Foundation determined to realise Kofi Annan's vision — Alan Doss
The President of the Kofi Annan Foundation, Mr Alan Doss, has said the foundation is determined to advance Kofi Annan's vision for a fairer and more peaceful world.
In a tribute titled "Realising Kofi Annan's Vision", Mr Doss said the task for the foundation now was to build on Kofi Annan's "extraordinary legacy, values and principles which he upheld”.
“We mourn the loss of a great statesman, a committed internationalist and a compassionate human being, but we remain determined to advance Kofi Annan’s vision for a fairer, more peaceful world.
"Such was his wish and such is our mission,” Mr Doss stated in a video message posted online.
Double anniversary
The president said in April 2018, the foundation celebrated a double anniversary, Kofi Annan's 80th birthday and the 10th anniversary of his foundation.
"We marked this milestone by inviting people to join us on the road to peace, a recognition and a celebration of Kofi Annan's lifelong commitment to making and keeping the peace.
"Sadly, this year of celebration was cut short and Kofi passed away on the August 18. Since then, the Annan family and the staff of the foundation have been deeply moved by the countless number of messages of condolence, sympathy and encouragement that we have received from people around the world.
“A healthy society is built on peace, inclusive development and human rights.
“There could be no peace without inclusive development and there could be no lasting development without peace, and no society can long remain prosperous without the rule of law and respect for human rights.
"Under Kofi's leadership, the foundation designed and launched initiatives to assist countries and communities to achieve those objectives and to move forward on the road to peace.
“We are doing this by safeguarding elections and democratic practice, encouraging reconciliation after conflict, deploring youth leadership to counter violent extremism, ensuring food security in Africa and supporting peace processes that really produce lasting peace. These initiatives, as well as others that may follow, serve the cause of peace by promoting inclusive government and economic development that works for the many and not just the few.
“Unfortunately, Kofi Annan's time on earth has come to an end but his vision and ideas live on and he will guide us on the road to peace. We sincerely hope that you will join and support us on that journey, thank you,” Mr Doss stated.