17/10/2005
- Matti Wuori, founder of Greenpeace Finland and the former
Board Chair of Greenpeace International from 1991 - 1993.
Helsinki, Finland — Matti Wuori, founder of Greenpeace Finland
and former Board Chair of Greenpeace International from
1991 - 1993, died aged 60 in Helsinki on October 16th.
Matti was a Renaissance man who could read 13 languages
and was as articulate about art, literature, and music as
he was outspoken about human rights and environmentalism.
He believed passionately in the importance of non-governmental
organisations (NGO's) as a foil to corporations and governments
in civil society, and he served as an adviser or board member
to more than a dozen of them. "Matti
Wuori was a strong, visionary voice within civil society
groups in Europe. He worked tirelessly to protect the
environment and human rights, as well as strengthen the
position of non-governmental organisations in society."
"Wuori was a 'global citizen'
in the true meaning of the word. He did not hesitate to
criticise polluting governments and companies who violate
legal and ethical environmental guidelines" said
Executive Director, Lennart Daleus at Greenpeace Nordic.
Matti's work at Greenpeace was not
complete. This autumn he was set to lead a fact-finding
mission on the violation of international law in logging
operations in the indigenous Sámi homeland in Northern
Finland. Wuori was committed to represent the Sámi
reindeer herders at the European Court of Human Rights
in Strasbourg.
"I remember well how Matti reminded
NGO activists in Brussels that the core business of any
NGO should be to pose nasty questions to decision-makers.
Matti wanted non-governmental organisations to work as
watch dogs and alarm clocks in society. He often reminded
us about the dangers of becoming marionettes for governments
or companies. We promise to live up to his expectations
and carry on his impressive work" said Campaign Director,
Mads Christensen at Greenpeace Nordic in Helsinki.
"Matti was chairman of Greenpeace
International from 1991 to 1993. An incredibly talented
environmental and human rights campaigner, Matti played
a series of very significant roles here at Greenpeace.
His energy and commitment will be greatly missed"
said Jeanne Moffat, Board Member of Greenpeace International.
Matti was also a board member of Greenpeace
in the Czech republic and Hungary until his death. In
addition to his work at Greenpeace, Matti was a prominent
Finnish lawyer and former Member of the European Parliament.
He also worked as an adviser to the South African Truth
and Reconciliation Commission from 1996 until 1998.
In a rich and varied lifetime, Matti
was called upon to give expert testimony in spotting fraudulent
artwork, acted in a feature film (in which he played,
not surprisingly, a Finnish lawyer), served on the board
of the Avanti! chamber orchestra, wrote two books and
lectured on human rights, democracy, and constitutional
law. He was also known to dance an inimitable jitterbug.
Matti succumbed to a long battle with
cancer.
"He was that rarest of combinations:
a scholar and an activist. He'd looked human civilization
hard in the eye, saw it for what it was, and set about
the task of redressing its ills, while never losing sight
of its beauty," said Greenpeace International Board
Chair Anne Summers. |
