May his soul rest in peace..Ms Vera Songwe, the
Executive Secretary, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), has joined the
United Nations family in mourning the passing of former UN Secretary-General,
Kofi Annan.
In a statement issued by
ECA’s Communications Section on Sunday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Songwe said
she received the news of the passing of the great icon with deepest regret.
“His tireless work and
devotion to Africa up to the very last day, as he continued to advocate for
peace in Zimbabwe is exactly what leadership should look like on our
continent,” she said.
She added that the current
Secretary-General, Mr Antonio Guterres, hailed Annan as “a guiding force for
good” and a “proud son of Africa who became a global champion for peace and all
humanity.”
Annan died at the age of 80
in the early hours of Saturday in Switzerland after a short illness, according
to a statement issued by his family.
The globally known diplomat
was born in Kumasi, Ghana, on April 8, 1938.
He joined the UN system in
1962 as an administrative and budget officer with the World Health Organisation
(WHO), in Geneva.
Annan rose through the
ranks, including at the UNECA in Addis Ababa, to hold senior-level posts in
areas such as budget and finance, and peacekeeping.
He was the first black UN
Secretary-General and served for two consecutive five-year terms, from Jan.
1997 to Dec. 2006.
In 2001, he received the
Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, on the 100th anniversary of the prestigious
award.
The prize was awarded to
the United Nations and to him, as the organisation’s Secretary-General.
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