Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan was a man who broke down barriers, and lots of them. The first black African in history to become the world's most senior diplomat, Annan held the role with relish and served two full terms in the position, from 1997 to 2006. Even after stepping down, he devoted his life to finding peaceful solutions to volatile situations, serving as a special envoy for the UN in Syria.
Annan's dedication to the cause he so believed in saw him rewarded on the grandest stage of them all. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001. It was a fitting reward for his lifetime's service. Even though he's now left us at the age of 80, his work will continue in the form of the Kofi Annan Foundation, which he founded in 2007, and campaigns for peace and civil leadership across the globe.