Calling Kofi Annan a leader consistent with the best teaching of nonviolent leadership, the World Council of Churches which unites Christians in more than 110 countries has joined millions as they mourn the former United Nations secretary general and Nobel Peace Prize winner who passed on Saturday at the age of 80.
Kofi Annan’s foundation announced in a tweet on Saturday that he “passed away peacefully” after a short illness in the Swiss city of Bern. It did not provide details but remembered him as a figure who radiated genuine kindness, warmth, and brilliance in all he did, according to sources.
“He will be recalled as the leader who acted to unify and transform the United Nations,” said Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary.
Tveit said that Annan was a “liberator who by force of his personality inspired the political leaders and grassroots movement to work for just peace in the world.”
Annan, who was born in Ghana in 1938 and was one of the world’s most celebrated diplomats, was the seventh United Nations secretary general and the first black African to hold the post. He served from 1997 to 2006.
He rose through the ranks for years at the UN before becoming secretary general — he was first appointed to a UN agency in 1962 at the World Health Organization.
Just before becoming secretary general, Annan served as UN peacekeeping chief and a special envoy to then-Yugoslavia.
WCC’s general secretary commented on Annan as a leader with hard-won wisdom and maturity in our time. He also noted that Annan was one of the well deserved Nobel peace laureates.
Tveit explained that Annan’s leadership ideals inspired a new generation and transformed the United Nations during his leadership. Annan also strengthen the role of religious leaders in peace building.
After leaving the UN, Annan created his own foundation, based in Geneva, in 2007, and that year helped broker peace in Kenya, according to the Associated Press. He joined an elite group of former leaders founded by Nelson Mandela, called the Elders, and in 2012 was appointed as a joint envoy of the Arab League and the UN to try to help broker a settlement in Syria.
Annan is survived by his wife, Nane Lagergren, and three children, Ama, Kojo, and Nina.
aaron@ugchristiannews.com
