Kofi Annan, listens to the media questions during a press conference at
the United Nations Office in Geneva on June 22, 2012. Former UN chief
and Nobel peace laureate Kofi Annan died on August 18, 2018, at the age
of 80. PHOTO | SEBASTIEN BOZON | AFP
Accra
Former
United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan will receive a state
funeral and burial in Ghana on September 13, the Ghanaian president said
on Friday, calling it "a major event for our country".
The announcement was made by President Nana Akufo-Addo following a meeting with Annan's family in the capital Accra.
Annan, a Ghanaian national and Nobel peace laureate, died on August 18 at the age of 80 after a short illness.
"Kofi Annan was one of the most illustrious people of this generation. He was like an elderly brother," Akufo-Addo said.
"It's
going to be a major event for our country... I expect many leaders to
be present," he said, adding that Annan will be buried in Accra's new
military cemetery.
Born in Kumasi,
the capital city of Ghana's Ashanti region, Annan devoted four decades
of his working life to the UN and was the first chief from sub-Saharan
Africa.
A career diplomat, he
projected quiet charisma and was widely credited for raising the world
body's profile in global politics during his two terms as head of the UN
from 1997 to 2006.
Following Annan's
death in Switzerland, where he lived not far from the UN European
headquarters in Geneva, Akufo-Addo announced a week of mourning for "one
of our greatest compatriots".
Annan
was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, as the world was reeling from
the September 11 attacks in the United States, jointly with the UN "for
their work for a better organised and more peaceful world".
Another
Nobel laureate, retired South African archbishop Desmond Tutu,
described Annan as "an outstanding human being who represented our
continent and the world with enormous graciousness, integrity and
distinction".
The first chief to rise
from within the organisation's ranks, Annan left the post as one of the
most popular UN leaders ever, and was considered a "diplomatic rock
star" in international diplomatic circles.
After
ending his second term as chief, he kept up his diplomatic work, taking
high-profile mediation roles in Kenya and in Syria, and more recently
leading an advisory commission in Myanmar on the crisis in Rakhine
state.
He enjoyed some success in
ending post-election turmoil in Kenya in 2007, and the two main players
in that crisis, former president Mwai Kibaki and his opposition rival
Raila Odinga celebrated his efforts this week.
Annan's death was met with an outpouring of tributes from world leaders.
Russian
President Vladimir Putin hailed his "wisdom and courage", while German
Chancellor Angela Merkel celebrated the "exceptional statesman in the
service of the global community".
Former US president Barack Obama said Annan "embodied the mission of the United Nations like few others".
Current
UN chief Antonio Guterres described his predecessor as "a guiding force
for good". "In many ways, Kofi Annan was the United Nations," he said.
The
UN high commissioner for human rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein described
him as a "friend to thousands and a leader of millions".
"Kofi
was humanity's best example, the epitome of human decency and grace. In
a world now filled with leaders who are anything but that, our loss,
the world's loss becomes even more painful."
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