Remembering Peter deMarsh

Dear GFC friends,

Yesterday we received the very sad news that our colleague Peter deMarsh, director of the International Forestry Family Association (IFFA), was one of the many people on board the Ethiopia Airlines flight that ended in a fatal accident shortly after take-off, on its way to Nairobi. Many of the passengers on board were on their way to attend the United Nations Environment Assembly.

Peter was a wonderfully intelligent and inspiring person, who always spoke from his heart. He guided the work of IFFA for many years, representing small forest owners in the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), among many other achievements. He was also an enthusiastic organic farmer. He was someone who was deeply admired for his passion for forests and a true advocate for the thousands of families that try to manage their forests in a more sustainable way.

You can listen to interviews with Peter here and here. He will always be in our hearts. May he rest in peace.

We also mourn the tragic deaths of Victor Tsang, who was an important ally to the Women’s Major Group, members of the Children & Youth Major Group, and many other CSO colleagues, youth representatives, activists, scientists and UN staff on the flight to Nairobi. They will be sadly missed. Our thoughts are with their families, friends and colleagues, and we wish them much strength to cope with this great loss.

The GFC team

13 Mar, 2019
Posted in News