Visionary social activist Jakob von Uexkull has earned the respect of global thinkers and activists across the globe for his unceasing commitment to a better world. Founder of the prestigious Right Livelihood Award (the “alternative Nobel Prize”), he has spent the last twenty-five years cultivating relationships with leaders and activists who share his desire to actively engage in guiding humanity through the complexities of 21st century life and beyond. To this end, Jakob is forging a planetary wisdom council called the World Future Council Initiative, envisioned as 100 wise elders, youth leaders, environmental activists, and government advisers. In this talk, recorded at The Window in London, Jakob speaks about his work on the WFC Initiative and his vision for world-scale transformation in light of the urgent environmental and social issues we face today.
BIO
Jakob von Uexkull is the president of the World Future Council Initiative, a forum for debate and action which aims for a global membership of wise thinkers, practical pioneers, and young leaders. He is also the founder and chair of the Right Livelihood Award Foundation, which he started in 1980 when he sold his holdings of rare postage stamps to provide an initial endowment of about one million U.S. dollars. The Right Livelihood Award was conceived as an alternative to the Nobel Prize, and is intended to "recognize the efforts of those who are tackling [the great challenges facing humanity] directly, coming up with practical answers to such challenges as the pollution of our air, soil, and water, the danger of nuclear war, the abuse of basic human rights, the destitution and misery of the poor, and the over-consumption and spiritual poverty of the wealthy." The Award exists to strengthen the positive social forces that its recipients represent and to provide the support and inspiration needed to make them a model for the future.
Von Uexkull is also the cofounder of TOES - The Other Economic Summit (1984) and founder of The Estonian Renaissance Award (1993). He is a former trustee of the New Economics Foundation (London), patron of Friends of the Earth International, and a member of the Global Commission to Fund the United Nations. He has served on the Board of Greenpeace, Germany. As a Minister of the European Parliament (1984-89), he served on the Political Affairs Committee and the Science and Technology Committee. He is currently on the Council of Governance of Transparency International.
