Nieuwsbericht | 24-09-2009

The Nobelprize winner Wangari Maathai, Major Jozias van Aartsen and Rabin Baldewsingh of the muncipality of The Hague planted an oak tree in the garden of the Peace Palace.

Wangari Maathai is the founder of the Green Belt Movement, an environmentalist, a civil society and women’s rights activist, and a parlimentarian.

The Green Belt Movement encourages communities, organizations, business and industry, civil society and governments to plant trees. The intention is to plant at least one billion trees worldwide each year. As a result of GBM programs, hundreds of thousands of poor women in rural communities in Kenya have improved their lives by reducing the soil erosion in critical watersheds and thousands of acres of biodiversity-rich indigenous forests have been restored or protected.

This oak tree which has been planted in the garden of the Peace Palace symbolizes the support and connection of the city of The Hague to people such as Wangari Maathai for promoting human rights worldwide.

This iniative was part of the Movies That Matter-festival in The Hague, the documentary Taking Root will be shown at the festival. This movie is about Wangari Maathai and her battle for the improvement of the environment and human rights.

Wangari Maathai: “When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and seeds of hope.”