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Kofi Annan, former U.N. General-Secretary Died on Saturday

The former United Nations secretary-general, Kofi Annan, died on Saturday, according to his family and the Kofi Annan Foundation. He was 80 years old.

“Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Laureate, passed away peacefully,” after a “short illness,” they said in a statement that was tweeted. The illness was unspecified.

“It is with immense sadness that the Annan family and the Kofi Annan  Foundation announce that Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the  United Nations and Nobel Peace Laureate, passed away peacefully on  Saturday 18th August after a short illness…”

Annan, who hailed from Ghana, was a Nobel Peach Prize winner for his significant humanitarian work in 2001. He was also the first black African to serve in the U.N. role as the world’s top diplomat. He served two terms, from Jan. 1, 1997 to Dec. 31, 2006.

Antonio Guterres, who serves as the current U.N. secretary-general, issued a statement on Annan’s death:

“Kofi Annan was a guiding force for good. It is with profound sadness that I learned of his passing. In many ways, Kofi Annan was the United Nations,” Guterres said. “He rose through the ranks to lead the organization into the new millennium with matchless dignity and determination.”

Guterres continued to send his heartfelt condolences to the “proud son of Africa who became a global champion for peace and all humanity.”

“Kofi Annan was not just a great breaker of glass ceilings, he was a leader and a visionary, who worked to foster international cooperation and a more united world,” David Lammy, a British member of Parliament tweeted.

“One of the first people I met after arriving in Ghana, so shocked to hear of the passing of Kofi Annan. A remarkable man. Gone too soon,” Iain Walker, British High Commissioner to Ghana, tweeted.

Annan was chief architect of what would become known as the Millennium Development Goals. He also played a central role in creating the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the U.N.’s first counter-terrorism strategy.

At a farewell news conference, Annan listed as top achievements the promotion of human rights, the fighting to close the gap between extreme poverty and immense wealth, and the U.N. campaign to fight infectious diseases like AIDS.

Annan is survived by his wife Nane and their children Ama, Kojo and Nina.

— itadmin