GBM Blog

The African Union (AU) has honored Professor Wangari Maathai by naming the gardens in front of its headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia after the late Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

The AU Assembly endorsed the proposal by the Republic of Congo to name the AU Garden after Professor Wangari Maathai in recognition of environmental conservation and protection and in appreciation by the African Union for her contribution to the African Continent and the whole world. This was during 25th AU summit in Johannesburg, South Africa in June 2015. 

An article on Business Daily Africa says “She will be remembered for her instrumental role in engaging women in rural areas of Kenya to plant and nurture trees, mainly through agroforestry.”

In 2004, Wangari Maathai became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize after decades of environmental and political activism to conserve forests in Kenya and beyond.

Professor Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977 which has assisted communities plant over 51 million trees in Kenya, in watersheds in the highlands of Mt. Kenya, the Aberdares, and the Mau Complex- three of the five major mountain ecosystems in Kenya, as well as on private lands.

The naming of the garden in her honor highlights the work and achievements of this remarkable woman in the fields of environment, human rights and democracy.

Read the full story: AU names gardens in Addis after Prof Wangari Maathai

Read more about Wangari Maathai.