Mr. Annan and the UN were jointly awarded the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize.Miroslav Lajčák, President of the UN General Assembly, remembered the Nobel laureate as “a strong believer in dialogue” and staunch defender of peace, development and human rights.“
He dedicated his life to making the world a better, more peaceful, and just place for all people. And in many ways, he is a symbol for the shared values of the United Nations” he said.The UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) brings the global community together to promote action to achieve a more sustainable planet.
Inga Rhonda King, the newly appointed Council President, offered her condolences to Mr. Annan’s family, and to all those who had worked with or known the former leader.“His contribution to the world was immense.
His leadership was compassionate and his legacy consequential,” she stated. Kofi Annan was committed to, in his words, “bringing the United Nations closer to the people”; forging partnerships with civil society, the business sector and others.
UN agencies and their chiefs are using technology to further this goal, taking to social media to express their sadness over his death.In a post on Twitter, William Lacy Swing, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) lamented the loss of “one of the greatest leaders of our times.”
He described Mr. Annan as a dear friend and “champion of justice and peace who, even at the moment of death, was engaged in the search for solutions to conflicts in many parts of the world.”
UNICEF chief Henrietta H. Fore also praised Mr. Annan as a lifelong servant of peace, saying on Twitter that he was particularly concerned about the future – the world our children and their children will inherit.
Also on Twitter, David Beasley, head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said Mr. Annan had strongly supported the agency’s mission and was an ally in the fight against hunger.
“We all must keep his legacy alive, working to break the cycle of hunger and conflict so people can live in peace,” he said.For her part, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay called Mr. Annan ‘a great defender of peace,” and added that “he was the very embodiment of peace and of a resolutely modern vision of the United Nations.”