UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres paid tribute to Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who died on Tuesday at the age of 91.

"I am deeply moved by the information I just received of the passing of his highness, the emir of Kuwait," Guterres told reporters. "The emir of Kuwait was an extraordinary symbol of wisdom and generosity, a messenger of peace, a bridge builder."

Guterres, who was UN High Commissioner for Refugees for 10 years, lauded the late Kuwaiti emir's contributions to humanitarian work.

"I will never forget, as High Commissioner for Refugees, that I witnessed his initiative and his leadership in some of the most important humanitarian actions in the world," he told a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness after on a high-level event on financing for development.

"Millions of people have seen their lives saved or their communities in deep distress -- because of conflict or natural disasters -- being assisted and protected. He was always in the first line of mobilizing the international community in acts of solidarity with those in need," he said.

Guterres extended his deepest condolences to the emir's family and to the government and people of Kuwait.

Later on Tuesday, Guterres' spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, released a statement on the death of the emir.

The secretary-general was deeply saddened by the passing of the emir, said the statement.

The emir was a distinguished statesman and an outstanding humanitarian who contributed to building bridges of understanding in the Gulf region and beyond. In so doing, he earned international recognition for his wisdom, generosity and achievements in state-building and preventive diplomacy. A notable leader, he was held in high esteem by the people of Kuwait, said the statement.

As a close friend of the United Nations, the emir always sought to strengthen relations for the shared goal of sustaining peace and stability in the region and around the world, it said. Enditem

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