Maurice Strong played a unique and critical role in globalising the environmental movement. He led the historic United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm, Sweden, in June 1972. This was the first international conference on environmental issues, and it resulted in the founding of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Six months later, he was elected by the UN General Assembly to become UNEP’s first Executive Director at its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, a role he held until 1975.
In June 1992, he led another landmark meeting: the UN Conference on Environment and Development – also known as the Earth Summit – it was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The conference addressed climate change and underscored the right to sustainable development, among other topics.
Mr. Strong’s other notable appointments included: Under-Secretary-General and Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General, Senior Advisor to the President of the World Bank, Senior Advisor to the Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20), Foundation Board member of the World Economic Forum, and member of the Brundtland Commission. He also had an expansive career in the private sector, where he led some of Canada’s most prestigious energy companies.
