General News of Sunday, 19 August 2018
Source: bbc.com
World figures have been paying tribute to former UN secretary-general and Nobel laureate Kofi Annan, who has died at the age of 80.
Current UN chief Antonio Guterres hailed him as “a guiding force for good” and Russian President Vladimir Putin described a “remarkable person”.
Ex-US President Barack Obama said Annan had always pursued “a better world”.
The Ghanaian national served as UN chief from 1997 to 2006 and is the only black African ever to hold the post.
Since then he has served as the UN special envoy for Syria, leading efforts to find a solution to the conflict.
The career diplomat died in hospital in the Swiss city of Bern. He had been living near Geneva for several years.
He “passed away peacefully on Saturday after a short illness”, the Kofi Annan Foundation said.
He was a “deeply committed internationalist who fought throughout his life for a fairer and more peaceful world”, the statement added.
Mr Guterres led the tributes to his predecessor. “In many ways, Kofi Annan was the United Nations. He rose through the ranks to lead the organisation into the new millennium with matchless dignity and determination,” he said in a statement.
UN high commissioner for human rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said in a tweet he was grief-stricken over Annan’s death:
I am grief-stricken over the death of Kofi Annan. Kofi was the epitome of human decency and grace. In a world now filled with leaders who are anything but that, the world’s loss becomes even more painful. He was a friend to thousands and a leader of millions.
— Zeid Raad Al Hussein (@raad_zeid) August 18, 2018
Saddened to hear that Kofi Annan has passed away. His warmth should never be mistaken for weakness. Annan showed that one can be a great humanitarian and a strong leader at the same time. The UN and the world have lost one of their giants.
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) August 18, 2018
Sad to hear of the death of Kofi Annan. A great leader and reformer of the UN, he made a huge contribution to making the world he has left a better place than the one he was born into. My thoughts and condolences are with his family. pic.twitter.com/P0SWagShJM
— Theresa May (@theresa_may) August 18, 2018