2019-05-10 Fri

On 31st May, the UNPA would be releasing a $1.30 definitive stamp honouring the former Secretary-General, Kofi Annan. They are issued for the post office at U.N. headquarters in New York City. The American Stamp Dealers Association’s spring stamp show will be hosting the first-day ceremony at Watson Hotel in New York. The stamp features a portrait of Kofi Annan and one of his quotes “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”. It is designed by UNPA artist Rorie Katz, while the portrait is a work of artist and engraver Martin Morck. The stamps are printed by offset lithography in sheets of 20 by Joh. Enschede of the Netherlands. 210,000 such stamps have been printed in the first run.

Born on 8th April 1938 in Ghana, Kofi Annan joined as administrative and budget officer with the World Health Organization. He went on to become the 7th secretary-general of the UN in 1997 and continued serving the same post till 2006. He dedicatedly worked with civil society, the private sector and other partners for protecting human rights, the rule of law, the Millennium Development Goals and Africa. He has written in detail about his experiences at the UN in a book called Interventions, A Life In War And Peace, which was released in 2012.

Annan and the United Nations have jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for revitalizing the UN and for prioritizing human rights. The Nobel Committee also appreciated his efforts to restrict the spread of the HIV virus in Africa and his stand against international terrorism. The Kofi Annan Foundation was established by him in 2007 to promote peace and inclusive governance for focussing on security, development and human rights. Annan was 80 years old when he succumbed to a short illness on 28th August 2018.

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Image Courtesy: The UNPA