At the funeral of former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his native Accra, Ghana, his current successor António Guterres paid tribute to an "exceptional leader".
"Kofi Annan was both unique and one of us," said Mr. Guterres in a speech. "He was an exceptional world leader - and he was also a person in whom almost everyone could recognize themselves (...) Like few today, Kofi Annan could bring people together, put them at ease and unite them towards a common goal for our common humanity."
"He had this soft voice, this cadence that made you smile and think of music. But his words were firm and wise. And sometimes, the more serious the situation, the softer that voice," added the current head of the UN.
Passing away on Saturday, August 18, 2018, at the age of 80, Kofi Annan headed the UN from January 1997 to December 2006. The first Secretary-General to come from the ranks of the world organization's civil servants, he began his UN career in 1962. He has held posts at the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in Addis Ababa, and headed the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York.
His widow, Nane Annan, spoke eloquently of her husband's close ties with Ghana and how "he was always excited to get home". "When he arrived, he would suck in the air" and "seem so happy and content", she recounted at the funeral, emphasizing her late husband's "inner strength".
"May you rest in peace and may your wisdom and compassion continue to inspire and guide us." Nane Annan
"Kofi Annan was courageous," said Mr. Guterres. "And like his predecessor Dag Hammarskjöld, he had an almost mystical sense of the role of the United Nations as a force for good".
According to the UN Secretary-General, this has resulted in "a remarkable record", taking the Millennium Development Goals initiative as an example. "He opened the doors of the United Nations, bringing the Organization closer to people around the world and forging contacts with new partners to protect the environment, defend human rights and fight HIV/AIDS and other killer diseases."
"For Kofi Annan, indifference was the world's worst poison. Even after completing his term as UN Secretary-General, he never stopped fighting on the front lines of diplomacy." António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations