December 8, 2024
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Wangari Maathai in UN Stamps

On 1 April 2022, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) in the Department of Operational Support (DOS) is issuing a definitive stamp to commemorate the birth anniversary of Wangari Maathai, who was born 1 April 1940.

The €0,85 stamp is part of a series of definitive stamps illustrated by Martin Mörck (Norway). The quote on the stamp, which is in German, reads “When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and hope”.

Over many decades, Wangari Maathai actively contributed to furthering the ideals and goals of the United Nations. A globally recognized champion of human rights and women’s empowerment, Ms. Maathai was a pioneer in articulating the links between human rights, poverty, environmental protection and security. In 2004, she was the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Born in Kenya, the daughter of farmers in the highlands of Mount Kenya, Ms. Maathai was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctoral degree. In 1977, she was appointed as Associate Professor of Veterinary Anatomy at the University of Nairobi and, that same year, she founded the Green Belt Movement. The grassroots environmental organization has assisted women and their families in planting more than 40 million trees across Kenya to protect the environment and promote sustainable livelihoods.

n recognition of her deep commitment, in 2009 UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named her a United Nations Messenger of Peace with a special focus on the environment and climate change – a role she carried out effectively and enthusiastically until her passing on 25 September 2011.

The stamps are available online at www.unstamps.org and in-person from shops at the UN headquarters in New York, Geneva and Vienna where the stamps can be used for mailing. Follow UNPA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Date of Issue: 1 April 2022
Artist: Martin Mörck (Norway)
Designer: Rorie Katz (United Nations)
Denominations: € 0,85
Stamp size: 50 mm x 35 mm
Stamps per sheet: 20
Printer: Cartor Security Printer (France)
Process: Offset lithography – Duotone
Perforation: 14 x 14 ¼
Quantity: 10,000 sheets (200,000 stamps)

    • 3 years ago (Edit)

    This is impressive ! I feel honoured to be Professor Wangari Maathai’s compatriot.
    Indeed we must plant seeds of peace and hope in the world.

    Long live Udugu.
    #plantforpeaceandhope

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