Stuart Beck facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stuart Beck
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| Palauan Ambassador to Oceans and Seas | |
| In office August 2013 – February 29, 2016 |
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| Leader | Tommy Remengesau |
| Secretary-General | Ban Ki-Moon |
| Palauan Ambassador to the United Nations | |
| In office 2003–2013 |
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| Succeeded by | Caleb T. O. Otto |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Stuart Jay Beck
December 23, 1946 Manhattan, New York, USA |
| Died | February 29, 2016 (aged 69) Manhattan, New York |
| Nationality | American honorary citizenship of Palau |
| Spouse | Ebiltulik Beck (m. 1983; 4 children) |
| Alma mater | Harvard University Yale Law School |
Stuart Jay Beck (December 23, 1946 – February 29, 2016) was an American lawyer and a diplomat for Palau. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in other countries or at international meetings.
As a lawyer, he helped Palau become an independent nation in 1994. He worked on an important agreement called the Compact of Free Association. This agreement connected Palau closely with the United States. Because of his help, Palau gave him special honorary citizenship.
In 2003, Stuart Beck became Palau's first main representative to the United Nations (UN). He held this job until 2013. After that, he became Palau's first UN Ambassador for Oceans and Seas. He also worked to get the UN to focus on protecting our oceans.
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Early Life and Education
Stuart Beck was born in Manhattan, New York. He grew up in Brooklyn and Lawrence, New York. He went to Woodmere Academy for school.
He studied at Harvard University and then at Yale Law School. After law school, from 1971 to 1977, he worked as a lawyer in Washington D.C. and New York City. He handled different kinds of legal cases.
Later, he helped start a company called Granite Broadcasting Corporation. This company owned many TV stations across the United States. He was the president of this company from 1988 to 2004.
Family Life
Stuart Beck was Jewish. He moved back to New York City after his work in Palau. A young man named Leslie Tewid, who was a friend of Beck's future wife, lived with him. Leslie also went to New York University with Beck's help.
In the early 1980s, Leslie introduced Stuart to Ebiltulik. She became his wife in 1983, and they had four children together. They lived in different parts of New York, including Manhattan and Brooklyn. Stuart Beck passed away peacefully at home in Manhattan on February 29, 2016. He was 69 years old.
Helping Palau Become Independent
From 1977 to 1981, Stuart Beck was the Chief Counsel for Palau's Political Status Commission. This was a very important job. He helped Palau move from being a UN trusteeship to a country that governs itself. A trusteeship is like a country being looked after by another country or organization.
He helped Palau create its own constitution. He also negotiated the Compact of Free Association with the United States. This agreement was key to Palau's independence. He even got a famous economist, John Kenneth Galbraith, to advise Palau on its economy.
Working for Oceans and Climate at the UN
As an Ambassador, Stuart Beck led many important projects at the United Nations. He worked hard to stop harmful fishing methods like bottom trawling. This is when large nets are dragged along the ocean floor, damaging habitats. He also fought against shark finning, which is when sharks are caught just for their fins.
He started a group called Ambassadors for Responsibility on Climate Change (ARC). This group worked to show that climate change is a serious security issue for the world. Thanks to his efforts, the UN Security Council discussed climate change.
In August 2013, he became Palau's first Ambassador to the Oceans and Seas. His mission was to make big changes internationally to protect the world's oceans. He also taught a class at Yale Law School about climate change and international law.
Key Achievements at the United Nations
Stuart Beck achieved many important things during his time at the UN:
- He was chosen as Vice-President of the General Assembly in 2007 and 2012. He sometimes even acted as the President.
- He brought together eleven Pacific countries to form a group called the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) caucus. This group worked together on issues important to them, like oceans.
- He helped create the UN Presence Initiative. This led to the first UN office in Palau, helping the UN connect more with Pacific countries.
- He started the first time Palauan peacekeepers were sent to help in places like the Solomon Islands, East Timor, and Sudan.
- He led efforts to ban bottom trawling. In 2006, the UN General Assembly agreed to stop this harmful fishing in sensitive parts of the high seas.
- He organized international efforts to protect sharks. In 2009, Palau became the world's first Shark Sanctuary. Other countries like Honduras and the Bahamas joined Palau in creating shark sanctuaries. He also helped add rules to UN reports to manage shark fishing and stop shark finning.
- He led international efforts to fight climate change and rising sea levels. In 2009, he helped pass a UN resolution that said climate change was a security issue. This led to a big discussion in the Security Council in 2011. He also worked to get the International Court of Justice to give advice on climate change.
