View source for Maurice Strong

{{Short description|Canadian businessman and diplomat}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Honourable]]
| name                = Maurice Strong
| honorific-suffix    = {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|CC|OM|FRSC|FRAIC|size=100%}}
| image               = Maurice F. Strong (1971 UN photo).jpg
| alt                 = Maurice Frederick Strong
| caption             = Strong, {{circa|1971}}
| birth_name          = Maurice Frederick Strong
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1929|04|29}}
| birth_place         = [[Oak Lake, Manitoba]], Canada
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|2015|11|27|1929|04|29}}
| parents             = Frederick Milton Strong<br />Mary Fyfe
| relatives           = 
| spouse              = {{marriage|Pauline Olivette|1950|1980|end=div}}<br />{{marriage|Hanne Marstrand|1981|1989|end=sep}}<ref>{{cite book |last= Raverty|first= Aaron Thomas|date= 2014|title= Refuge in Crestone: A Sanctuary for Interreligious Dialogue|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=WXzyAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA14|location= London|publisher= Lexington Books|page= 14|isbn=978-0-7391-8375-5}}</ref>{{sfn|Strong Papers|2003}}
| residence           = [[Crestone, Colorado]], U.S. (1972-1989)<br />[[Trent Lakes|Lost Lake, Ontario]]{{sfn|Strong Papers|2003}}<br />[[London, United Kingdom]]<br />[[Beijing, China]]
| death_place         = [[Ottawa|Ottawa, Ontario]], Canada
| other_names         = 
| occupation          = Businessman, public administrator, UN official<ref name= "Lynch1982"/>
| years_active        = 
| known_for           = 
| notable_works       = 
}}
'''Maurice Frederick Strong''' (April 29, 1929&nbsp;–  November 27, 2015) was a Canadian oil and mineral businessman and a diplomat who served as [[Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations]].<ref name=":0">E Masood (2015) Maurice Strong, Nature '''528'''(7583), 480.</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rGxIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xYIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2928,8434969 Article in The Vindicator June 30, 2000]</ref><ref name="fnnun">{{cite news |title=At the United Nations, the Curious Career of Maurice Strong |url=https://www.fox-news.com/story/at-the-united-nations-the-curious-career-of-maurice-strong |publisher=FNN |date=7 February 2007 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Strong had his start as an entrepreneur in the Alberta oil patch and was President of [[Power Corporation of Canada]] until 1966. In the early 1970s he was Secretary General of the [[United Nations Conference on the Human Environment]] and then became the first executive director of the [[United Nations Environment Programme]]. He returned to Canada to become Chief Executive Officer of [[Petro-Canada]] from 1976 to 1978. He headed [[Ontario Hydro]], one of North America's largest power utilities, was national president and chairman of the Extension Committee of the World Alliance of [[YMCA]]s and headed [[American Water Development Incorporated]]. He served as a commissioner of the [[Brundtland Commission|World Commission on Environment and Development]] in 1986<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.canadasworld.ca/timeline/19841993 |title=1984–1993 – Canada's World |access-date=2011-01-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514091107/http://www.canadasworld.ca/timeline/19841993 |archive-date=2011-05-14 }}</ref> and was recognized by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] as a leader in the international environmental movement.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/report_of_maurice_strong_environmental_dialogue.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-01-01 |archive-date=2011-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004230900/http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/report_of_maurice_strong_environmental_dialogue.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

He was President of the Council of the [[University for Peace]] from 1998 to 2006. More recently Strong was an active honorary professor at [[Peking University]] and honorary chairman of its Environmental Foundation. He was chairman of the advisory board for the Institute for Research on Security and Sustainability for Northeast Asia.<ref name="PRC">{{cite web |url=http://www.mauricestrong.net/index.php/short-biography-mainmenu-6 |title=Short Biography |publisher=www.mauricestrong.net |access-date=2014-06-03 }}</ref> He died at the age of 86 in 2015.<ref>{{cite web | title=The World Mourns One of its Greats: Maurice Strong Dies, His Legacy Lives On | url=http://unep.org/newscentre/Default.aspx?DocumentID=26854&ArticleID=35597&l=en | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220153127/http://unep.org/newscentre/default.aspx?DocumentID=26854&ArticleID=35597&l=en | archive-date=2016-02-20 }}</ref>

== Childhood and youth ==
Maurice Strong was a child during the [[Great Depression]], enduring serious poverty. His father was laid off at the beginning of the Depression era and thereafter supported his family on odd jobs; his mother succumbed to mental illness and died in a mental hospital. He was born in [[Oak Lake, Manitoba]], a town on the Canadian prairies on the main line of the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Strong|first=Maurice|title=Where on Earth are We Going|year=2001|publisher=Texere|location=New York, London|isbn=1-58799-092-X|edition=Reprint|author2=Kofi Annan|pages=48–55|quote=The Depression was one of the great shaping forces in my life ...|author-link2=Kofi Annan}}</ref> He is a cousin of American journalist and activist [[Anna Louise Strong]].<ref name= "Fox2007" /><ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ui2OTJqsqI8C&q="maurice+strong"+"anna+louise"&pg=PA255 |title = Cloak of Green: The Links Between Key Environmental Groups, Government and Big Business|isbn = 9781550284508|last1 = Dewar|first1 = Elaine|year = 1995| publisher=James Lorimer & Company }}</ref>

Strong later said that growing up during the Depression radicalized him and that he considered himself to be "a socialist in ideology, a capitalist in methodology." He dropped out of high school at the age of 14 and did not attend university. Despite the lack of formal education, he became CEO of many companies.<ref>"WHO IS MAURICE STRONG? 
The adventures of Maurice Strong & Co. illustrate the fact that nowadays you don't have to be a household name to wield global power", ''National Review'', September 1, 1997</ref>

==Business==
In 1948, when he was nineteen, Strong was hired as a trainee by a brokerage firm, [[James Richardson & Sons, Limited]] of [[Winnipeg]] where he took an interest in the oil business, being transferred as an oil specialist to Richardson's office in [[Calgary|Calgary, Alberta]]. There he made the acquaintance of one of the figures in the oil industry, [[John Gallagher (geologist)|Jack Gallagher]], who hired him as his assistant. At Gallagher's [[Dome Petroleum]], Strong occupied several roles including vice president of finance, leaving the firm in 1956 and setting up his own firm, M.F. Strong Management, assisting investors in locating opportunities in the Alberta oil patch.<ref>{{cite book|last=Strong|first=Maurice|title=Where on Earth are We Going|year=2001|publisher=Texere|location=New York, London|isbn=1-58799-092-X|edition=Reprint|author2=Kofi Annan|pages=75–89|quote=The Depression was one of the great shaping forces in my life ...|author-link2=Kofi Annan}}</ref>

In the 1950s, he took over a small natural gas company, Ajax Petroleum, and built it into one of the largest companies in the industry, [[Norcen Resources]]. This attracted the attention of one of Canada's principal investment corporations with interests in the energy and utility businesses, [[Power Corporation of Canada]]. It appointed him initially as its executive vice president and then president from 1961 until 1966.

In 1976, at the request of Prime Minister [[Pierre Trudeau]], Strong returned to Canada to head the newly created national oil company, [[Petro-Canada]].<ref>{{cite web| title = Maurice F. Strong Is First Non-U.S. Citizen To Receive Public Welfare Medal, Academy's Highest Honor| url = http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12032003| publisher = National Academy of Sciences| access-date = 2008-01-20}}</ref>

He was slated to stand as a candidate for the [[Liberal Party of Canada]] in [[Scarborough Centre (federal electoral district)|Scarborough Centre]] in the [[1979 Canadian federal election|1979 federal election]], but chose to abandon the race, returning to private enterprise<ref>{{cite book |last= Clarkson|first= Stephen|author-link= Stephen Clarkson|date= 2005|title= The Big Red Machine: How the Liberal Party Dominates Canadian Politics|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=rY64Ph2yjWoC&pg=PA63|location= Vancouver|publisher= UBC Press|page= 63|isbn=978-0-7748-1195-8}}</ref> to manage AZL Resources,<ref name= "OttJnl1979"/> a Denver oil promoter that he had previously acquired,<ref name= "OttJnl1979">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Victim of media {{em dash}} Strong|url= https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/48618095/|newspaper= [[The Ottawa Journal]]|page= 18|date= February 13, 1979|access-date= December 1, 2015}}</ref> where he served as chairman and was the largest shareholder. In 1981, Strong was sued for allegedly hyping the stock ahead of a merger that eventually failed. Strong settled for $4.2 million at the insistence of his insurance company.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/1998/0112/6101046a.html|title=Saving the Planet with Maurice Strong|last=Machan|first=Dyan|date=January 12, 1998|work=Article|access-date=April 1, 2016|via=Forbes website}}</ref>  AZL merged with [[Tosco Corporation]] from which Strong acquired the {{convert|160000|acre|ha}} [[Luis Maria Baca Grant No. 4|Baca Ranch]] in [[Colorado]] which would house Strong's Manitou Foundation.<ref name= "OttJnl1979"/>

Strong later became chairman of the [[Canada Development Investment Corporation]], the holding company for some of Canada's principal government-owned corporations. In 1992, he became Chairman of [[Ontario Hydro]].<ref name= "OttJnl1979"/>

[[Charles Lynch (journalist)|Charles Lynch]] noted that Strong "tended to fare better than the companies and institutions that have used his talents."<ref name= "Lynch1982">{{cite news |last= Lynch|first= Charles|author-link= Charles Lynch (journalist) |date= September 30, 1982|title= Guy on the Street refinancing Dome|url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19820930&id=RX8xAAAAIBAJ&pg=1930,3550661&hl=en|newspaper= [[Montreal Gazette]]|page= B4|access-date= December 2, 2015}}</ref> He was said to have become a [[billionaire]] as a result of his several ventures,<ref name= "OttJnl1979"/> but in 2010 he said that he had "never been anywhere close to being [so]."

===American Water Development===
On December 31, 1986, Strong founded American Water Development Incorporated (AWDI) which he controlled along with his associates, [[William Ruckelshaus]], [[Richard Lamm]], [[Samuel Belzberg]], and Alexander Crutchfield Jr.<ref name=CSM10391 /> It filed an application with the [[Colorado Water Courts|District Court for Water Division 3]] in [[Alamosa, Colorado]]<ref name=AvA>{{cite web|title=American Water Development Inc. v. City of Alamosa|url=http://co.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19940509_0040691.CO.htm/qx|access-date=June 9, 2011|author=Colorado Supreme Court|format=Court decision|date=May 9, 1994|archive-date=January 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113022229/http://co.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19940509_0040691.CO.htm/qx|url-status=dead}}</ref>  for the right to pump underground water from the lands of the [[Luis Maria Baca Grant No. 4]] and other lands in [[Saguache County, Colorado]] in Colorado's [[San Luis Valley]] and sell it to water districts in the [[Front Range Urban Corridor]] of Colorado. The project was opposed by neighboring water rights owners, local water conservation districts, the [[Colorado Department of Natural Resources]] and the [[National Park Service]] who alleged the project would affect others' water rights and cause significant environmental damage to nearby wetland and sand dune ecosystems by reducing the flow of surface water.<ref name=CSM10391>{{cite news|title=The Grit of a Colorado Water War Plan to Pump Water from the San Luis Valley Threatens Future of a National Monument |access-date=September 19, 2012 |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1991/1030/30081.html |newspaper=The Christian Science Monitor |archive-date=May 30, 2013 |author=Stephen Gascoyne |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530204401/http://www.csmonitor.com/1991/1030/30081.html |location=Quetia, subscription required |url-status=dead }}</ref>  After a lengthy trial, which ended in 1992, Colorado courts ruled against AWDI and required payment of the portion of the objectors' legal fees, $3.1 million, which were spent fighting AWDI's attempt to appropriate surface water for beneficial use.<ref name=AvA /><ref>[http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=350 "Rural area beats back water diversion plan"] article by Barry Noreen, [[High Country News]] May 30, 1994</ref> While this was going on, Strong exited the company.

=== Molten Metal Technology ===
Maurice Strong was a director of Molten Metal Technology, Inc., an environmental technology company founded in 1989 that claimed to have innovative technology that could be used to recycle hazardous waste into reusable products.  During the years 1992–1995, this innovation attracted approximately $25 million in research grants from the United States Department of Energy. Throughout the period of March 28, 1995 – October 18, 1996, (known as the "class period"), Molten Metal artificially inflated the price of their stock by materially misrepresenting the capability of its technology, namely through a series of public announcements. As of March 11, 1996 Strong owned approximately 40,000 shares of stock and another 262,000 shares were owned by a company of which Strong was Chairman.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://securities.stanford.edu/filings-documents/1008/AxlervMoltenMeta/001.html|title=District of Massachusetts Class Action Complaint No. 97|date=May 1, 1997|access-date=April 1, 2016|via=University of Standford Education}}</ref> The company filed for bankruptcy and the case was settled for $11.8 million, without a ruling of wrongdoing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/01/22/molten-metal-revisited-team-behind-failed-high-flying-stock-again/lVbGG14WY87Oz1NxokgbGP/story.html|title=Molten Metal Revisited|last=Leung|first=Shirley|date=January 22, 2014|work=Boston Globe|access-date=April 1, 2016}}</ref>

== United Nations work ==
[[File:Flag of the United Nations.svg|thumb|right|United Nations flag]]
Strong was sharing a house in 1947 with the first UN Treasurer, Noah Monod, who upon request arranged a UN job for him, starting as a junior [[security officer]] at UN headquarters in [[Lake Success, New York]]. He later returned to Canada, and with the support of [[Lester B. Pearson]], directed the founding of the [[Canadian International Development Agency]] in 1968.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

=== Stockholm Conference ===
<!-- Commented out: [[File:UNEP logo.svg|thumb|UNEP logo.]] -->
In 1971, Strong commissioned a report on the state of the planet, ''Only One Earth: The Care and Maintenance of a Small Planet'',<ref>Ward, Barbara; Dubos, Rene. Only One Earth. May 25, 1972. Andre Deutsch {{ISBN|0233963081}}</ref> co-authored by [[Barbara Ward]] and [[Rene Dubos]]. The report summarized the findings of 152 leading experts from 58 countries in preparation for the first [[Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment|UN meeting on the environment]], held in Stockholm in 1972. This was the world's first "state of the environment" report.

The Stockholm Conference established the environment as part of an international development agenda. It led to the establishment by the UN General Assembly in December 1972 of the [[United Nations Environment Programme]] (UNEP), with headquarters in [[Nairobi]], [[Kenya]], and the election of Strong to head it. UNEP was the first UN agency to be headquartered in the [[third world]].<ref>[http://www.unep.org Website of the United Nations Environment Programme]
</ref> As head of UNEP, Strong convened the first international expert group meeting on climate change.<ref>{{Cite news
| title = A super agency?
| url = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v5/content/subscribe?user_URL=https://www.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2Fstory%2FRTGAM.20070307.wcoclimate07%2FBNStory%2FClimateChange%2F&ord=4762007&brand=theglobeandmail&force_login=true
| publisher = Globe and Mail
| access-date = 2008-01-14
}} {{Dead link|date=August 2012|bot=RjwilmsiBot}} Member account login required to access full article.</ref>

Strong was one of the commissioners of the World Commission on Environment and Development, set up as an independent body by the United Nations in 1983.

=== Earth Summit ===
Strong's role in leading the U.N.'s famine relief program in [[Africa]] was his first in a series of U.N. advisory assignments, including reform and his appointment as Secretary General of the U.N. Conference on Environment and Development, best known as the [[Earth Summit]], and held in [[Rio de Janeiro]] from June 3 to June 14, 1992.<ref>[https://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/agenda21/index.htm Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio, 1992]</ref><ref>Tribute Special Supplement: On the Road to Rio. (1991). World Media Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada</ref> According to Strong, participants at the Rio Conference adopted sound principles but did not make a commitment to action sufficient to prevent global environmental tragedy, committing to spend less than 5% of the $125 billion he felt appropriate for environmental projects in developing nations. He was seconded in that opinion by [[U.N. Secretary General]] [[Boutros Boutros-Ghali]] who stated to the delegates, "The current level of commitment is not comparable to the size and gravity of the problems,"<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/04/AR2007120401739.html "Rio Organizer Says Summit Fell Short:"] Environmental Principles Approved", article by Michael Weisskopf and Julia Preston in ''[[The Washington Post]]'' June 15, 1992, accessed September 8, 2010</ref>

After the Earth Summit, Strong continued to take a leading role in implementing the results of agreements at the Earth Summit through the establishment of the [[Earth Council]], acting as co-chair of the [[Earth Charter]] Commission at the outset of the Earth Charter movement, his chairmanship of the [[World Resources Institute]], membership on the board of the [[International Institute for Sustainable Development]], the [[Stockholm Environment Institute]], The [[Africa-America Institute]], the Institute of Ecology in Indonesia, the Beijer Institute of the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]] and others. Strong was a longtime Foundation Director of the [[World Economic Forum]], a senior advisor to the president of the World Bank, a member of the International Advisory of Toyota Motor Corporation, the Advisory Council for the [[Harvard Kennedy School|Center for International Development at Harvard University]], the [[World Business Council for Sustainable Development]], the [[World Conservation Union]] (IUCN), the [[World Wildlife Fund]], [[Resources for the Future]] and the [[Eisenhower Fellowships]]. His public service activities were carried out on a ''pro bono'' basis made possible by his business activities, which included being chairman of the International Advisory Group of [[CH2M Hill]], Strovest Holdings, Technology Development Inc., Zenon Environmental, and most recently, [[Cosmos International]] and the China Carbon Corporation.

Strong lobbied to change [[NGO]] perspectives on the [[World Bank]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mauricestrong.net/2008072115/strong-biography.html |title=Short Biography |access-date=2009-12-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091219041159/http://www.mauricestrong.net/2008072115/strong-biography.html |archive-date=2009-12-19 }}</ref> He is believed by some to have inspired the works of former U.S. Vice President Al Gore on climate change. In 1999 Strong took on the task of trying to restore the viability of the [[University for Peace]], headquartered in [[Costa Rica]], established under a treaty.<ref>{{Cite news
| title = University of Peace Makes New Appointments and Agrees on Major Expansion
| url = http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/archives/L/2000/B/un001921.html
| publisher = Science Blog
| access-date = 2008-01-05
}}</ref> The reputation of the University of Peace was at risk because the organization had been subjected to mismanagement, misappropriation of funds and inoperative governance. As chairman of its governing body, the Council, and initially as rector, Strong led the process of revitalizing the University for Peace and helped to rebuild its programs and leadership. He retired from the Council in the spring of 2007.

From 2003 to 2005, Strong served as the personal envoy to U.N. Secretary General [[Kofi Annan]] to lead support for the international response to the humanitarian and development needs of the [[Democratic People's Republic of Korea]].<ref>{{Cite news
| title = UN urges North Korea-US talks
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2916473.stm
| publisher = British Broadcasting Corporation
| access-date = 2008-01-05
| date=April 4, 2003 | location=London}}</ref>

=== University for Peace ===
The University for Peace was established in 1980 by the General Assembly of the United Nations. Maurice Strong became director in 1999 where he was at the center of further controversy, particularly in reference to the eviction of the beloved radio station Radio for Peace International (RFPI), the fleeing of the Earth Council in 2003, and the implementation of military training programs on campus. Strong was a board member of the Earth Council, which was created as an international body to promote the environmental policies established at Earth Summit in 1992. The Costa Rican government donated more than 20 acres (8.1 ha) of land to be used by Earth Council, but when plans for building fell through, it was allegedly sold for $1.65 million. Earth Council temporarily moved to the UPEACE campus until December 2003 when it moved to Canada in the midst of government accusations and demands for $1.65 million. RFPI was served with an eviction notice in July 2002, based on claims the station was operating without proper permits, which RFPI refuted. Those close to the situation claim that UPEACE officials didn't approve of the criticism they were receiving from the station and took matters into their own hands when power to the building was cut and a wire fence put up around the perimeter.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ticotimes.net/2004/10/15/critics-university-for-peace-not-peaceful-nor-transparent|title=University for Peace not Peaceful, Nor Transparent|last=Kimitch|first=Rebecca|date=October 15, 2004|work=Tico Times|access-date=April 1, 2016}}</ref>

=== 2005 Oil-for-Food scandal ===
In 2005, during investigations into the U.N.'s [[Oil-for-Food Programme]], evidence procured by federal investigators and the U.N.-authorized inquiry of [[Paul Volcker]] showed that in 1997, while working for Annan, Strong had endorsed a cheque for $988,885, made out to "Mr. M. Strong," issued by a Jordanian bank. It was reported that the cheque was hand-delivered to Mr. Strong by a South Korean businessman, [[Tongsun Park]], who in 2006 was convicted in New York federal court of conspiring to bribe U.N. officials to rig Oil-for-Food in favor of [[Saddam Hussein]]. Mr. Strong was never accused of any wrongdoing.<ref name="check">{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122368007369524679 |title=Maurice Strong: The U.N.'s Man of Mystery&nbsp;— WSJ.com |publisher=online.wsj.com |access-date=2010-03-16 | first=Claudia | last=Rosett | date=October 11, 2008}}</ref> During the inquiry, Strong stepped down from his U.N. post, stating that he would "sideline himself until the cloud was removed."

The affair was said to have arisen from "the tangled nest of personal relationships, [[public-private partnership]]s, murky [[trust fund]]s, unaudited funding conduits, and inter-woven enterprises that the modern U.N. has come to embody" in which Strong had a major role.<ref name= "Fox2007">{{Cite news |last1= Rosett|first1= Claudia|author-link= Claudia Rosett|last2= Russell|first2= George|date= February 8, 2007|title= At the United Nations, the Curious Career of Maurice Strong|url= https://www.foxnews.com/story/at-the-united-nations-the-curious-career-of-maurice-strong/|newspaper= [[Fox News]]}}</ref> In reply, Strong stated that "everything I did, I checked it out carefully with the U.S."<ref name="check" />

Shortly after this, Strong moved to an apartment he owned in [[Beijing]], where he appeared to have settled.<ref name="check" /> He said that his departure from the U.N. was motivated not by the Oil-for-Food investigations, but by his sense at the time, as Mr. Annan's special adviser on North Korea, that the U.N. had reached an impasse. "It just happened to coincide with the publicity surrounding my so-called nefarious activities," he insisted. "I had no involvement at all in Oil-for-Food&nbsp;... I just stayed out of it."<ref name="check" /> In Volcker's September 7 report he concluded, "While there is evidence that Iraqi officials tried to establish a relationship with Mr. Strong, the Committee has found no evidence that Mr. Strong was involved in Iraqi affairs or matters relating to the Programme or took any action at the request of Iraqi officials."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/article/216457/strong-implications-jrinternet|title=Strong Implications|last=Rosett|first=Claudia|date=January 10, 2006|work=National Review|access-date=April 1, 2016}}</ref>

=== UN Secretary General's tribute ===
Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, near the end of his term, paid the following tribute to Maurice Strong:
{{Blockquote | style=font-size:100% | Looking back on our time together, we have shared many trials and tribulations and I am grateful that I had the benefit of your global vision and wise counsel on many critical issues, not least the delicate question of the Korean Peninsula and China's changing role in the world. Your unwavering commitment to the environment, [[multilateralism]] and peaceful resolution of conflicts is especially appreciated.}}

=== Later involvement ===
[[File:Maurice Strong Four Freedoms Award 2010.jpg|thumb|Maurice Strong having received the [[Four Freedoms Award]] for Freedom from Want in 2010]]
In 2010, Strong described the nature of his activities at that time:
{{Blockquote | style=font-size:100% | I am retired from all my official roles, but I am still very active. I have close relationships at the UN. I don't have any role at the UN, but I'm still quite cooperative with a number of UN activities, in particular to China and that region. I don't have any government responsibilities or formal role. I continue to be active, though.<ref name= "Hickman2014">{{Cite news |last= Hickman|first= Leo|author-link= Leo Hickman|date= June 23, 2010|title= Maurice Strong on climate 'conspiracy', Bilberberg and population control |url= https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2010/jun/22/maurice-strong-interview-global-government|newspaper= [[The Guardian]]|location= London|access-date= November 29, 2015}}</ref>}}

In 2012 for [[Rio+20]] he contributed to a book by [[Felix Dodds]] and Michael Strauss titled ''Only One Earth&nbsp;— the Long Road via Rio to Sustainable Development'', which reviewed the last forty years and the challenges for the future. He attended the conference, for which the [[United Nations Development Program]] paid all his travel expenses.<ref>{{Cite news |last= Russell|first= George|date= June 20, 2012|title= EXCLUSIVE: Godfather of Global Green Thinking Steps Out of Shadows at Rio+20 |url= https://www.foxnews.com/world/exclusive-godfather-of-global-green-thinking-steps-out-of-shadows-at-rio20/|newspaper= [[Fox News]]|access-date= November 29, 2015}}</ref>

== Death, funeral and memorial services ==
Strong died at the age of 86 on November 27, 2015<ref>{{cite web| url = https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/maurice-strong-climate-development-pioneer-dies-35463459| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151129080524/http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/maurice-strong-climate-development-pioneer-dies-35463459| archive-date = 2015-11-29| title = UN: Maurice Strong, Climate and Development Pioneer, Dies – ABC News| website = [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]}}</ref> in [[Ottawa]], Ontario.<ref name= "OttCit2015">{{cite web|url= http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ottawacitizen/obituary.aspx?n=maurice-strong&pid=176758085&fhid=5973|title=The Honourable Maurice STRONG: Obituary|website=legacy.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208172803/http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ottawacitizen/obituary.aspx?n=maurice-strong&pid=176758085&fhid=5973|archive-date=2015-12-08}}</ref> A funeral service was held there in early December 2015,<ref name= "OttCit2015"/> with a public memorial service occurring in late January 2016 across from [[Parliament Hill]].<ref>{{cite press release |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Memorial Service for the Honourable Maurice Strong|url= https://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=16305&lan=eng|location= Ottawa|publisher= [[Governor General of Canada]]|date= January 26, 2016|access-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Cohen|first= Andrew|author-link= Andrew Cohen (journalist)|date= January 26, 2016 |title= Cohen: Maurice Strong was the Earth's Mr. Fix-It|url= https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/cohen-maurice-strong-was-the-earths-mr-fix-it|newspaper= [[Ottawa Citizen]]|access-date= March 4, 2016}}</ref> The service was broadcast on [[CPAC (TV channel)|CPAC]],<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.cpac.ca/en/programs/cpac-special/episodes/46595669/|title= CPAC Special – Maurice F. Strong Memorial|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date= January 27, 2016|website= cpac.ca}}</ref> and among those who spoke were [[James Wolfensohn]], [[Adrienne Clarkson]], [[John Ralston Saul]] and [[Achim Steiner]].<ref name="MSM2016">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= 'A truly great citizen of Canada': Maurice Strong remembered in Ottawa|url= https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/a-truly-great-citizen-of-canada-maurice-strong-remembered-in-ottawa/|newspaper= [[The Canadian Press]]|date= January 28, 2016}}</ref> Written tributes from [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], [[Gro Harlem Brundtland]] and Kofi Annan were also sent.<ref name="MSM2016"/>

==Impact==
While unremarkable in appearance,<ref name= "Foster2015">{{cite news |last= Foster|first= Peter|date= November 29, 2015|title= The man who shaped the climate agenda in Paris, Maurice Strong, leaves a complicated legacy|url= https://nationalpost.com/full-comment/peter-foster-the-man-who-shaped-the-climate-agenda-in-paris-maurice-strong-leaves-a-complicated-legacy|newspaper= [[The National Post]]|location= Toronto}}</ref> Strong was said to have "an astonishing network" that connected diverse interest groups.<ref name= "Foster2015"/> One observer described his "scarcely-concealed delight in explaining his often Machiavellian political manoeuvrings."<ref name= "Foster2015"/>

In the environmental movement, he was instrumental in promoting government funding and entry into international meetings for environmental [[non-governmental organization]]s.<ref name= "Foster2015"/>

==Critique==
Maurice Strong was no stranger to skepticism, as in his embroilment in the [[Oil for Food Program]] Scandal, and criticism as a result of his lifelong involvement in the oil industry, juxtaposed with his heavy ties to the environmental issues. Some{{Who|date=June 2023}} wonder why an "oilman" would be chosen to take on such coveted and respected environmental positions.

One of Strong's companies, Desarrollos Ecológicos (Ecological Development), built a $35 million luxury hotel within the [[Jairo Mora Sandoval Gandoca-Manzanillo Mixed Wildlife Refuge]] in Costa Rica where development is restricted and must be approved by the Kekoldi Indian Association, which it was not. "He (Strong) is supporting Indians and conservation around the world and here he's doing the complete opposite," lamented Demetrio Myorga, President of the Kekoldi Indian Association.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://canadafreepress.com/2003/main090203.htm|title=On the way to Parliament: Uncle Mo in Activist Mode|last=McLeod|first=Judi|date=September 1, 2003|work=Canada Free Press|access-date=April 1, 2016}}</ref>

==Honours and awards==
Maurice Strong received a number of honours, awards and medals.
He received 53 honorary doctorate degrees and honorary visiting professorships at 7 universities.

Honours appearing in the [[Canadian order of precedence]] are:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|name=Order of Canada (CC) ribbon bar|width=60}}||[[Companion of the Order of Canada]] ||1999<ref>{{cite web|title= Order of Canada: Maurice F. Strong|url= http://www.gg.ca/honour.aspx?id=1624&t=12&ln=Strong|website=www.gg.ca| date=11 June 2018 }}</ref>
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|name=Order Manitoba ribbon bar|width=60}}||[[Order of Manitoba]] ||2005
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|ribbon=UK Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|width=60}}||[[Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal]] ||1977
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|ribbon=125canada ribbon.png|width=60}}||[[125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal]] ||1992
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|ribbon=Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.png|width=60}}||[[Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal]] ||2002<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gg.ca/honour.aspx?id=43398&t=6&ln=Strong|title=Recipients|date=11 June 2018}}</ref>
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|ribbon=QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|width=60}}||[[Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal]] ||2012<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gg.ca/honour.aspx?id=104780&t=13&ln=Strong | title=Recipients | date=11 June 2018 }}</ref>
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|name=Order of the Polar Star - Ribbon bar|width=60}}||[[Order of the Polar Star]] (Sweden) ||1996
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|ribbon=Order of the Southern Cross Knight (Brazil) Ribbon.png|width=60}}||[[Order of the Southern Cross]] (Brazil) ||1999<ref>[http://www.gazette.gc.ca/archives/p1/1998/1998-06-27/pdf/g1-13226.pdf Canada Gazette Part I, Vol. 132, No. 26] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522232342/http://www.gazette.gc.ca/archives/p1/1998/1998-06-27/pdf/g1-13226.pdf |date=2013-05-22 }}</ref>
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|ribbon=NLD Order of the Golden Ark bar.svg|width=60}}||Commander of the [[Order of the Golden Ark]] (Netherlands) ||1979
|}

Other honours and awards include:

* 1 July 1992: Sworn in as a Member of the [[Queen's Privy Council for Canada]].
*2003: [[Public Welfare Medal]] from the US [[United States National Academy of Sciences|National Academy of Sciences]]: First non-US citizen to receive the medal, 2007<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12032003|title = Maurice F. Strong is First Non-U.S. Citizen to Receive Public Welfare Medal, Academy's Highest Honor}}</ref>
*2002:Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue by the [[Simon Fraser University]] Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue<ref>{{cite web|title=Environmental Sustainability with Maurice Strong|url=https://www.sfu.ca/dialogue/watch-read-discover/environment-maurice-strong.html#main_content_title|access-date=2019-03-01|archive-date=2020-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808090747/https://www.sfu.ca/dialogue/watch-read-discover/environment-maurice-strong.html#main_content_title|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*2002: Carriage House Center on Global Issues: Candlelight Award<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ewire.com/display.cfm/Wire_ID/1307 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061110212848/http://www.ewire.com/display.cfm/Wire_ID/1307 |archive-date=2006-11-10|date=August 21, 2002|title=Maurice F. Strong and Jim MacNeill to Receive Candlelight Annual Award From U.N. Secretary General Kofi A. Annan |accessdate= December 27, 2007|website=www.ewire.com}}</ref>
*1995: [[IKEA Environmental Award]]{{citation needed|date=December 2010}}
*1994: [[Asahi Glass Foundation Award: Blue Planet Prize]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.af-info.or.jp/index/index_e2.html |title=The Asahi Glass Foundation WEB SITE |access-date=2016-02-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080927225907/http://af-info.or.jp/index/index_e2.html |archive-date=2008-09-27 }} Retrieved on December 27, 2007</ref>
*1994: [[Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mea.gov.in/pressbriefing/2004/07/09pb01.htm |title= 8015|website=mea.gov.in |access-date=December 27, 2007}}{{title missing|date=May 2022}}</ref>
*1993: International St. Francis Prize for the Environment{{citation needed|date=December 2010}}
*1993: [[Alexander Onassis Delphi Prize]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/headsup/archives/mar_1999.cfm?attr=20 |title=Heads up Energy Efficiency |access-date=2016-02-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106192201/http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/headsup/archives/mar_1999.cfm?attr=20 |archive-date=2008-01-06 }} Retrieved on December 27, 2007</ref>
*1989: [[Pearson Medal of Peace]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unac.org/en/news_events/pearson/1989.asp |title=News & Events – Pearson Medal |access-date=2016-02-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502231432/http://www.unac.org/en/news_events/pearson/1989.asp |archive-date=2013-05-02 }} Retrieved on December 27, 2007</ref>
*1981: [[Charles A. Lindbergh Award]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lindberghfoundation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=42&Itemid=55 |title=The Lindbergh Foundation |website=www.lindberghfoundation.org |access-date=December 27, 2007}}</ref>
*1977: [[Henri Pittier]] Order of Venezuela<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mauricestrong.net/index.php/honours-mainmenu-20 |title=Maurice Strong |website=www.mauricestrong.net |access-date=July 16, 2014}}</ref>
*1975: [[National Audubon Society Award]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.audubon.org/local/index.html |title=Audubon Chapter Services |access-date=2016-02-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100402103621/http://www.audubon.org/local/index.html |archive-date=2010-04-02 }}  Retrieved on December 27, 2007</ref>
*1974: [[Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement|Tyler Environmental Prize]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/tylerprize/previous.html |title=Tyler Laureates |access-date=2016-02-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805055053/http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/tylerprize/previous.html |archive-date=2011-08-05 }} Retrieved on December 27, 2007</ref>
*1967: Honorary doctorate from [[Sir George Williams University]], which later became [[Concordia University]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archives.concordia.ca/strong|title=Honorary Degree Citation – Maurice Frederick Strong {{!}} Concordia University Archives|website=archives.concordia.ca|access-date=2016-03-30}}</ref>
* International Saint Francis Prize, Fellow
* Fellow of the [[Royal Society of Canada]] (FRSC)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rsc.ca/index.php?page_id=70&lang_id=1 |title= RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada : Search|website=www.rsc.ca |access-date=December 27, 2007 |archive-date=December 17, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217170821/http://www.rsc.ca/index.php?page_id=70&lang_id=1 |url-status=dead }}{{title missing|date=May 2022}}</ref>
* Fellow of the [[Royal Architectural Institute of Canada]] (FRAIC)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.raic.org/index_e.htm |title=Architecture Canada |access-date=2016-02-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207153351/http://www.raic.org/index_e.htm |archive-date=2014-12-07 }} Retrieved on December 27, 2007</ref>
* Honorary board member, [[David Suzuki Foundation]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.davidsuzuki.org/About_us/Board_of_Directors.asp |title=David Suzuki Foundation: Board of Directors |access-date=2009-09-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090802160756/http://www.davidsuzuki.org/About_us/Board_of_Directors.asp |archive-date=2009-08-02 }} Retrieved on January 13, 2008</ref>
* Distinguished Fellow, [[International Institute for Sustainable Development]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iisd.org/about/staffbio.aspx?id=381 |title=Maurice Strong biography |access-date=2016-02-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326224234/http://www.iisd.org/about/staffbio.aspx?id=381 |archive-date=2014-03-26 }} Retrieved on January 13, 2008</ref>
* Resident member of the [[American Philosophical Society]]<ref name=":0" />

[[John Ralston Saul]] dedicated his polemic ''[[Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason In The West]]'' to Strong.

==Papers==
Strong's papers are archived at the [https://library.harvard.edu/collections/enviro Environmental Science and Public Policy Archives] in the Harvard Library.

==See also==
* [[Jim MacNeill]]

==References and notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{cite web|url= http://www.nndb.com/people/665/000207044/|title= Maurice Strong |publisher= [[NNDB]]}}
* {{cite web|url= http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~env00004#env00004isi|title= Maurice F. Strong Papers|publisher= Environmental Science and Public Policy Archives, [[Harvard College Library]], [[Harvard University]]|date= 30 May 2003|ref= {{harvid|Strong Papers|2003}}|access-date= 2007-12-31|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080101010229/http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~env00004#env00004isi|archive-date= 2008-01-01|url-status= dead}} – Papers, 1948–2000
* [http://www.mauricestrong.net/ Official website of Maurice Strong]
* [http://www.upeace.org University for Peace]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151208044333/http://www.unep.org/newscentre/Default.aspx?DocumentID=26854&ArticleID=35597&l=en "The World Mourns One of its Greats: Maurice Strong Dies, His Legacy Lives On" ] [[UNEP]] news on his death.

{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:Canadian businesspeople in the oil industry]]
[[Category:Canadian chief executives]]
[[Category:Canadian environmentalists]]
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[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Manitoba]]
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[[Category:Members of the United Church of Canada]]
[[Category:Order of the Polar Star]]
[[Category:People from Westman Region, Manitoba]]
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[[Category:United Nations Environment Programme]]
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