US embassy cable - 03AMMAN1182

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001182 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES/PCI PAYNE; IP/G/NEA CBOURGEOIS, JGAFFNEY; 
ECA/R RUTH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KGLB, SENV, SCUL, JO 
SUBJECT:  UPDATE ON JORDAN GLOBE PROGRAM 
 
REF:  A) SECSTATE 06351     B) 2002 AMMAN 4426 
 
1.  PER REF A, POST HAS IMPRESSED UPON THE LOCAL GLOBE 
COORDINATOR THE IMPORTANCE OF JORDANIAN STUDENTS AND 
TEACHERS ATTENDING THE UPCOMING GLOBE LEARNING EXPEDITION IN 
CROATIA.  THROUGH THE NEA REGIONAL ENVIRONMENT OFFICE (REO), 
BASED IN AMMAN, WE ARE ALREADY INVOLVED IN ASSISTING THE 
JORDAN GLOBE PROGRAM IN NUMEROUS WAYS. 
 
2.  FOR EXAMPLE, UPON A REQUEST FROM THE REO IN 1999, A 
LOCAL INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER AGREED TO CONTRIBUTE FREE 
INTERNET ACCESS FOR 13 UNDERPRIVILEGED GLOBE SCHOOLS IN 
JORDAN.  THIS HAS ALLOWED THE PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS TO MORE 
EASILY CONDUCT THE DATA ENTRY AND DATA SHARING THAT IS 
CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF GLOBE'S MISSION. 
 
3.  IN JANUARY 2002, GLOBE JORDAN INTRODUCED ITS PROGRAM TO 
JORDANIAN SCIENTISTS AT A PUBLIC FORUM THROUGH PRESENTATIONS 
BY THE GLOBE COORDINATOR AND STUDENTS.   AT THE SAME EVENT, 
THE REO ENCOURAGED JORDANIAN PROFESSORS AND SCIENTISTS TO 
PARTNER WITH GLOBE SCHOOLS AND ACT AS MENTORS FOR GLOBE 
STUDENTS.  SCIENTISTS WERE ENCOURAGED TO USE GLOBE DATA FROM 
LOCAL SCHOOLS IN THEIR RESEARCH, IF POSSIBLE, AND TO EXPOSE 
GLOBE STUDENTS TO WAYS IN WHICH THEIR DATA CAN HAVE 
APPLICATION IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.  THE REO PROMOTED THESE 
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN GLOBE SCHOOLS AND INSTITUTIONS OF 
HIGHER LEARNING TO BROADEN JORDANIAN YOUTH'S UNDERSTANDING 
AND APPRECIATION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.  THERE ARE CURRENTLY 5 
UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS WHO ARE DONATING THEIR TIME TO THE 
JORDAN GLOBE PROGRAM AND ACTING AS ADVISORS TO STUDENTS WITH 
THEIR DATA COLLECTION AND PROJECTS. 
 
4.  POST ALSO HAS ENCOURAGED THE JORDAN GLOBE PROGRAM TO 
CONSIDER CONDUCTING REGIONAL PROJECTS INVOLVING GLOBE 
STUDENTS FROM SEVERAL NEA COUNTRIES COLLABORATING ON A 
COMMON ISSUE.  TO THIS END, IN JUNE 2002, GLOBE JORDAN 
HOSTED A REGIONAL WORKSHOP IN AQABA WITH GLOBE STUDENTS AND 
TEACHERS FROM LEBANON AND BAHRAIN.  A SECOND REGIONAL GLOBE 
WORKSHOP, ORGANIZED BY GLOBE JORDAN, FOR STUDENTS FROM 
LEBANON, BAHRAIN AND JORDAN WAS HOSTED IN LEBANON IN JULY 
2002.  THE EGYPT GLOBE PROGRAM ALSO SENT AN OBSERVER TO THIS 
EVENT, FOLLOWING REO'S MEETING IN CAIRO WITH GLOBE 
COORDINATORS AND EGYPTIAN OFFICIALS IN APRIL 2002. THE 
SERIES OF WORKSHOPS FOCUSED ON SEAWATER CHARACTERISTICS, FOR 
WHICH THE STUDENTS PRODUCED COUNTRY-SPECIFIC REPORTS AND A 
JOINT "COMPARATIVE STUDY PAPER" ON THE TOPIC.  A THIRD 
FOLLOW-UP WORKSHOP, INVOLVING JORDAN, LEBANON, BAHRAIN, 
EGYPT, AND SAUDI ARABIA (AS OBSERVER), HAD BEEN SCHEDULED 
FOR FEBRUARY 2003 IN BAHRAIN, BUT WAS POSTPONED. 
 
5.  THE REO FACILITATED A MEETING BETWEEN GLOBE JORDAN AND 
EMBASSY AMMAN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY TO DISCUSS THE POSSIBILITY OF 
ASSISTING GLOBE THROUGH EXISTING EXCHANGE PROGRAMS.  REO AND 
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY HAVE ENCOURAGED THE GLOBE COORDINATOR TO 
SUBMIT A PROPOSAL FOR FUNDING THROUGH MEPI.  WE ARE ALSO 
EXPLORING USING THE SISTER CITIES INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM AS 
ANOTHER MEANS TO LINK JORDANIAN GLOBE STUDENTS WITH THEIR 
AMERICAN COUNTERPARTS. 
 
6.  IN AN ATTEMPT TO HELP GLOBE JORDAN OVERCOME THE 
FINANCIAL CHALLENGES IT HAS HAD IN RAISING FUNDS TO PURCHASE 
SCIENTIFIC KITS AND CONDUCT ACTIVITIES, THE REO OFFERED A 
GRANT WRITING WORKSHOP FOR JORDANIAN NGO'S AND OFFICIALS, 
AMONG WHOM WERE REPRESENTATIVES FROM GLOBE, IN AUGUST 2002 
(REF B).  WE HAVE ALSO PUT THE GLOBE JORDAN COORDINATOR IN 
TOUCH WITH LOCAL CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE SO THAT THEY CAN 
SOLICIT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROGRAM.  FINALLY, WE ARE 
COORDINATING WITH THE FOREIGN COMMERCIAL SERVICE AT EMBASSY 
AMMAN TO INTRODUCE THE GLOBE PROGRAM TO THE JORDAN AMERICAN 
BUSINESS ASSOCIATION AS A POSSIBLE RECIPIENT OF CORPORATE 
GOOD CITIZENSHIP.  BY RAISING PUBLIC AWARENESS ABOUT GLOBE, 
WE HOPE TO ENCOURAGE THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO PLAY AN 
ACTIVE ROLE IN SUPPORTING GLOBE ACTIVITIES. 
 
7. BACKGROUND ON GLOBE PROGRAM IN JORDAN:  THE GLOBE/JORDAN 
AGREEMENT WAS SIGNED ON OCTOBER 31, 1996, BETWEEN THE 
MINISTRY OF MUNICIPALITIES, RURAL AFFAIRS AND THE 
ENVIRONMENT AND THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR TO JORDAN.  THE 
MINISTRY DESIGNATED A JORDANIAN NGO, THE FRIENDS OF 
ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY (FOE), TO COORDINATE AND IMPLEMENT GLOBE 
ACTIVITIES IN SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT JORDAN.  THERE ARE 
CURRENTLY 23 SCHOOLS PARTICIPATING IN GLOBE. 
 
8.   THE FOE IS A NON-PROFIT, NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION 
THAT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1994 AND IS DEDICATED TO ENCOURAGING 
YOUTH TO TAKE AN ACTIVE PART IN CONSERVING AND IMPROVING 
THEIR ENVIRONMENT.  IT HAS BEEN AN ACTIVE COORDINATOR OF THE 
GLOBE PROGRAM, INCLUDING PROVIDING STAFF TRAINING FOR 
FLEDGLING GLOBE PROGRAMS IN OTHER MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES. 
GNEHM