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Kofi Annan

Ghanaian diplomat and former UN Secretary-General

1938–2018

Biography

Kofi Annan (1938-2018) served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1997 to December 2006. He played a crucial role in revitalizing the UN, focusing on peacekeeping, human rights, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In 2001, Annan and the United Nations were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work in fostering a better organized and more peaceful world. Annan also established the Global Compact, a strategic policy initiative for businesses committed to aligning their operations with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption. After his tenure, he continued to contribute to global diplomacy through the Kofi Annan Foundation.

About

Born April 8, 1938

Died August 18, 2018

Birthplace Kumasi, Ghana

Nationality Ghanaian

Education Master of Science in Management

School Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Resting Place Accra, Ghana

Popular Quotes

"When women thrive, all of society benefits, and succeeding generations are given a better start in life"

Gender equality Women's rights Women empowerment Inclusive growth

"Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace"

Empowerment Leadership Innovation Peace

"The only way to deal with this problem is through dialogue, through negotiation, and through compromise, which will bring us all together"

Communication Unity Collaboration Problem-solving

"You can do a lot with diplomacy, but with diplomacy backed up by force you can get a lot more done"

Power Strategy Politics Authority

"We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race"

Compassion Humanity Acceptance Unity

"The happiness of any society begins with the well-being of the families that live in it"

Happiness Society Well-being Community

"There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women"

Leadership Equality Human rights Feminism

"To justify their decision to kill, the terrorists have always tried to argue that they stand in a direct line of descent from Napoleon, the Founding Fathers, o"

Violence Ideology Founding fathers Terrorism

"Education is, quite simply, peace-building by another name. It is the most effective form of defense spending there is"

Education Non-violence Sustainable development Social harmony

"The world is not ours to keep. We hold it in trust for future generations"

Responsibility Environment Sustainability Conservation

"Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance"

Empowerment Social justice Human rights Gender equality

"Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family"

Empowerment Learning Knowledge Education

"If we can come up with innovative and creative solutions, we can indeed survive and we can thrive"

Resilience Creativity Growth Innovation

"We need to think of the future and the planet we are going to leave to our children and their children"

Future Legacy Environment Children

"To live is to choose, but to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there"

Personal growth Self-awareness Purpose Goals