Sustainable Development

Maurice Strong

MAURICE STRONG was named Senior Advisor to the President of the World Bank in June 1995. From December 1992 until December 1995, Mr. Strong was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ontario Hydro, North America's largest utility.

Until September 1992, Mr. Strong was Secretary General of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) and Under-Secretary General of the United Nations. During 1985 and 1986, he served as Under-Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Office for Emergency Operations in Africa and was a member of the World Commission on Environment and Development.

Born in Canada and a resident of Toronto, Canada, Mr. Strong has longstanding ties with both the private and public sectors.

Mr. Strong served as the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment from November 1970 to December 1972, and subsequently became the first Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya (January 1973-December 1975). He was then appointed President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Canada's national oil company, Petro-Canada. He also has been President of Power Corporation of Canada, first President of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Chairman of the Canada Development Investment Corporation and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the International Development Research Centre (IDCR) in Canada. Mr. Strong is an advisor to the United Nations, and serves on the board of several other public service organizations. He has been a director and/or officer of a number of Canadian, U.S. and international corporations.

He has received a number of awards and honours including the Order of Canada, the Swedish Royal Order of the Polar Star, and honourary doctorates from 37 universities. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society (U.K.), the Royal Society of Canada and the Royal Architectural Society of Canada.

Mr. Strong was born 29 April 1929, and educated in Manitoba, Canada. He is married to Hanne Marstrand and has four children, a foster child and eight grandchildren.