SECRETARY-GENERAL HAILS PRINCE SADRUDDIN AGA KHAN AS TRUE STATESMAN,
IN REMARKS TO MEMORIAL CEREMONY FOR FORMER REFUGEE CHIEF
Following are the remarks delivered by Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the memorial ceremony for Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan in New York on 28 October:
Today, we celebrate the life of a statesman in the truest sense of the word.� Cosmopolitan and compassionate, caring and charismatic, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan was one of the world’s natural international civil servants.
Blessed with a unique grasp of multicultural complexities, Prince Sadruddin played an outstanding role as mediator, facilitator and leader.� By focusing on the protection of refugees, he represented the moral and compassionate side of the international community.� By speaking up on behalf of the forcibly displaced, he ensured that alleviation of their plight was the shared responsibility of all humankind.
At a time when the world was experiencing the aftershocks of decolonization and the tensions of the Cold War, he became the youngest and longest-serving High Commissioner for Refugees.� He also served the United Nations with distinction in a series of other positions, including as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq and Afghanistan.
Wherever he went, and whatever his mission, his view of the world was always truly global.� He combined respect for humankind with concern for our environment.� He worked on behalf of the poor and dispossessed, while celebrating humanity through culture and art.
Today, I offer my deepest respects and condolences to Prince Sadruddin’s wife, Princess Catherine Aleya Aga Khan, and to the rest of his family.� They should know that Sadruddin was a role model to many of us, and that his example will continue to inspire new world citizens for several generations to come.� I join his many, many friends, colleagues and admirers around the world in giving thanks for his remarkable life.
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