ALLMEP Regional Conference
Unite the Field
On May 31, 2022, ALLMEP hosted it’s annual peacebuilding conference, Unite the Field, at the Tantur Ecumenical Center in Jerusalem. The event brought together hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilders, as well as diplomats, policymakers, and private philanthropists invested in the field.
The event began with special addresses from the EU Representative to the West Bank and Gaza Sven Kuehn Von Burgsdorff, EU Deputy Representative to Israel Benoit Chapas, and the US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides, who thanked ALLMEP and its members for their work, saying: “I was honored to speak with ALLMEP members at their Peacebuilding Conference. What a group of fabulous organizations spearheading the work towards peace between Palestinians and Israelis. We are proud to call a number of these organizations our partners.”
With twelve different sessions, including panels, keynotes and workshops, as well as immersive sessions using Virtual Reality, a Storytellers Corner, and a Members Fair allowing organizations to present their work: there has never been a convening at this scale for ALLMEP members. And with diplomats joining from over 30 countries as well as strategic philanthropic partners, the occasion allowed allies, funders and governments to participate in a comprehensive discussion on how civil society can disrupt the current broken political status quo.
Check out a few of the panels below!
Keynote Address
Hosted by ALLMEP’s U.S. Director, Kari Reid
Featuring MEPPA Board Members:
Hiba Husseini, Managing Partner at Husseini & Husseini
Rabbi Michael Cohen, Arava Institute for Environmental Studies
Panel 1 – Youth and Intergenerational Responsibilty
Hosted by ALLMEP’s Director of Programs, Wasim Almasri
Featuring:
Dani Elazar, CEO Hand in Hand Schools
Tamar Hay, Education Director Peres Center
Dina Gardashkin, Co-Director Sadaka Reut
Sally Abed, National Leadership Standing Together
Daniel Nahum, Education Officer EcoPeace
Maisam Jaljuli, Co-Chair Sikkuy
Panel 2 – Peacebuilding as a Tool for Policy Change
Hosted by ALLMEP President and Founder, Avi Meyerstein
Featuring:
James O’ Shea, Deputy Head of Mission Embassy of Ireland
Mohammad Darwashe, Director of Equality & Shared Society Givat Haviva
Rana Salman, Palestinian Co-Director Combatants for Peace
Yifat Ovadiah, Social Entrepreneur Matan
Ron Gerlitz, Executive Director aChord
Panel 3 – Harnessing Regional Dynamics
Hosted by Gershon Baskin, Holy Land Bond
Featuring:
Amb. Dan Shapiro, Atlantic Council
Nimrod Goren, Founder Mitvim/Diplomeds
Bissan Salman, Director External Relations ROPES
Samer Sinijlawi, CEO Jerusalem Development Fund
Ksenia Svetlova, Former Member of Knesset
The conference was recently recognized in the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres’, quarterly report:
“On 31 May, hundreds of Palestinian and Israeli civil society activists met in Jerusalem for one of the largest-ever gatherings of groups engaged in peacebuilding, organized by the Alliance for Middle East Peace. During the conference, which was also attended by United Nations representatives and diplomats from some 30 countries, participants discussed, inter alia, ways to increase the impact of their work, and to use peacebuilding initiatives as a tool for policy change.”
Join ALLMEP in thanking Secretary General Guterres for the recognition and his support for peacebuilding in the region.
Read the full report here!
