Staehelin appointed as interim Chair of Kofi Annan Foundation Board

The Board of the Kofi Annan Foundation has appointed Ambassador Jenö Staehelin as Interim Chairman of the Board, following the passing of Kofi Annan, who was the Founder and Chairman of the Board.

Mr Staehelin has served on the Board of the Foundation since its creation in 2008.

A career diplomat, he negotiated Switzerland’s accession to the United Nations in 2002 and subsequently served as his country’s first Permanent Representative in New York.

The President of the Foundation Alan Doss warmly welcomed Ambassador Staehelin’s appointment, remarking that: “We are deeply grateful to Ambassador Staehelin for his willingness to serve as interim Chairman of the Foundation’s Board. He and the other Board members will help us ensure that the Foundation looks to the future and builds on from Kofi Annan’s extraordinary legacy.”

Mr Staehelin noted that “The work of the Foundation will continue, and I am honoured to have the opportunity to lend my full support. Through the Foundation, we want to sustain Kofi Annan’s commitment to tackling the fundamental challenges to peace and human security emerging in a rapidly changing world. Kofi Annan will be our guiding star.”