"Matti Wuori was a strong, visionary voice within civil society groups in Europe. He worked tirelessly to protect the environment and human rights, as well as strengthen the position of non-governmental organisations in society."

"Wuori was a 'global citizen' in the true meaning of the word. He did not hesitate to criticise polluting governments and companies who violate legal and ethical environmental guidelines" said Executive Director, Lennart Daleus at Greenpeace Nordic.

Matti's work at Greenpeace was not complete. This autumn he was set to lead a fact-finding mission on the violation of international law in logging operations in the indigenous Sámi homeland in Northern Finland. Wuori was committed to represent the Sámi reindeer herders at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

"I remember well how Matti reminded NGO activists in Brussels that the core business of any NGO should be to pose nasty questions to decision-makers. Matti wanted non-governmental organisations to work as watch dogs and alarm clocks in society. He often reminded us about the dangers of becoming marionettes for governments or companies. We promise to live up to his expectations and carry on his impressive work" said Campaign Director, Mads Christensen at Greenpeace Nordic in Helsinki.

"Matti was chairman of Greenpeace International from 1991 to 1993. An incredibly talented environmental and human rights campaigner, Matti played a series of very significant roles here at Greenpeace. His energy and commitment will be greatly missed" said Jeanne Moffat, Board Member of Greenpeace International.

Matti was also a board member of Greenpeace in the Czech republic and Hungary until his death. In addition to his work at Greenpeace, Matti was a prominent Finnish lawyer and former Member of the European Parliament. He also worked as an adviser to the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission from 1996 until 1998.

In a rich and varied lifetime, Matti was called upon to give expert testimony in spotting fraudulent artwork, acted in a feature film (in which he played, not surprisingly, a Finnish lawyer), served on the board of the Avanti! chamber orchestra, wrote two books and lectured on human rights, democracy, and constitutional law. He was also known to dance an inimitable jitterbug.

Matti succumbed to a long battle with cancer.

"He was that rarest of combinations: a scholar and an activist. He'd looked human civilization hard in the eye, saw it for what it was, and set about the task of redressing its ills, while never losing sight of its beauty," said Greenpeace International Board Chair Anne Summers.