Ellen Elend Rif

The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies is an academic studies and research institute located in Kibbutz Ketura on the Israeli side of the Arava Valley. The Arava Institute's stated mission is to advance cross-border environmental cooperation in the face of political conflict. In the hyper-arid, drought-stricken Middle East, one resource is more precious than water: Trust. Over the past 29 years, the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies has demonstrated that cooperation on environmental issues that impact all the people of the region is an effective path to building cooperation among communities that have been locked in conflict for generations. Since 1996, AIES has brought together nearly 1,900 Palestinian, Jordanian, Israeli, and international students. AIES educates future leaders who can meet the Middle East’s environmental challenges with innovative peace-building solutions and ensure a sustainable future for the region. With on-the-ground projects, cutting-edge research, and a university-accredited academic program, AIES works to protect fragile shared environmental resources, eliminate conflict over these scarce natural resources and serve as a model for constructive peacemaking for wider areas of conflict.