Outgoing Annan makes farewell speech to Africa

Outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday made his farewell speech to Africa, saying that he will continue to work to improve welfare in Africa after he leaves from his post later this year.

"The time has come for me, in my UN capacity, to bid you farewell," said Annan, who is making his last official trip to Africa as the UN secretary-general.

"But as I lay down my global responsibilities, I can promise to devote myself more than ever to the welfare of this beloved continent," said Annan, who is due to retire in December after serving as the post for 10 years and he will be replaced by South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon.

"So I am glad to say, dear brothers and sisters, that my farewell to you is not an adieu, but very much an

revoir," Annan told the Fifth African Development Forum (ADF-V), held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

"Over the past 10 years, I, as an African Secretary-General, have done my best to nurture and build up the relationship between Africa and the UN. That decade, of course, has also seen the birth of the African Union -- an immensely hopeful development -- and I' m glad to say the UN and the AU have a close and growing relationship."

The three-day forum ADF-V, co-sponsored by the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the AU, this year focused on the theme " Youth and Leadership in the 21st Century."

Source: Xinhua