Stories of cross-border environmental cooperation in the Middle East and North Africa 

We are sharing the real-life, on-the-ground stories of cross-border environmental cooperation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). From collaborative water projects, to cross-cultural sustainable agriculture, climate initiatives, multinational renewable energy, ecotourism, natural resources industries, desalination across social boundaries, environmental geopolitics on a large scale, and local community issues on a smaller, community level, and how all of these challenges can actually come together and be unique, amazing opportunities. Opportunities for communities to work together, that would otherwise, maybe not work together, at all. 

This is because, in the face of political conflict, the reality is that some communities are still finding ways to work together on these issues, because they need to. We all know the phrase, “Water is life.” Our shared water resources transcend political borders. And the reality is that nature, and the global climate, know no borders. In the complex political realities of the Middle East and North Africa, all of these multifaceted challenges come together in a nexus that requires intentional, strategic cooperation. And so, because of this unavoidable reality that we all share, some brave community leaders, and brave communities–in the face of political conflict, and even sometimes violence–are still coming together for environmental projects. 

On this podcast, we are interviewing those people–community members, regional experts, project managers, and visionary leaders–so they can share their stories with the world–stories of hope, the struggles they face and push through, stories of resilience, courage, collaboration, their failures, what they learned, and their hard-earned successes. We ask the tough questions and explore environmental collaboration as a starting point to build trust, to connect people, and to ultimately strengthen communities.