PH mourns passing of former UN chief Kofi Annan

The Philippine government joined the international community in mourning the passing of former Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan.

“We are saddened by the demise of former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement on Sunday.

“Mr. Annan made history as the first and only black African to head the UN, and his humanitarian work has been recognized and earned the former world’s top diplomat a Nobel Peace Prize,” he added.

Annan, a statesman, diplomat, peacemaker and former Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, passed away in Bern, Switzerland on Saturday at the age of 80.

READ: Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan dies at age 80

A Ghanaian national, he retired in Geneva after serving two terms as UN secretary general.

Roque said, “The world, has, indeed, lost not only a diplomat and peacekeeper but a humanitarian who worked tirelessly for a better and more informed humanity.”

“It was Mr. Annan who said, “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family,” he noted.

In a separate statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Philippines will remember Annan for his “unwavering commitment to multilateralism that reinvigorated the United Nations and brought peace to places around the world that have been torn apart by conflict.”

Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano also said Annan will be remembered by the country for initiatives he spearheaded such as “the UN Global Compact, the Millennium Summit, the Global Fund, and UN reform that helped shape today’s international environment.” /ee

READ: Kofi Annan’s legacy of fighting for equality and rights lives on

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