UNEP’s founding executive Maurice Strong passes away

The founding Executive Director of the United Environment Programme (UNEP) Maurice Strong has passed away at the age 86.  Achim Steiner, the UN Under-Secretary General and Executive confirmed the death in a statement sent to the press on Saturday.

Steiner termed Maurice Strong as visionary and a pioneer whom the world will remember of his contributions to global sustainable developments.

“His courageous leadership allowed the Stockholm Conference of 1972 to make history by launching a new era of international environmental diplomacy which saw the birth of UNEP,” read the statement in part.

Steiner applauded the move by Maurice of establishing an iconic global UNEP headquarter in Kenya which is a developing country and further accepting the appointment to become UNEP’s first Executive Director.

“Strong will forever be remembered for placing the environment on the international agenda and at the heart of development, he steered global environmental governance processes from the original Rio Earth Summit, Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration to the launch of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity”.

The UN Under Secretary General further stated in his statement that as the Paris Climate Conference kicks off, he will reiterate his message to the 2015 UN General Assembly by calling on world leaders to rise to their historic responsibility as custodians of the planet, to take decisions that will unite rich and poor, North, South, East and West, in a new global partnership to ensure a common future’.

“The sustainability road-map which started in Stockholm, continued in Rio, Johannesburg and Rio+20, must now become a reality in Paris. This would indeed be the most fitting tribute to the legacy of Maurice Strong; leader, mentor and friend.” 

Mr. Strong   served the United Nations as well as the international community in many capacities among them as Secretary General of the UN Conference on Human Environment in Stockholm (1972) and the Rio Sustainable Development Summit (1992).

“Today we join his family, friends and countless communities across the world in celebrating his life and legacy – with respect, admiration and gratitude”.

Citizen Digital condoles with the family of Mr Maurice Strong during this trying moment.