General Assembly Pays Warm Tribute To Annan

General Assembly Pays Warm Tribute To Annan; Prepares To Swear In Successor Ban

New York, Dec 14 2006 11:00AM

With prolonged applause the 192-member United Nations General Assembly today paid warm tribute to Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the end of his 10-year tenure as it prepared to swear in his successor Ban Ki-moon, who will take over as the world’s top diplomat on 1 January.

By acclamation the Assembly adopted the resolution of tribute for the man who, in the words of its president Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, has devoted his life to the world organization.

“His career has been unique,” she said. “He has risen through the ranks of the United Nations and devoted his life’s service to the Organization. So, today we are not only bidding farewell to the current Secretary-General, but also to one of the longest serving officials of the United Nations.”

She stressed that Mr. Annan has stood at the helm as the UN has become a more effective global actor and demands for its services have grown over the past 10 years.

“We are grateful to Kofi Annan for having set out a far-reaching reform framework to make the Organization more relevant to the people of the world: a United Nations that lives to serve humanity and the principles of multilateralism,” Sheikha Haya declared.

“Kofi Annan will leave a lasting legacy. He has guided the United Nations into the 21st century with vision and leadership. As a result the multilateral system is stronger,” she added.

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