Nane Maria, the widow of Kofi Annan, Ghanaian diplomat and former Secretary General of United Nations paying respects to her late husband
Kofi Annan has been honored with a state funeral in his home country, Ghana. Several world leaders and international dignitaries were on hand to pay their last respects to the former United Nations Secretary-General yesterday.
Annan died on August 18 at the age of 80 after a short illness.
Among the mourners were Princess Beatrix (centre), the former queen of the Netherlands, and her daughter-in-law Princess Mabel, who were close friends of Annan
Annan was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for helping to galvanise the organisation in the midst of the Iraq War and an HIV pandemic.
The presidents of Namibia, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone attended, along with Niger's prime minister and Angola's vice president.
Former leaders from Europe and Africa also joined the ceremony, including Graca Machel, wife of the late South African President Nelson Mandela.
Paying tributes, current UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said :
'Kofi Annan was courageous, speaking the truth to power while subjecting himself to intense self-scrutiny. He was an exceptional global leader - and he was also someone virtually anyone in the world could see themselves in: those on the far reaches of poverty, conflict and despair who found in him an ally; the junior UN staffer following in his footsteps; the young person to whom he said until his dying breath always remember, you are never too young to lead - and we are never too old to learn.'
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