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Kofi Annan, one of the world's most celebrated diplomats and a charismatic symbol of the United Nations who rose through its ranks to become its first black African secretary-general, has died. He was 80.
Key points:
- Kofi Annan served two terms as UN secretary-general in New York from 1997-2006
- He died in Switzerland after a short illness
- World leaders have expressed their sadness at the news, praising Mr Annan for his work
Mr Annan, a Ghanaian national, was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with the UN in 2001.
He died in hospital in Bern, Switzerland, in the early hours of Saturday, two of his close associates said.
In Geneva, the Kofi Annan Foundation announced with "immense sadness" that Mr Annan had died peacefully after a short illness, saying he was surrounded in his last days by his second wife Nane and children Ama, Kojo and Nina.
Mr Annan served two terms as UN secretary-general in New York from 1997-2006, retired in Geneva and later lived in a Swiss village in the nearby countryside.
His 10-year-old foundation promotes good governance and the transformation of African agriculture.
'In many ways, Kofi Annan was the United Nations'
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, who Mr Annan chose to head the UN refugee agency, said "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," Mr Guterres said in a statement.
World leaders honoured Mr Annan, praising him for his work.
Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-addo praised Mr Annan as "an ardent believer in the capacity of the Ghanaian to chart his or her own course onto the path of progress and prosperity".
"Heading the UN at a difficult time, he did a great deal to realise the purposes and the goals of the organisation, strengthening its central role in world affairs," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a letter to the UN chief offering his condolences.
"I sincerely admired his wisdom and courage, his ability to make balanced decisions even in the most difficult, critical situations."
Other European leaders expressed their sadness on Twitter.
French President Emmanuel Macron said "we will never forget his calm and resolute look, nor his strength in battles".
While British Prime Minister Theresa May said Mr Annan "made a huge contribution to making the world he has left a better place than the one he was born into."
Highs and lows in UN career
As head of UN peacekeeping operations, Mr Annan was criticised for the world body's failure to halt the genocide in Rwanda in the 1990s.
As UN boss he was linked to peace efforts to reunite the divided island of Cyprus.
He submitted a reunification blueprint for Cyprus which was rejected in a referendum by Greek Cypriots in 2004.
"The UN can be improved — it is not perfect — but if it didn't exist you would have to create it," he told the BBC's Hard Talk during an interview last April.
"I am a stubborn optimist, I was born an optimist and will remain an optimist," Mr Annan added.
UN high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, paid tribute to Mr Annan as "humanity's best example, the epitome of human decency and grace".
The high commissioner, who has criticised major powers and other countries during his four-year term that ends later this month, said whenever he felt "isolated and alone politically", he would go for long walks with Mr Annan in Geneva.
"When I told him once how everyone was grumbling about me, he looked at me like a father would look at a son and said sternly: 'You're doing the right thing, let them grumble'.
"Then he grinned."
Reuters
Topics: death, government-and-politics, world-politics, switzerland
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