Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annanis a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1997 to December 2006. Annan and the United Nations were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize "for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world." He is the founder and the Chairman of the Kofi Annan Foundation, as well as being the chairman of The Elders, a group founded by Nelson Mandela...
NationalityGhanaian
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth8 April 1938
CityKumasi, Ghana
CountryGhana
let us be frank with each other, and the peoples of the United Nations. We have not yet achieved the sweeping and fundamental reform that I, and many others, believe is required. Sharp differences, some of them substantive and legitimate, have played their part in preventing that.
What's needed now is not more declarations or promises, but action, ... I believe my report provides a clear program of action.
Throughout a rich and varied life, Mr Cook displayed exceptional intellect, eloquence, vision and passion in the domestic and international arenas alike,
There are concerns that if we do not make progress ... desperate people will resort to violence again,
When economic conditions are difficult, people tend to be less generous and protect themselves; the question of solidarity doesn't mean much to them at that time.
I hope you will give your full backing to all points of the strategy I have outlined. Let us ensure the United Nations play its role in this fight to the full,
particular to the relatives and friends of those who lost their lives in the service of the ideals of the United Nations.
As we move forward, we hope we will be able to work with the Iraqis and the coalition to find a mechanism for establishing a caretaker or an interim government until such time elections are organized,
These are universal crimes, so the perpetrators ought to be put on notice that they will be held accountable, whoever they are, ... It is not just the field commanders, but also some of the leaders who are giving the orders, who may also be held accountable.
I think we need a clear global understanding of the threats and challenges that we all have to face, because to neglect any one of them might fatally undermine our efforts to confront the others.
I understand and share their anguish. But it cannot justify violence, least of all attacks on innocent people.
In already unstable societies, this cocktail of disasters is a sure recipe for more conflict,
The mediator for the Palestinian-Israeli issue is the United States, ... and I support very fully their efforts and I encourage the parties to work energetically and constructively with them in search of a durable peace.
I don't think that the United States government rushes to judgment until all the facts are in.