UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on Sunday paid tribute to the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, extolling his exceptional qualities.
Mohammed joined other UN leaders to lament the passing away of the anti-apartheid leader and human rights activist, who died in Cape Town at the age of 90.
“While I will miss his presence, I celebrate his incredible life of service,” she wrote in a post on her official Twitter account.
Archbishop Tutu was “always with a smile, always asking us to do our ‘little bit of good’”, she recalled, before signing off with “R.I.P.”
Similarly, Inger Andersen, head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), also joined the world and the people of South Africa in mourning Archbishop Tutu.
Andersen described him as “a pillar of moral rectitude who taught all of us to walk the righteous path with truth, justice and forgiveness in our hearts”.
Archbishop Tutu had travelled to UN Headquarters in New York on many occasions over the past decades, including as a member of The Elders, an independent group of eminent global leaders working to promote peace and human rights.
He supported UN initiatives to address issues such as forced displacement, women’s empowerment and countering homophobia and transphobia.
Archbishop Tutu received countless honours for his activism and advocacy, including the Global Champion Against Hunger award presented by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in November 2012.
A month later, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) announced he was the recipient of the UNESCO/Bilbao Prize, honouring his role in building a universal culture of human rights around the world.