From Patrick Hennessy:
This is to inform you that Ado passed away today at 2.15 pm Bangkok time. I was by his bed as he died.
A great man, who will be sorely missed, has left us.
The cremation will be on Thursday in Wat Hua Lamphong on Rama IV around 3-4 pm, but I will revert later with exact time. It will be a very brief ceremony in line with Ado's wishes, and any of you who wish to say a few words will be invited to do so.
At his request Ado's ashes will be thrown into the Andaman Sea off Phuket at a later date.
This list of addressees was put together by me and clearly there are several friends of his in Thailand who I have not had addresses for, or simply missed, so please feel free to forward this to anyone you spot missing from the list. We will also be contacting others on Line App.
May Ado Rest in Peace.
From Kul Gautam:
Dear Patrick,
I am so very sorry to learn about the passing away of our dear friend and colleague Ado Vaher in Bangkok.
Thank you Patrick for being at his side and caring for him with such deep friendship and affection while Ado struggled through a prolonged illness.
I was happy to have been in touch with Ado while I was in Bangkok. The last time I met him in person was in February 2021 when we had a pleasant Japanese lunch at Bumrungrad Hospital and reminisced nostalgically about our time together at UNICEF HQ in New York.
Ado had been a diplomat at the Canadian mission to the UN before he joined UNICEF. At UNICEF he was in charge of UN affairs and inter-agency relations. He was superb in his craft, maintaining excellent relations with the office of the Secretary-General, various departments of the UN, Funds and Programmes, Specialized agencies, and above all with members of the UNICEF Executive Board, the UN General Assembly, ECOSOC, Security Council and wherever issues related to UNICEF, children and humanitarian affairs were dealt with at policy and program levels. He was a skillful trouble-shooter and problem-solver with his fine diplomatic skills and warm personal qualities.
Ado undertook many special assignments for UNICEF. I recall he helped develop UNICEF's very first and innovative proposal on Debt Relief for Children, getting a Dutch Bank to agree to channel the proceeds from its loan payments to UNICEF to fund child survival and development projects in Jamaica and Honduras (if I am not mistaken). That pioneering UNICEF initiative led later to the development of larger debt relief for development activities, e.g. the World Bank-led HIPIC initiative.
Ado was very well-read, articulate and had a great sense of humour. He liked Asia, traveled there extensively, and decided to spend his life in retirement in Thailand. A great man with a sharp mind and friendly demeanour. May Ado's soul rest in eternal peace.
So sorry to hear about the passing away of our colleague Ado Vaher in Bangkok. I was privileged to interact with Ado on several occasions. He always encouraged our efforts to keep UNICEF in the forefront of inter-agency initiatives on gender and women’s rights , beyond the issues of the girl child. During the special session on Beijing+5 in 2000, Ado gave the gender team much support and kind advice. He joined the UNICEF delegation during our morning debriefing meetings in the UNICEF cafeteria . He listened with interest to the views expressed by colleagues on inter-agency differences and appreciated our collaboration with regional and national NGOs. I recollect that when Carol made her official statement in the General Assembly Hall at 11.00 pm during Beijing+5 special session, Ado was there with me throughout that evening lending his support not forgetting to commend me on the drafting of the statement. His friendly demeanour and graciousness will be remembered by those who knew him.
ReplyDeleteRIP Ado.
Even though I knew that Ado was not doing well, I was.very saddened when I received the message of his passing yesterday morning.
ReplyDeleteI met Ado a number of years before he joined UNICEF. In late 1985 I went to the UN to listen to speeches in the 5th Committee (the committee on administration and finance). These speeches are normally not very exiting, but this day it was the at that time Canada’s Ambassador to the UN Stephen Lewis who spoke and the speech was both great and enlightening. Afterwards I went to congratulate on such an interesting speech on topics that normally could be boring. He thanked me but said honestly I did not,know much what I was talking about, the speech was done by one of my excellent staffers Ado Vaher, and he introduced me to him. I contacted Ado a number of times after that, and of course I was very happy when he later joined UNICEF. Ado was an excellent colleague in so many ways, knowledgeable in so many areas and very supportive to so many. He was also a very good friend, and we had the opportunity to spend a lot of time both at work and outside work. I will always cherish all the memories. May he RIP.
I met Ado Vaher on a few occasions and in some meetings. He was a kind and a pleasant gentleman. I did not know him very well personally but professionally he was one of our gentle, kind and professional colleagues. I was sad by the news of his passing. Even as I said I did not know him very well on personal bases, but his kind demeanor remains with me. May you Rest In in Power, Ado!
ReplyDeleteWhile we did not interact frequently I was always glad to exchange with Ado on a variety of matters while we were both at HQ. His quiet and poised demeanor was a characteristic that endeared him to colleagues. Very knowledgeable and a true professional he had useful and kind words for all who dealt with him.
ReplyDeleteWe lost a gentleman and dear colleague, and a fellow Canadian.
May he Rest in Peace !
Fouad