My tribute to Kofi Annan

Yesterday, former UN Secretary General and Noble Peace Prize winner Kofi Annan sadly passed away.

Kofi Annan is notable as having been the first African Secretary General of the United Nations, and he took up this post in 1997. He then helped created the Millennium Development Goals, setting international targets for reducing child poverty, hunger, and thirst as much as possible. As the impact of man-made climate change becomes more serious, these Millennium Development Goals are becoming more critical to alleviate deprivation of all kinds. He also established The Global Fund to combat the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and other infectious diseases; with those diseases becoming more and more resistant. In the middle of his term he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for revitalising the UN, although in my personal opinion there is still considerable room for improvement in the United Nations' structures, especially regarding the excessive powers of the five permanent Security Council members of which Britain is one.

Sadly, as Special Envoy to Syria in 2012, he could not resolve the civil war there, especially with the UN Security Council being so divided as how to stop the conflict in question, and resigned his post after just six months. (This civil war is still ongoing at this time of writing and has so far claimed the lives of 116,000 innocent people).

Farewell, Mr. Annan. Blessed are those who call for peace among all people in difficult and turbulent times. Your message is needed now more than ever before.

In memory of Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General and UN Special Envoy to Syria, born 8 April 1938, who departed this life on 18 August 2018, aged 80 years.

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