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ACCRA. – Ghana today joins the rest of the world today October 24, to commemorate the 73rd Anniversary of the founding of the United Nations with a focus on the life and achievements of the late former UN Secretary-General and global peace icon, Kofi Annan.

Aside the global theme of “Making the United Nations relevant to all people; global leadership and shared responsibilities for peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies”, Ghana’s commemoration is guided by a local theme “Legacy of Kofi Annan: An illustrious son of Ghana and global statesman” to further highlight the achievements and contributions of the late global icon.

The UN was founded on October 24, 1945 in San Francisco in the United States of America to replace the League of Nations after World War II with the aim of preventing another such conflict, promote human rights and spearhead development around the world.

Upon attainment of independence in 1957, Ghana was admitted into the United Nations on March 8, 1957 and has since remained a respectable member of the global body, responding to several calls for action especially in the areas of peacekeeping, emergency response,disaster coordination and democratisation processes.

Ghana is also widely acclaimed for providing the United Nations with some of the finest international civil servants notable among them: Alex Quayson-Sackey, the first black African to preside over the UN General Assembly, Mrs. Mary Chinery-Hesse, first female Director-General of ILO,  among others, and ultimately the late Kofi Annan who became the 7th Secretary-General of the Organisation.

“It is the sincere hope of the Government of Ghana that many of the citizens would learn more about the United Nations and its works and realise the need for all to have a shared responsibility in making its goals attainable for a sustainable society”, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration said.

The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, described Kofi Annan as a wise leader who embodied the ideals of the UN.

“Kofi Annan was the United Nations and the United Nations was him,” Guterres said in his tribute at Annan’s burial service in Accra. Annan died on August 18 in Switzerland at the age of 80.

He was the first black UN Secretary-General from 1997 to 2006 after Egypt’s Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

The renowned diplomat was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for breathing new life into the UN amid the Iraq War and the HIV and Aids pandemic.

Guterres recalled Annan’s words as being “tough and wise.” Those who took time to learn from the diplomat, “were rewarded with his wisdom,” the UN boss said.

He also remembered Annan as a man who pioneered landmark global initiatives and “opened the doors of the United Nations bringing the organisation closer to the world’s people and engaging new partners in protecting the environment and defending human rights and combating HIV/Aids, and other killer diseases.” – Ghanaweb