Let Annan's legacy always inspire us

Since the shock of former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan's death, I have been reflecting on what made him so special.

To my mind, it is simply this: Kofi Annan was both one-of-a-kind and one of us.

He was an exceptional global leader. He was also someone virtually anyone in the world could see themselves in: those on the far reaches of poverty, conflict and despair who found in him an ally; the junior UN staffer following in his footsteps; the young person to whom he said until his dying breath "always remember, you are never too young to lead - and we are never too old to learn".