Maurice
Strong is largely regarded as The Godfather of the International Environmental
Movement. This Canadian industrialist and public servant has worked behind
the scenes as an advisor to powerful world figures -- from Canadian Prime Ministers,
to United Nations Secretaries General to billionaire philanthropists like Ted
Turner and George Soros. In 1992 he served as the Secretary General of the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development, better known as the Earth Summit,
which brought together most of the nations of the world to talk about global environmental
problems. He was the first Executive Director of the United Nations Environment
Programme -- the primary branch of the UN that addresses environmental issues.
In 1992 he founded the Earth Council, an organization that helped to create the
Earth Charter, largely recognized as one of the most comprehensive plans for a
more sustainable world. In 1998, when Ted Turner donated $1 billion to the United
Nations and created the UN Foundation to disburse the funds for UN programs, he
asked his friend Maurice Strong to be one of the directors. In 1999, Maurice Strong
was named as President of the Council of the United Nations created University
for Peace in Costa Rica. His 2002 book, Where on Earth Are We Going, chronicles
his environmental journey and his views on the urgency of addressing the world's
environmental problems.
