Secretary-General mourns loss of two distinguished former UN officials

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has offered his condolences to the families of two distinguished former UN officials who have recently died.

C.V. Narasimhan was Chef de Cabinet to three Secretaries-General, Associate Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Under-Secretary-General for Special Political Affairs and for Inter-Agency Affairs and held many other senior positions within the UN.

In a letter of condolence to Mr. Narasimhan’s wife, Janaki, Mr. Annan described him as “far ahead of his time, for he understood instinctively the interconnected nature of the peace, security and development challenges on our agenda, and the need to tackle those challenges in unison.”

The Secretary-General said Mr. Narasimhan was a "true pioneer of the UN family" and had served with unwavering loyalty and commitment.

Gen. Prem Chand served as a UN peacekeeper during missions in Congo, Cyprus, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

General Chand was a legend among peacekeepers because of his "experience, professionalism and reputation for being the very model of an 'officer and a gentleman,'" Mr. Annan said in a letter to General Chand's son, Sunil.

The Secretary-General said General Chand understood that peacekeeping was about being a good diplomat and politician as much as being a good soldier.