Today marked the end of a significant gathering of a wide spectrum of leaders striving to inject a renewed enthusiasm and 
commitment to furthering the international dialogue on reform of the global environmental governance system. The mood of the Forum at its closing was positive and optimistic, and it was clear that the emerging leaders convened here will continue to be involved in the efforts of the GEG Project and will be essential actors in affecting real change in the future.
This group of emerging leaders brought fresh energy and ideas to the discussions. Today, the emerging leaders presented at the Environmental Dialogue Meeting organized by the IUCN in Gland, Switzerland. They honored the legacy of Maurice Strong and reaffirmed their personal commitments to realizing his vision through a short and inspiring film. Later in the evening, Ambassador John W. McDonald, Dr. Mostafa Tolba, Ambassador Lumumba Di-Aping and John Scanlon shared their insights and impressions from the Forum with the Geneva community at an event jointly organized by Duke University and the Global Environmental Governance Project and hosted by the University of Geneva. The hall was filled with a young audience listening intently as Ambassador McDonald shared the rarely-told story of the political reasoning for UNEP’s location in Nairobi and as Ambassador Di-Aping, current Chair of the G-77, mapped out the necessary steps toward a reformed political and economic system of governance.
As members of the GEG Forum Secretariat, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Glion and are grateful for the unique opportunity to witness and participate in this event. We appreciated the candor and openness all of the participants brought to the event, and we were encouraged by their demonstration of a collective genuine desire to work together towards a common goal. We will take with us all of the insights and ideas generated by the discussions over the past several days, as well as a distinct personal inspiration and empowerment to action in search of affecting truly meaningful change in the future.
Ambassador John W. McDonald (in the photo above) stayed through the whole Forum and offered his experience, wisdom and foresight to the younger generation. At the age of 87, he still goes to his office (the Institute of Multi-Track Diplomacy in Washington, DC) every day and remains thoroughly committed to making a difference in the world. What an inspiration this man and his wife are!