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 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.