On behalf of the Board Members, the Technical Committee and wider community of partners and friends in peace and security, the Tana Forum Secretariat expresses its deepest condolences to the family of the late Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

Mr. Annan was globally renowned for his measured composure and determined leadership as the head of the UN during a difficult period of violent conflicts (1997-2006). In the years after leaving the UN, he earned a global reputation as a peacemaker who pursued home-grown solutions and inclusionary politics as a way to resolving conflict in Africa.

 In his keynote address at the 5th Tana Forum in April 2016, Annan said: “We cannot always pass a hat around and insist we want to be sovereign, we want to be independent. We should lead and get others to support us – that support will be much more forthcoming when they see how serious and committed we are.”

 His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, former President of Ghana and Chairperson of the Tana Forum Board, described Annan “a proud son of Ghana and Africa” who “lived and worked for global peace, security and sustainable development in very challenging times.”

Rest in peace,

Tana Forum Secretariat

Institute for Peace and Security Studies, Addis Ababa University