SPSSI’s United Nations Committee Remembers Dr. Peter Walker

David Livert, SPSSI United Nations Committee Main Representative, Professor of Psychology, Penn State University
Sheri R. Levy, Professor of Psychology, Stony Brook University

This column is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Peter Walker, a devoted member of the SPSSI United Nations NGO Committee. We wanted to take a moment to celebrate Pete’s tremendous contributions to SPSSI’s activities at the United Nations and the loss that we continue to feel, years after his passing in 2023. Raised in the Pacific Northwest Pete was originally trained and practiced for some time as an architect before earning his PhD in Environmental Psychology from the CUNY Graduate Center.

Pete was a true trailblazer. He attended the 1992 Summit in Rio de Janeiro with leaders from 179 countries. Known as the “Earth Summit,” this 1992 gathering resulted in the landmark establishment of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change), the Rio Declaration and the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.

Pete also led the SPSSI UN NGO team, serving as SPSSI's Main Representative to the UN for two terms. In 2010, Pete received the Distinguished Service to SPSSI Award in recognition of his tremendous service and dedication.

Pete represented SPSSI at UN Habitat II in Istanbul (1996) and was an officeholder of the NGO Committees on Human Settlements and Sustainable Development. Pete made countless contributions including co-authoring a 2022 SPSSI statement near the end of his life entitled “Following COP27, as the World’s Nations Enter 2023, SPSSI Urges Tangible Progress to Remedy Climate Injustice

In addition to Pete’s significant contributions to climate change, Pete was a strong advocate for rights to housing, the rights of older people, and the rights of children. He was an officeholder of the NGO Committees on Ageing, participated in the Second World Assembly on Aging in Madrid (2002), and co-chaired the International Day of Older Persons (2003) and Psychology Day at the UN (2008). Among Pete’s many contributions was a co-authored a paper with members of the SPSSI UN NGO team in the Journal of Social Issues in 2022 titled “A Human Rights Based Approach to the Global Children’s Rights Crisis: A Call to Action.” 

Pete constantly reminded the team of the importance of climate change mediation and adaption effects. As a result, a standing subcommittee on the SPSSI UN focusses on Climate Justice; it has impressively programmed many events for UN Commissions and Forums, as well as authoring numerous statements. In the last few years of his life, Pete regularly shared images and details regarding the effects of sea levels on coastal cities. He truly was our climate conscience. He was also a mentor to newcomers to the UN Committee, providing warmth, a sense of humor, a strong heart, and an incredible wealth of knowledge.

Dr. Joseph Demeyer, a longstanding member of the SPSSI UN team recalled: “When I became a SPSSI UN representative 25 years ago it was Pete who offered me his mentorship and I will always be grateful for that. Not only did he have deep insight and knowledge of the UN and its often-befuddling workings, but he was also very supportive in my forays into the UN civil society labyrinth: he had my back! His advice was not only based on his wisdom but on a genuine conviction that new and younger representatives needed to be heard and supported to advance the mission of the UN.

Dr. Harold Cook, also a longstanding member of both the SPSSI, APA, IUPsyS (Main Representative) UN teams shared: “Pete always maintained a rather polite, calm, and thoughtful demeanor. He was characteristically soft-spoken but very clearly always had his eye on the ball; he accomplished so much without raising his voice. He was very diplomatic and thus an appropriate role model for others engaged at the UN to emulate.”

Pete's own commitments, first to the world aging population needs and then to pioneering climate change initiatives, were exemplary and contributed to the recognition of the role psychologists and psychology could play at the UN. Among SPSSI UN Representatives, Interns, and others involved in Civil Society at the UN, Pete became a true and greatly respected ‘eminence gris.’ 

Pete was a formidable teacher, advocate, role model, and good friend to those of us on the SPSSI UN team. Thank you Pete: you are missed and will always be remembered.

Dr. Peter Walker

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