Wangari Maathai (1940-2011). Credit: The Green Belt Movement.

IPS joins the international community in mourning the loss of Wangari Maathai, a tireless fighter for peace and the environment. We were honoured to have her as a contributor to our IPS Columnist Service. In recent years the Nobel Women’s Initiative, our valued partner, helped to connect us to more of her writings and those of her sister Laureates.

As well as giving her a channel through the Columnist Service to reach the mainstream media with her opinions, Professor Maathai was regularly featured in IPS coverage of issues including Kenya, human rights, the environment and civil society.

We looked back in our online archive that stretches back to 1995 and picked out some of the highlights of Professor Maathai’s life and activism, as reported by the IPS network:

1995 – Activists team up to condemn regimes in Kenya and Nigeria

1997 – Wangari Maathai Running For President

1998 – The People’s Campaign Against ‘Land Grabbing’

1999 – UN Chief Condemns The Beating Of Ecologist

2000 – Combating Poverty With The Participation Of The Poor

2001- Government Accused Of Instigating Tribal Violence

2004 African Feminist and Enviro Champion Takes Peace Prize

2005 World Bank Urges “Green Accounting”

2007 – World Social Forum – Activists Determined to Take On Globalisation’s Challenges

2008 – New Fund Launched for Congo Basin

2010 – Q and A ‘True African Leaders Have Nothing to Fear From ICC’

2011 – Biodiversity – Fighting for a Green Future

An appreciation by Kerry Kennedy:

Wangari Maathai: A ‘Mighty Woman’ Who Spoke Truth to Power
NEW YORK, Sep 26, 2011 (IPS) – Last night, Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, died. Most people think of Ms. Maathai as an environmentalist, planting trees. In reality, her environmental activism was part of a holistic approach to empowering women, advocating for democracy, and protecting the earth. Read more »