The girl who silenced the UN for 5 minutes
| September 22nd, 2010Yesterday was world peace day. Did you know? How could you since reporters here in The Netherlands (and abroad) are only obsessed with economics or recycling “news”. I stumbled upon this famous speech/story which I would like to share with you.
During the UN conference on Development and Environment held on 3rd-14th of June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Severn Suzuki of ECO (12 years old at the time) got the opportunity to address the attendees. Her organisation raised money so she would be able to speak there. The clarity, truth and emotion shines through this girl and still shines today.
In early 2002, she helped launch an Internet-based think tank called The Skyfish Project and is a member of Kofi Annan’s Special Advisory Panel, she and members of the Skyfish Project brought their first project, a pledge called the “Recognition of Responsibility”, to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in August 2002.
Once more this speech painfully reminds us that since 1992 nothing really significant has changed. Everything addressed in this speech almost 19 years ago is a valid today as it was then.