United Nations Postal Administration is set to issue a definitive stamp to celebrate Wangari Maathai's birthday on April 1st.
She was born on April 1, 1940.
A definitive stamp is a postage stamp that is part of the regular issue of a country's stamps, available for sale by the post office for an extended period of time and designed to serve the everyday postal needs of the country
According to a statement by UNPA on Tuesday, the stamp features a quote in German: “When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and hope”.
The € 0,85 stamp is part of a series of definitive stamps illustrated by Martin Mörck (Norway).
Over many decades, Wangari Maathai actively contributed to furthering the ideals and goals of the United Nations.
A globally recognized champion of human rights and women’s empowerment, Maathai was a pioneer in articulating the links between human rights, poverty, environmental protection and security.
She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.
Born in Kenya, the daughter of farmers in the highlands of Mount Kenya, Maathai was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctoral degree.
In 1977, she was appointed as Associate Professor of Veterinary Anatomy at the University of Nairobi and, that same year, she founded the Green Belt Movement.
The grassroots environmental organization has assisted women and their families in planting more than 40 million trees across Kenya to protect the environment and promote sustainable livelihoods.
In recognition of her deep commitment, in December 2009, the Secretary-General named her a United Nations Messenger of Peace, with a focus on the environment and climate change – a role she carried out effectively and enthusiastically until her passing on 25 September 2011.
The United Nations issues both definitive and commemorative stamps.
Usually, six new commemorative issues are simultaneously released each year in New York, Geneva and Vienna and remain on sale for 12 months.
At the end of that period, any unsold commemorative stamps are destroyed, and those stamps that are sold out are never reprinted.
However, definitive stamps, have an indefinite sale period and can be reprinted in the denominations required for general postal needs.
The stamps are designed to illustrate the aims and achievements of the United Nations and its family of organizations.
Thus, the themes depicted on United Nations stamps are unusual in that they cover a range of global issues and problems.
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