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Messages and reflections for Joke 23 Oct 2005
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Joke was excited about Bonn becoming a UN city. Doing new things, breaking new ground always appealed to her.
From her arrival in 2002, Joke reached out - making contact with the community and encouraging networking. She
realized that there exists a synergy between "UN in Bonn" and the local community - one that provides
mutual support, fosters information sharing and discussion, and ultimately helps to enrich the lives of UN
staff and their families and all in Bonn. Her special project for a common information outreach to the
community brought together all UN organizations, programmes and projects in the city together with partners
from the host country, Germany, and the City of Bonn. This outreach effort -- focussed on furthering
understanding of "sustainable development worldwide" -- has rapidly grown up with many activities
underway. In providing her vision and energy, Joke has made a special and lasting contribution to the community
here in Bonn, in addition to her work for the international cause of climate change.
-Kevin Grose for the Steering Committee of the Common Information Space of the UN in Bonn
It is with deep regret and sadness that we received the announcement that Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC,
Joke Waller Hunter, prematurely passed away. I have had pleasure and honour to have known her. She was always
willing to listen, to advise, to help. She has done a lot for saving world climate system and she will always
be remembered. I wish to express our most sincere condolences to her family and UNFCCC Secretariat.
-Heorhiy Veremiychyk, Ministry of Environment Protection of Ukraine
It is certainly with sorrow that we received the bad news. Our deepest condolensces to her close ones at home
& the scientific family that she cared for & served with her heart. Hoping Climate Change will continue
strong as she strived to have it. May God rest her in peace.
-Mohamad Khawlie, National Center for Remote Sensing- Lebanon
I had the privilege of meeting Joke once, at Buens Aires, and she impressed me as a person with a great
capacity to accept that the impossible was the possible, it would just take a little longer. She will be
greatly missed for her great contribution.
-Andrew Petersen, PricewaterhouseCoopers Legal, Australia
Joke Waller has always been a source of inspiration to me and many others. She provided guidance at a crucial
moment in my life, even when she herself was living through very difficult times. Her wit was sharp, her
laughter contagious and her hospitality always a great pleasure. I was honoured to be part of her team before
and during UNCED and have happy memories of many meetings in New Yord at the CSD. She was to me the
personification of sustainable development. My condolences for everyone that has known her and worked with her.
I hope that the people who are currently involved in climate change negotiations will often ask themselves:
'What would Joke have thought of this?'
-Herman Verheij, formerly Dutch delegate
It is with great sorrow that I came to know the demise of Ms Hunter. Even though I had no experince in working
with her personelly, I had the oppotunity see her capabilities on how she handled the affairs as the Executive
Secretary of the UNFCCC during the last SBSTA and SBI held in Bonn, Germanay in last may. I think that it was a
great loss to the UNFCCC and its affairs and we will feel the vacum due to loss during the forthcoming COP/MOP
I, MOP 11 in Montreal, Canada in coming November, December. On behalf of the Ministry of Environment and
Natural Resouces of Sri Lanka and as the National Focal Point for the UNFCCC in Sri Lanka, I forward my deepest
condolence to UNFCCC and also to her family members.
-S.M.D.P.Anura Jayatilake, Director, Ministry of Environment & Natural Resources of Sri Lanka
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