Kofi Annan, A Successful Man With Humanity
The most popular and successful Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, died on August 18, 2018. In his lifetime, he had passed a very dignified and prestigious time in his workplace. He was duty bound, active, honest and sincere person as the world diplomats have ever seen. He glorified his life by his talents and flourished his workplace with potents and reputation. When Kofi Annan was appointed secretary-general on December 13, 1996, the investigators knew that he was the most popular of the UN staff. He served as the Under Secretary General of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission from March 1, 1993. And was promoted to the position of Assistant Secretary General of the same department in just one year, which was a testament to his widespread devotion. During his five years of service life, he served as a member of the United Nations Department, including budget planning and accounting management. Kofi Annan went to Baghdad on the advice of the then Secretary-General of Iraq when Iraq occupied Kuwait, and was able to relieve about a dozen of its staff from UN and international organizations. He quickly caught the attention of the world. His most talked-about initiative at that time was the sale of oil in Iraq and the promise of spending on humanitarian services.
Kofi Annan was a genuine friend of Bangladesh. He saw and appreciated Bangladesh’s participation in peacekeeping missions very positively. He visited Bangladesh on March 2010 and laid the foundation stone of the International Mother Language Institute in Dhaka in presence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. As many people know, two expatriate Bangladeshi Rafiqul Islam and Abdus Salam, who live in Vancouver, Canada in 1998, have appealed to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to declare February as International Mother Language Day. Twenty-one February was declared as International Mother Language Day at the Paris Session of UNESCO on November 27 of the following year, and has been celebrated with appropriate dignity in the Member States of the United Nations since 21st February. A resolution passed on the 65th of the UN session of the UN General Assembly on October 2010, which the United Nations will observe International Mother Language Day on February 21, every year from now on.
Dr. Forqan Uddin Ahmed
Dhaka
