By
Godwill Arthur-Mensah, GNA
Accra, Sept. 13, GNA – The Reverend Emmanuel
Asante, Chairperson of the National Peace Council, has observed that the demise
of Ghana’s illustrious son and seventh United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi
Annan, would make heaven richer and the world poorer.
He noted that “the global peace icon and
statesman” was committed to the peace of the world, saying, “You can see from
his activities, and not just the world’s peace, but also concerned about the
peace of the country he loved so much-Ghana”.
“As the Chairman of the Peace Council, I
consulted him on a number of occasions in respect of what was happening in
Ghana, and from behind the scenes, he was helping in respect of the peace of
our country,” Rev. Asante stated.
Rev. Asante made the remarks in an interview
with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the final funeral rites of Kofi Annan held
at the Accra International Conference Centre on Thursday.
The Council’s Chairperson noted that, the
quintessential statesman was deeply committed to the poor and made various
strides to eradicate poverty around the world, which culminated in the
initiation of the Millennium Development Goals.
“Apart from that, Mr Annan was also concerned
about justice and even though he had difficulties with the “powers-that-be”
-the United States of America, but yet, he stood his ground to criticize the
attack on Iraq by the US-that’s the man we have lost.
“He was a very humble man despite his position
and very down to earth, and was prepared to engage people regarding the peace
and development of Ghana,” he pointed out.
Rev. Asante lauded the resilience of the Noble
Laureate, noting that, even on his retirement, he continued working towards
world peace.
Meanwhile, Mr Andrew Barnes, the Australian
High Commissioner to Ghana, told the GNA that, Mr Annan was a global statesman
and brought people together, saying;”He was one of the greatest gifts to the
world”.
Asked whether the UN had completed uniting the
world, he said although the UN had learnt from its previous mistakes, he
believed the global body was still working towards uniting the world.
“Although the world is fractured, I believe
the UN is the best institution we have to work harder to support it at all
times to bring peace and unity to the world,” Mr Barnes emphasised.
Mr Annan passed away peacefully on Saturday,
August 18, 2018 in the Swiss city of Bern after a brief illness.
He was born on April 8, 1938 in Kumasi. He was
aged 80.
He was the UN Secretary-General from January
1997 to 2006, leading a number of reforms at the global body.
He successfully negotiated peace deals in many
countries plagued with conflicts and wars.
In 2001, he was co-recipient of the Noble
Peace Price with the UN.
Upon his retirement from UN, he was appointed
as a Special Envoy to Syria and led UN Commission to negotiate for peace during
the Rohingya crisis in September 2016.
He was survived by a wife, Nane Maria
Lagergren, and three children, Kojo, Ama and Nina.
GNA