Study tour to UN in Nairobi, April 2003

Guests of Honor: UNEP Executive Director Dr. Klaus Toepfer; UN Habitat Deputy Executive Director Ms. Anna Tibaijuka; Prof. Wangri Maathai, Kenya Assistant Minister of the Environment; The Swedish Ambassador Bo Göransson and; H.W. Mayor of Nairobi, Counselor Joe K. Akech.

The first Preparatory Roots Meeting takes place in April. 200 children, youth and adults from four nations participate; 50 persons from 11 cities/municipalities of Sweden, 70 from the Lake Victoria Region and 80 from Nairobi. More than half of the participants are children and youth. Mayors and Chief Executive Officers from 11 cities/municipalities join the Mayor’s Meeting for three days. At two occasions the children have dialogues with the leaders; in the Botanical Garden at the National Museums of Kenya and at the Children’s Meeting Place, United Nations. The Mayors from the Lake Victoria Region made a promise to the children:
– We will establish a Children’s Meeting Place close to the Mayor’s Office/City Hall and dialogue with you and listen to your concerns on regular basis.
UNEP Executive Director Dr. Klaus Toepfer and Ms. Anna Tibaijuka, Deputy Executive Director UN-Habitat participated in the Opening Program at the Children’s Meeting Place together with Kenya’s Assistant Minister for the Environment Prof. Wangari Maathai, the Swedish Ambassador Bo Göransson and H.W. Mayor of Nairobi, Counselor Joe K. Akech.
The Children greeted the Guests of Honor welcome by performing their concerns for a better future and their ideas for a better world. At the closing ceremony the children united water and soil from their homes and handed over the united water and soil to their Guests of Honor. They made a circle around the Children’s Tree and silently visualized their personal wishes for the Children’s Tree before they brought the united water and soil to the roots of the tree. We thank the Swedish Government for the financial support to the meeting at the United Nations!