Martti Ahtisaari, the former president of Finland who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008 for his work to resolve international conflicts, has passed away at the age of 86. The foundation he created for preventing and resolving violent conflicts, the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI), announced his death on Monday.
A life dedicated to peace
Ahtisaari was born in Vyborg, which was then part of Finland but is now in Russia, in 1937. He began his career as a primary school teacher before joining Finland’s foreign ministry in 1965. As a diplomat, he served as ambassador to Tanzania, Zambia, Somalia, and the United Nations in New York.
He rose to international prominence in 1978 when he was appointed as the UN special representative for Namibia, where he helped end apartheid-era South Africa’s control and steer the country to independence in 1990. He was granted honorary citizenship by Namibia for his efforts.
In 1994, he was elected as the 10th president of Finland as the country transitioned from an electoral college system to direct elections. During his presidency, he oversaw Finland’s referendum to join the European Union in 1995 and advocated for its membership in NATO.
He also played a key role in negotiating peace in several regions, including Kosovo, where he brokered a deal between Serbia and NATO in 1999 that ended the war and paved the way for Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008; Indonesia, where he mediated a peace agreement between the government and the Aceh rebels in 2005; and Northern Ireland, where he participated in the talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
He retired from public life in September 2021 due to dementia.
Tributes pour in
The news of Ahtisaari’s death was met with sadness and admiration by world leaders, fellow peace activists, and ordinary citizens.
Finland’s president, Sauli Niinistö, paid tribute to his predecessor, describing him as a “president in times of change”, “a citizen of the world” and a “great Finn”.
“Martti Ahtisaari believed in people, civilization, and goodness, and he lived a great, remarkable life,” Niinistö said.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Ahtisaari for his “important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts”.
“Peace is a question of will,” Ahtisaari said while accepting the award. “All conflicts can be settled, and there are no excuses for allowing them to become eternal.”
Alexander Stubb, a former Finnish prime minister, wrote on X: “The world has lost a truly exceptional person who devoted his life to peace. Martti Ahtisaari strongly believed that peace is a question of will and that all conflicts can be resolved, always seeing opportunities where others saw problems. Perhaps now more than ever, the world needs people like him.”
Ahtisaari is survived by his wife, Eeva, and their son. He will receive a state funeral, with the date to be announced later by CMI.