Organizing a One Day National Conference
27/10/2008
Under the auspices of H.E. Dr. Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister, ARIJ and CRIC successfully organized the national conference "Local Sustainable Development in the Bethlehem Governorate" on the 25th of October 2008 in Bethlehem City.

The conference was also organized with the participation of H.E. Eng. Ziad Bandak, Minister of Local Government, H.E. Mr. Salah Al Ta'mari, Bethlehem Governor, Mr. Mario Carera, the Head of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the Heads of Local Councils targeted by Bethlehem 21 Project. It was attended by representatives of local and national authorities as well as representatives of local, national and international non-governmental organizations, the project's steering committee members, the citizens' committees' members, and funding agencies.

The conference highly contributed to disseminating the project's results; transferring the gained knowledge to other local authorities; launching the Local Sustainability Action Strategies “Local Agendas 21" for the seven targeted communities; and providing the involved local authorities with the opportunity to identifying potential funding sources to increase the possibility of implementing the actions and projects identified in the strategies.

Organizing Community Forums
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ) and CRIC in cooperation with the local councils involved in Bethlehem 21 Project will organize a community forum in each targeted locality. Each forum will bring together a broad section of the community with decision makers to undertake the community visioning process that will define a shared vision for a more sustainable community and translate such vision into concrete actions by developing sustainability goals and targets. Each forum will be conducted over two days according to the following schedule:

29/04/2008
Organizing a Meeting to Discuss the Various Aspects Related to Establishing an Industrial Zone in the Bethlehem Governorate
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ) organized a meeting to discuss the various aspects related to establishing an industrial zone in the Bethlehem Governorate. Dr. Jad Isaac provided the participants with a brief description on the objectives of the industrial zone, the site selection process as well as on the perceptions of beneficiaries. The meeting was held on 29.04.2008 at ARIJ premises and attended by some of the members of the citizens' committees and the project's steering committee in addition to representatives of the local institutions and local councils in the Governorate. The details are presented in the following documents:
The Proposed Industrial Zone in the Bethlehem Governorate
Minutes of Meeting
List of Participants
PowerPoint Presentation

22/11/2007
The Visit of the External Monitor to the Project
Mr. Olivier Maes, Attaché – European Commission Technical Assistance Office, and Mr. Sandro Angiolini, the LIFE TCY external monitor, visited Bethlehem 21 Project on the 22nd of November 2007. A meeting was organized at ARIJ premises with the participation of Dr. Jad Isaac, the project leader, the project team members from ARIJ, ARIJ's financial personnel and CRIC's representative. The meeting was very fruitful in terms of discussing technical and administrative/financial issues and providing ARIJ with vital recommendations. Moreover, two of the involved local councils, which are Beit Sahour and Al Khader Municipalities, were visited by Mr. Angiolini and Mr. Maes.

Transferring the ArcGIS ArcView 9.2 Software to Local Councils
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ) transferred one license of an official and original copy of ArcGIS ArcView 9.2 to Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Al Khader, Za'tara and Battir local councils during July 2007. The software was installed on the personnel computers that were previously transferred to local councils based on the contribution agreement signed between ARIJ and the councils on June 16th 2007.

16/06/2007
Transferring the Personal Computers and the Developed GIS based Information Systems to Local Councils
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ) transferred to each of the involved local councils one personal computer and the GIS based information system that has been developed to meet their needs during the on-job training provided to the selected employee. The training was carried out in the period from 30 October 2006 till 31 May 2007 at ARIJ premises to reinforce the human and technical capacities of the local councils in GIS and database management. This was done during the closing meeting that took place on 16.06.2007 at ARIJ premises.

29/05/2007
Organizing a Focus Group Meeting in Cooperation with Bethlehem Municipality
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ) in cooperation with Bethlehem Municipality organized a focus group meeting to discuss the challenges against establishing a sanitary landfill to serve Bethlehem District. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Joint Council Services for Solid Waste Management in addition to some of the members of the citizens' committees and the project's steering committee. It was held on 29.05.2007 at ARIJ premises.

Organizing Community Awareness Campaigns
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ) in cooperation with the involved local councils including Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Beit Sahour, Za'tara, Al Khader, Ed Doha municipalities and the rural council of Battir, organized community awareness campaigns targeting the community-based organizations. The campaigns consisted of three sessions that were organized in the municipal/rural councils' halls in separate meetings over three weeks or in a one-day workshop according to the following schedule:

In the first session, the participants expressed their concerns about the prevailing social, economic and environmental conditions and stated their opinions about the role and effectiveness of the municipalities in managing the various aspects in their communities. The second session focused on educating the participants about the sustainable development concepts, Agenda 21 objectives, the links between personal lifestyle habits and the improvement in the quality of the environment, and the national strategies and action plans. In the third session, a citizens' committee from each community was elected to support the project steering committee in the coordination and implementation of the next actions.

30/10/2006
The On-job Training for Selected Employees from the Targeted Local Authorities Started on 30 October 2006
The on-job training on GIS techniques, database management and environmental monitoring for selected employees from the targeted local authorities started on the 30th of October 2006. The theoretical part related to GIS was covered in six sessions that were held in ARIJ premises over two weeks. The trainees will spend two days in the institute to receive the practical part of the training that will remain for 5 months and a half. During this period, they will work with ARIJ project team on the collection, harmonization and integration of data required to asses the environmental and socioeconomic conditions in their communities into a GIS.

18/10/2006
Holding the Kick-off Meeting for the On-job Training on GIS Techniques, Database Management and Environmental Monitoring
A Kick-off meeting for the on-job training that targets selected technical personnel from the local authorities was held in the Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem on Wednesday the 18th of October 2006. The meeting aimed at discussing the proposed workplan for the training with the selected local authorities' employees; providing them with a description of the GIS theoretical sessions; as well as specifying the appropriate starting date of the training.

Conducting Preparatory Meetings with the Community-Based Organizations during September & October 2006

Preparatory meetings with the community-based organizations in the targeted communities were conducted during September and October 2006. The meetings aimed at informing the local organizations about the project, its objectives, the actions involved as well as about Bethlehem 21 Declaration in which their local councils have declared their commitment to participate in the project effectively. Great emphasis was put on the importance of public involvement in the decision making process related to the development of a local action plan to achieve sustainable development "Local Agenda 21". This was considered during the meetings in order to motivate local organizations to participate in the community awareness campaigns that will be organized in the targeted communities during the coming period. Furthermore, the participants were provided with two fact sheets: the first gives an overview of the project and the second describes the accomplished activities as well as those to be executed during the next stage of implementation. The meetings were held in the local councils' halls according to the following schedule:

24/08/2006
Organizing the First Half-Yearly Project Meeting Gathering the Project Team with the Steering Committee Members
The first half-yearly project meeting gathering the project team with the steering committee members was held in the Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ) on Thursday the 24th of August 2006. The meeting aimed at discussing the workplan for the next phase of project implementation with the steering committee members in order to specify the activities that require their contribution including: (1) providing the project team with a list of the community-based organizations; (2) identifying the mechanism of contacting those organizations in order to inform them about the project and invite them to participate in the community awareness sessions; and (3) identifying a preliminary list of information categories required to conduct the assessment of the existing socioeconomic and environmental conditions in the targeted communities. An assessment of the accomplished dissemination activities was given by the participants. Moreover, the participants were informed about the required qualifications of the candidates from the local authorities who will attend the on job training on GIS.

13/07/2006
Forming a Steering Committee for Bethlehem 21 Project

A steering committee composed of 25 selected members from the involved local and national authorities was formed on 13/07/2006 to coordinate and oversee the implementation process of Bethlehem 21 Project as well as to evaluate the dissemination activities and contribute to the implementation of certain activities.

28-29/06/2006
Organizing a Two-Days International Workshop

In the framework of Bethlehem 21 project, ARIJ and CRIC organized an international workshop Bethlehem 21 Workshop on the 28th and 29th of June 2006 in Thalitha Qumi School Hall in Beit Jala City. The workshop was attended by representatives of local and national authorities as well as representatives of local non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and funding agencies, among others. The workshop aimed at informing the participants about the benefits realized by other international municipalities and institutions in developing Local Agendas 21 (LAs21); the encountered problems; and how the implementation of the LAs21 contributed to advancing towards sustainability. This was achieved by the participation of four international delegates in the workshop:

• Mr. Vince Caruana, Assistant Lecturer, University of Malta Centre for Environmental Education and Research, Malta
• Mr. Emilio Teglio, Communication Responsible Person Office LA21, Coordination Body of Italian Local Agendas 21, Italy
• Mr. Juan Pablo Munoz Navarrete, Coordinator, Democracy and Local        Development Network, Ecuador
• Mr. Gianluca Peciola, Councillor to Youth Policies, Intercultural, Housing and Work, Municipality of Rome XI, Italy  top

28/06/2006
Signing Bethlehem 21 Declaration

The Declaration of the Sustainability Planning Effort "Bethlehem 21 Declaration" was signed by the Mayors of the involved local authorities on the first day of Bethlehem 21 Workshop.      top

01/06/2006
Conducting a Final Meeting

A final meeting was conducted in the Applied Research Institute Jerusalem (ARIJ) on Tuesday the 1st of June 2006. The meeting aimed at working with the representatives from the targeted local and national authorities to reach a set of comprehensive recommendations regarding the role of local authorities in localizing the chapters of Agenda 21 that were discussed during the thematic group meetings. Moreover, the contents of the draft declaration of the sustainability planning effort that will be issued by the targeted local councils was discussed during the meeting.     top

13/05/2006
Publishing Bethlehem 21 Project Website

Dear members and visitors, ARIJ and CRIC have the pleasure to publish Bethlehem 21 project website with the contribution of the LIFE-Third Countries financial instrument of the European Community and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. All Comments and questions are welcomed. Best regards.      top

Conducting Thematic Group Meetings with Decision Makers during April and May 2006

ARIJ and CRIC held five thematic group meetings with the targeted local and national authorities. The meetings aimed at developing the participants capacities through education related to sustainable development and Agenda 21. They correspond to five thematic areas and were conducted according to the following schedule in Shepherd Hotel in Bethlehem City:

26/04/2006 1st meeting - Socio-economic Development
03/05/2006 2nd meeting - Sustainable Water Resources Management
10/05/2006 3rd meeting - Sustainable Agriculture
17/05/2006 4th meeting - Sustainable Land Management
24/05/2006 5th meeting - Sustainable Solid Waste and Wastewater Management.     top

Conducting Introductory Meetings with Decision Makers during March and April 2006

Introductory meetings were conducted with the decision makers from the targeted local and national authorities during March and the early beginnings of April 2006. The decision makers were informed about the project and the associated activities. They were provided with the prepared fact sheet, the background document and a description of their involvement in the project.     top