UN holds memorial service for late secretary-general Annan

Annan faced up to the grave errors made by the United Nations in the 1990s -- in its response to the Rwanda genocide and the Srebrenica killings during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war. The reports he commissioned aimed to make sure such terrible mistakes are never repeated, and set the international community on a new course in its response to mass atrocities, he said.

"In these times of growing political divides and intractable conflicts, we need the peacemaking spirit of Kofi Annan more than ever," he said.

Annan's most defining features were his humanity and solidarity with those in need. He put people at the center of the work of the United Nations, and was able to turn compassion into action across the UN system.