Palace mourns Annan’s passing
Malacañang yesterday joined the international community in mourning the death of former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan and lauded him for his peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts.
"We are saddened by the demise of former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan," presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement.
"The world, has, indeed, lost not only a diplomat and peacekeeper but a humanitarian who worked tirelessly for a better and more informed humanity," he added.
Roque noted that Annan, whose humanitarian work had earned him the Nobel Peace Prize, made history as the first and only black African to head the UN.
"It was Mr. Annan who said, 'Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family,'" the presidential spokesman added.
Annan died last Saturday at the age of 80 after a short illness, his foundation said.
The African icon served as UN secretary general from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were given the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for "their work for a better organized and more peaceful world."
Annan, who was born in Ghana in 1938, remained active in humanitarian work after stepping down from the UN.
He was a member and chairman of The Elders, a group of activists and leaders founded by South African leader Nelson Mandela.