Former UN chief Kofi Annan dies at 80
Kofi Annan, a former secretary-general of the United Nations and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has died aged 80.
The Ghanaian diplomat passed away at a hospital in the Swiss capital, Bern, on Saturday after a "short illness", his foundation said in a statement.
"Kofi Annan was a global statesman and a deeply committed internationalist who fought throughout his life for a fairer and more peaceful world," the statement said.
Read more on Rakhine Advisory Commission Headed by Kofi Anan:
http://www.rvisiontv.com/meant-advisory-commission-arakan/"He was an ardent champion of peace, sustainable development, human rights and the rule of law," it added.
Annan served as the seventh UN chief for almost a decade, from 1997 to 2006. Having joined in 1962, he was the first staffer to take over the top UN job and the first hailing from sub-Sahara Africa.
Kofi Annan, chairman for Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, talks to journalists during his news conference in Yangon, Myanmar August 24, 2017. Image: REUTERS
In 2001, he received the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with the UN, lauded for "bringing new life to the organisation".
On Saturday, current UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described Annan as "a guiding force for good".
"In many ways, Kofi Annan was the United Nations. He rose through the ranks to lead the organization into the new millennium with matchless dignity and determination," Guterres said in a statement.
Read more from Source: Al Jazeera
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