UNPA issues new stamp to pay tribute to Kofi Annan

To honour the former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the United Nations Postal Administration of the Department of Operational Support will issue a definitive stamp of US$1.30 on 31 May.

The stamp features a portrait of the late Kofi Annan which was illustrated by the famous artist and engraver Martin Mörck (Norway). The quote on the stamp reads “To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.” The stamp sheet and first day cover were designed by Rorie Katz of UNPA.

Kofi A. Annan of Ghana, was the first to emerge from the ranks of United Nations staff.

As Secretary-General, Mr. Annan gave priority to revitalizing the UN through a comprehensive programme of reform; strengthening the Organization’s traditional work in the areas of development and the maintenance of international peace and security; advocating human rights, the rule of law and the universal values of equality, tolerance and human dignity; restoring public confidence in the Organization by reaching out to new partners and, in his words, by “bringing the United Nations closer to the people”. Mr. Annan also took a leading role in mobilizing the international community in the battle against HIV/AIDS, and against the global terrorist threat.

In 2001, Mr. Annan and the United Nations were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. He also received numerous honorary degrees and many other national and international prizes, medals and honours.

Upon leaving the United Nations, Mr. Annan established the Kofi Annan Foundation in 2007, an independent, not-for-profit organization that works to promote better global governance and strengthen the capacities of people and countries to achieve a fairer, more peaceful world.

Kofi Annan died on 18 August 2018 in Bern, Switzerland, at the age of 80.