Liaison Newsletter > LIAISON Vol. 1, No. 2, March 1997 - Articles

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Canadians in Profile: Maurice Strong

Few would know how to overcome the challenging obstacles of reforming the UN (let alone do it for $1 per year!) better than six-time Undersecretary-General Maurice Strong, who first joined the UN secretariat in 1947 at the tender age of 18.

Strong’s first major UN role was in 1972, when he organized and chaired the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (UNCHE), held in Stockholm, Sweden. Combatting significant international skepticism about the progress that could be made on environmental protection, Strong’s dynamic leadership largely contributed to the success of the conference.

Strong then went on to become the first Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Executive Coordinator of the UN Office for Emergency Operations in Africa during the famine relief effort of 1984-86, and Secretary-General of the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio. More recent roles have included acting as an adviser to the World Bank President and part-time adviser to Boutros-Ghali (also on UN reform issues).

A native of Oak Lake, Manitoba, Maurice Strong’s involvement in Canadian public life has been equally prolific.

A member of the Queen’s Privy Council, recipient of the Order of Canada (1976), the Pearson Peace Medal (1989) and 27 Honourary degrees (despite no formal University education) Strong has held a profusion of high ranking positions in both government and the private sector. He has been President of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Power Corp, President and Chairman of the Board of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Petro Canada, and more recently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ontario Hydro.

On the world stage, he has acted as President of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), as a member of the World Commission on Environment and Development, and as Chairman of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Currently he is the President of the Earth Council, a global coalition that facilitates links between governments, NGOs, the private sector and individuals as they search for a new development paradigm.