Ethiopian Airlines crash casualty Joanna Toole receives posthumous degree

The family of Joanna Toole, who tragically died aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302, have received her posthumous masters degree award.

Joanna's family have also disclosed Joanna's body should soon be returned home to the UK after a long wait for DNA testing to be carried out to identify those that died in the tragedy.

On Friday, October 4, in Milan the family of Exmouth's Joanna Toole received her posthumous masters degree award.

Joanna was one of 157 passengers and crew who died when Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 crashed shortly after take off from Ethiopia's Addis Ababa airport on March 10 this year.

The cause of the crash has been widely attributed to design faults in the Boeing 737 Max aeroplane, 100s of which remain grounded amidst fierce controversy as to whether it can ever be certified safe to fly again.

A British national, brought up in Exmouth Devon, Joanna, 36, had been living in Rome with partner Paul and working on the issue of marine debris for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.

On March 7, 2019, she was travelling to Nairobi Kenya to participate in the United Nations Environment Assembly where she was to direct an event titled Sea-based Sources of Marine Litter.

In a condolence letter to her father Antnio Guterres, the Secretary General of the UN said: "As a champion of animal welfare and the conservation of wildlife, she faithfully reflected the values and

principles of the United Nations making an important contribution for the responsible stewardship of our planet through her work."

Joanna had been approaching the conclusion of a course at Rome's LUMSA university, which decided to award her, posthumously, the degree of Master In Management of Sustainable Development Goals.

Her father Adrian Toole, a resident of Exmouth and her sister Vicky Toole who now lives in Bristol travelled to Milan for the degree award ceremony at which Joanna's partner Paul accepted the diploma.

In the words of Professor Giovanni Ferri, the course director: "Joanna was the jewel for our course. Given her exceptional achievement and that she died in a mission on sustainable development, LUMSA awarded Joanna an 'ad memoriam' MSDG degree.

"The presence and words of Adrian, Paul and Vicky – Joanna's father, companion and sister – inspired and strengthened us in our journey towards a sustainable future."

Joanna's Father Adrian said: "The past seven months have been so empty for Paul and the family that it was encouraging to be there in Milan in that special gathering and to hear so much praise of my daughter."

Adrian added: "It is a source of great relief to us to have been informed recently that, following our long wait for forensic identification results, DNA testing has finally enabled all the dead to be identified and we will soon be bringing Joanna's body home to Exmouth."