Kofi Annan – The former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2001 has died at the age of 80 in Switzerland.
The seventh secretary general of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Prize winner of 2001, Kofi Annan, died on August 18, 2018 at the age of 80 in Switzerland after a short illness.
As confirmed by family sources and the foundation that bears his name, the cause of death would have been a disease contracted when he returned from South Africa after participating in commemoration of the anniversary of the birth of Nelson Mandela.
Kofi Annan was a global statesman and a deeply committed internationalist who fought throughout his life for a more just and peaceful world.
During his distinguished career and leadership at the United Nations, he was an ardent defender of peace, sustainable development, human rights and the rule of law.
In the words of the current Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres: “Kofi Annan was a guiding force for good … In many ways, Kofi Annan was the United Nations Organization.”
Kofi Annan was born in Kumasi, Ghana, on April 8, 1938. He was married and had three children. He led the UN from 1997 to 2006, being the seventh Secretary General of the organization and also the first to leave the ranks of United Nations personnel.
In 2001, Annan and the UN jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize “for their work in favor of a better organized and more peaceful world”.
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