Global Communities is a green construction pioneer in the international development arena. With our expertise rooted in affordable housing, we have long been incorporating environmentally friendly and energy-efficient elements into home improvement, community infrastructure, and school construction projects we implement together with local partners, and as part of post-disaster reconstruction efforts. Global Communities is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and collaborates with the World Green Building Council as well as national green building councils in Palestine, Columbia, Ghana, and India to promote regulatory reform and advocate for improved construction practices.

Global Communities West Bank and Gaza, under the USAID-funded Local Government and Infrastructure (LGI) Program, is proud to be the sponsor of the Palestinian delegation participating in the “Eco-Cities of the Mediterranean 2014” Forum and Expo, October 18-20. The delegation includes members of the Palestinian Higher Green Building Council (PHGBC), the Palestine Green Building Council (PGBC), the Engineer’s Association – Jerusalem Center (EAJC), LGI staff, and the private sector. Several members of the delegation have been selected by the conference’s organizers as speakers for various panel discussions. Global Communities President and CEO, Mr. David Weiss, shared the organization’s experience and strategy regarding sustainable development in the first panel discussion, “Green Economy and Sustainable Development.”

Following the opening ceremony, Her Highness Princess Basma bint Al Hussein, visited the Global Communities booth at the Expo. Her Highness and other guests learned about Global Communities projects in Jordan and Palestine. LGI Deputy Program Director for Infrastructure, Mr. Abdelhakeem Al-Jawhari, presented to her Highness the Aqqaba School project, which will be the first “green” school in Palestine. In addition, LGI engineers discussed their experiences in designing the school with interested visitors. Several publications on Global Communities LGI green initiatives, projects in Jordan, and relevant work across the globe are also being distributed in the Expo.