

Democracy

EUROMED CONFERENCE IN AMMAN

”Promoting a common agenda for equality between women and men”

June 13, 2013 - The Euro-Med Conference of civil society organizations and networks “Women’s Rights and Democracy Building: Promoting a common agenda for equality between women and men” took place on 7 – 8 June in Amman, Jordan. The Heinrich-Böll-Foundation was among the supporters of the conference, which was organized by the European Feminist Initiative IFE-EFI and other organizations from the MENA region among them Heinrich Böll Stiftung’s partners Arab Women’s Organization (AWO) from Jordan and Women’s Studies Centre (WSC) from Palestine.. more»

Article

In Bab Al-Shams, Palestinians create new facts on the ground

- January 29, 2013 - "What made Bab Al-Shams significant was the fact that it asserted that Palestinian activists would not simply react to injustices the occupation laid at our doorstep, but that we were determined to create our own realities on the ground".... Irine Nasser more»

The 20 October local elections in the West Bank – HBS election observation

- November 1, 2012 - After six years without elections in the Palestinian Territories, at least parts of the Palestinian population in the West Bank had the chance to cast their votes again on 20 October 2012. HBS Ramallah observed the elections with a small team. Read the Election Observation statement and an analysis by hbs office director Dr. René Wildangel... more»

By Dr. René Wildangel, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Palestine/ Jordan

Refugees in the desert. Visit in Al-Zaatari refugee camp/ Jordan, 3.10.2012

- October 16, 2012 - In the beginning of October 2012 the hbs office Palestine/Jordan visited the Al-Zaatari refugee camp near Mafraq, Jordan, some 80 km north of Amman and only 6 kilometres south of the Syrian border. The visit was organized and facilitated by our Jordanian Partner, the Arab Women Organization (AWO). Conditions in the camp are tough and basic services are lacking. The future of the refugees, many of them women and children traumatized by the horrors of the Syrian civil war, is uncertain. Read the full report HERE.

International Politics

NEW REPORT

How the EU needs to improve work in area C

June 2, 2013 - A new report by Members of the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), an umbrella organization of more than 80 international aid and development agencies working on the ground in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (including the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation) , analyses the EU initiatives in area C of the Westbank. The report concludes that the EU needs to do more to address the problem of area C to improve the lives of Palestinians living there and to coordinate systematic action backed by highlevel political leadership in order to protect the most vulnerable Palestinian communities.
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Article

Jordan’s Elections: Transparent but not Democratic

- January 30, 2013 - Anna Lührmann was part of a short-term election observation mission of the National Democratic Institute (NDI). In addition to briefings and debriefings in Amman, she observed polling in Jarash in Jordan’s North. Based on this experience and NDI’s preliminary statement on the election she assesses the democratic quality of last week’s elections for the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation... By Anna Lührmann more»

Perspectives #4 November 2012

Qatar: Aspirations and Realties

- November 25, 2012 - In the newest issue of Perspectives: Political Analysis and Commentary from the Middle East & North Africa, the authors explore a political actor in the Gulf region who is becoming more visible, seemingly more engaged in navigating these uncertainties, and in filling the gaps in the political scene: The state of Qatar. Perspectives is a quarterly journal dedicated to highlighting research and debate from authors who live and work in the region. It is now jointly edited and published by the three HBS offices located in Tunis, Beirut and Ramallah. more»

Dr. René Wildangel in conversation with Sandra Schulz/ Deutschlandfunk

Representative of the Heinrich Böll Foundation in the West Bank Worried About Further Escalation in the Middle East

- November 20, 2012 - 17 November 2012. Dr. René Wildangel, head of the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s office in Ramallah, warns of an Israeli ground invasion in Gaza and a repetition of the "absolutely disastrous war" of 2008. Instead, an immediate cease fire and new policy options to include Gaza in regional negotiations are needed. more»