For the world to honour United Nations former Secretary General Kofi Annan, people should try to do what he stood and cared for, ODM leader Raila Odinga has said.
Mr Odinga was chosen to give a lecture on the legacy of the former UN boss, who served for two uninterrupted terms before handing over to Ban Ki Mooon.
In his Monday's address, Mr Odinga hailed Annan for his contributions towards refining policy that revolved around diseases and poverty.
"Time magazine once described Annan as “a brass band of hope, ideas and energy.” One of his key contributions to global agenda was to refine a policy mandating states to step in wherever and whenever human lives are threatened by hate, disease or poverty," he said on his address titled Shared Humanity.
The former Kenyan Prime Minister added: "He advocated an end to the old notion that states can do as they please behind their borders because of sovereignty. We need to study him ever more closely. To honour Annan, the world must care about the things he cared about."
Before the address, the African Union High Representative for Infrastructural Development held sideline talks with Annan's son, Kojo Annan at Chatham House.
"At Chatham House in London with Kojo Annan and his wife Shanthi among other distinguished guests at the start of the two day event titled “Our Shared Humanity” on the Legacy of the former UN Secretary General the late Dr. Kofi Annan," he tweeted.
Dr Annan died in August 2018. He was buried in Ghanaian capital, Accra. The anniversary will end on Tuesday and it's the first to be held in commemoration of a former UN boss.
Mr Odinga will be traveling to St Petersburg in Russia on Wednesday where he will attend an infrastructural conference following an invitation by Russian government.