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Kofi Annan

Kofi Annan Quotes

Diplomat

Kofi Annan, born on April 8, 1938, is an accomplished diplomat. He served in various significant roles at the United Nations, culminating in his tenure as the seventh Secretary-General. Known for his contributions to peace and security, Annan was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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Famous Kofi Annan Quotes

“As study after study has taught us, there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women.”

Women Empowerment Woman Girls

Author:Kofi Annan

“Bilgi güçtür, bilgi özgürleştirir.”

öZgürlük Güç Bilgi Kofi Annan

Author:Kofi Annan

“Above all, I wish for a world in which men and women of every nation archive a measure of dignity and opportunity in their individual lives that allows each of them to serve others, and stand up to the forces of injustice and inequality wherever they exist.”

Peace Humanitarian Inequality Service Of Humanity United Nations Human Justice

Author:Kofi Annan

“It is within the family that children learn the values that will guide them for the rest of their lives. It is within the family that they form their earliest relationships, learn to communicate with others and interact with the world around them. It is within the family that the notion of human rights becomes a reality lived on a daily basis. If tolerance, respect and equity permeate family life, they will translate into values that shape societies, nations and the world.”

Ifs World Humans Children Reality Form Values Nations Rights Shapes Bases Notion Human Rights Communicate Guides Tolerance Translate Equity Family Life

Author:Kofi Annan

“Not only do these abominable weapons lie buried in silence and in their millions waiting to kill or maim innocent women and children; but the presence or even the fear of the presence of a single landmine can prevent the cultivation of an entire field, rob a whole village of its livelihood, place yet another obstacle on a country's road to reconstruction and development”

Children Country Whole Lying Waiting Silence Millions Fields Development Weapons Obstacles Innocent Village Buried Livelihood Cultivation Reconstruction Landmines

Author:Kofi Annan

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

Done Force Can Do Diplomacy

Author:Kofi Annan

“Perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date has been the Montreal Protocol.”

Has Beens Successful International Agreement Protocol Montreal

Book:Wir die Völker

Source: Wir die Völker

“When so many lives are at risk, when so much killing is going on, when there's so much chaos and suffering, isn't the risk warranted? ... And if we don't take the risk of coming to the conference, what do we do? We let it continue?”

Ifs Suffering Risk Chaos Killing Conferences

Author:Kofi Annan

“Asked whether donor nations may be becoming fatigued ... The fatigue may be there, but I don't think we can justify it in the face of such misery. We may need to wake up our conscience and our conscience must force us to act.”

Thinking Needs May Faces Force Nations Becoming Conscience Wake Up Misery Justify Fatigue Donors

Author:Kofi Annan

“If we do not get a universal acceptance of the constitution the likelihood of the violence continuing is there. If it had been an inclusive exercise -- as when everybody had embraced the constitution and everyone saw his interest protected by the constitution -- I think it would have been a rallying exercise. We are not there at this stage”

Ifs Thinking Has Beens Interest Saws Violence Stage Acceptance Exercise Universal Constitution Protected Continuing Likelihood Rallying

Author:Kofi Annan

“Jewish people have been victims of anti-Semitism in many parts of the world, and in Europe they were the target of the Holocaust, the ultimate abomination. Yet, we cannot expect Palestinians to accept this as a reason why the wrongs done to them.”

People World Has Beens Reason Done Accepting Europe Ultimate Victim Reason Why Target Holocaust Palestinian Anti Semitism Abomination

Book:We the Peoples: A UN for the Twenty-First Century

Source: We the Peoples: A UN for the Twenty-First Century

“Remembering is a necessary rebuke to those who say the Holocaust never happened or has been exaggerated.”

Has Beens Remember Happened Holocaust Exaggeration Exaggerated Rebuke

Author:Kofi Annan

“I was devastated by the atrocious bombings that struck London today. These vicious acts have cut us all to the core, for they are an attack on humanity itself. [7th July 2005 - on London bombings”

Today Humanity Cutting London Core Vicious July Bombing Devastated

Author:Kofi Annan

“The United Nations believes that acceptance of these principles will help the Palestinian people achieve their legitimate goal of an end to occupation and the creation of an independent and viable state, living in peace and security with its neighbors.”

People Believe Ends States Helping Nations Goal United Principles Achieve Security Creation Acceptance Independent Neighbor Occupation Palestinian United Nations Peace And Security

Author:Kofi Annan

“Both parties accept this vision. But we can reach it only if we move rapidly and in parallel on all fronts. The so-called 'sequential' approach has failed.”

Ifs Moving Party Accepting Vision Fronts Approach Parallels

Author:Kofi Annan

“By signing the Oslo accords in 1993 he took a giant step towards the realization of this vision. It is tragic that he did not live to see it fulfilled.”

Vision Steps Realization Giants Tragic Fulfilled Accord Signing Oslo

Author:Kofi Annan

“Drugs have destroyed many lives, but wrongheaded governmental policies have destroyed many more. I think it's obvious that after 40 years of war on drugs, it has not worked. There should be decriminalization of drugs.”

Thinking Should Years War Policy Drug Obvious Destroyed War On Drugs

Author:Kofi Annan

“All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.”

Ifs Natural Effort Poverty Environment Development Resources Environmental Defeat Pursue Vain Our Environment Degradation Natural Resources Sustainable Development Natural Environment Environmental Degradation Resource Depletion

Author:Kofi Annan

“If globalization is to succeed, it must succeed for poor and rich alike. It must deliver rights no less than riches. It must provide social justice and equity no less than economic prosperity and enhanced communication.”

Ifs Social Justice Poor Rich Rights Economic Communication Succeed Social Justice Prosperity Riches Secretary Globalization Equity Equal Rights Geopolitics Economic Prosperity

Author:Kofi Annan

“No nation can make itself secure by seeking supremacy over all others. We all share responsibility for each other's security, and only by working to make each other secure can we hope to achieve lasting security for ourselves.”

Nations Responsibility Share Achieve Security Seeking Secure Lasting Supremacy

Author:Kofi Annan

“Unless the Security Council is restored to its pre-eminent position as the sole source of legitimacy on the use of force, we are on a dangerous path to anarchy.”

Use Force Path Security Dangerous Position Source Anarchy Sole Council Legitimacy Security Council Use Of Force

Author:Kofi Annan

“I hope we do not see another Iraq-type operation for a long time - without UN approval and much broader support from the international community.”

Long Community Support Type Long Time International Iraq Operations Approval International Community

Author:Kofi Annan

“The report [by a UN commission on Darfur] demonstrates beyond all doubt that the last two years have been little short of hell on earth for our fellow human beings in Darfur.”

Years Humans Littles Has Beens Two Earth Lasts Human Beings Hell Doubt Fellows Reports Two Years Hell On Earth Darfur

Author:Kofi Annan

“We don’t need any more promises. We need to start keeping the promises we already made.”

Needs Made Promise

Author:Kofi Annan

“There are a great number of peoples who need more than just words of sympathy from the international community. They need a real and sustained commitment to help end their cycles of violence, and launch them on a safe passage to prosperity.”

Needs Real Ends Helping Community Numbers Violence Safe Commitment International Prosperity Cycles Passages International Community Words Of Sympathy Cycle Of Violence

Author:Kofi Annan

“We need to create a world that is equitable, that is stable and a world where we bear in mind the needs of others, and not only what we need immediately. We are all in the same boat.”

World Needs Mind Bears Boat Stable Equitable Needs Of Others

Author:Kofi Annan

“The international community... allows nearly 3 billion people - almost half of all humanity - to subsist on $2 or less a day in a world of unprecedented wealth.”

People World Humanity Community Wealth Half International Billions Unprecedented International Community

Author:Kofi Annan

“Access to a secure, safe and sufficient source of fresh water is a fundamental requirement for the survival, well-being and socio-economic development of all humanity. Yet, we continue to act as if fresh water were a perpetually abundant resource. It is not.”

Ifs Wells Humanity Water Economic Source Development Safe Survival Resources Fundamentals Access Secure Well Being Sufficient Requirements Economic Development Fresh Water

Author:Kofi Annan

“Insecurity is love dressed in a child's clothing.”

Children Insecurity Clothings

Author:Kofi Annan

“I often quote an African proverb that says: "The world is not ours, the earth is not ours, It's a treasure we hold in trust for future generations." And I often hope we will be worthy of that trust.”

World Earth Generations Environmental Worthy Treasure Sustainability Future Generation African Proverbs

Author:Kofi Annan

“In the past we could afford a long gestation period before undertaking major environmental policy initiatives. Today the time for a well-planned transition to a sustainable system is running out. We may be moving in the right direction, but we are moving too slowly. We are failing in our responsibility to future generations and even the present one.”

“The United Nations is proud to have the Adopt-A-Minefield Campaign as a partner.”

Nations United Proud Partners Campaigns United Nations Minefields

Author:Kofi Annan

“Ameen Rihani, one of the earliest Arab Americans, devoted his life to bringing the East and the West together. We are not of the East or the West, he wrote. No boundaries exist in our breast: We are free.”

Together West East Boundaries Breasts Devoted No Boundaries

Author:Kofi Annan

“Access to safe water is a fundamental human need and therefore a basic human right.”

Needs Humans Water Safe Fundamentals Access Human Needs

Author:Kofi Annan

“Extreme poverty anywhere is a threat to human security everywhere.”

Humans Poverty Security Threat Extremes Ending Poverty Prowess Extreme Poverty World Poverty

Author:Kofi Annan

“In all these cases, part of the reasons for failure perhaps was not analyzing and assessing the true nature of the crisis, the resources that would be required, and exaggerated expectation of what the U.N. troops can do.”

Reason Would Be Can Do Cases Expectations Resources Crisis Troops True Nature Exaggerated Analyzing Assessing

Author:Kofi Annan

“You saw the traumas that people lived through, and wondered what it will take to move us as a human community, as humanity, to help in these dangerous situations.”

People Humans Helping Moving Humanity Community Situation Saws Dangerous Trauma Dangerous Situations

Author:Kofi Annan

“As one of my predecessors said, our objective is not to take people to heaven, but to prevent humanity from going to hell.”

People Said Humanity Heaven Hell Objectives Predecessors

Author:Kofi Annan

“You have to wake up every day ready to start again.”

Author:Kofi Annan

“We at the U.N. have to take some of the blame, because we have not lowered expectations creating the impression we are here to save people, even when we have very limited resources.”

People Creating Expectations Resources Blame Impression Limited Resources

Author:Kofi Annan

“We have to be very clear with the population and the countries we enter what we can do and what we cannot do.”

Country Can Do Clear Population

Author:Kofi Annan

“We knew the Syrian situation was complex and there were lots of divisions, particularly on the side of the opposition... This is a tough job... It can perhaps be done if you stand united and work with me in putting sustained pressure on the protagonists or the parties to come together and seek a political settlement.”

Ifs Done Together Jobs Political Sides United Party Situation Tough Pressure Complexes Opposition Division Settlement Protagonists

Author:Kofi Annan

“I don't see a situation where one side will win militarily, take over Syria, and there will be peace and quiet, a clean victory.”

Winning Sides Situation Victory Quiet Clean Syria Peace And Quiet

Author:Kofi Annan

“These divisions in the international community - the Syrians bear quite a lot of the blame, but we have enabled it by the divisions between us.”

Community Bears Blame International Division International Community

Author:Kofi Annan

“The U.N. power comes from concerted action of the governments.”

Government Action

Author:Kofi Annan

“When things are really desperate and hopeless and you can't do anything about this, and there's a sense that something must be done, that is something usually leads to the U.N.”

Done Desperate Hopeless

Author:Kofi Annan

“I think that peacekeeping can do quite a lot, if they are given the right mandate with the commensurate resources to get the job done.”

Ifs Thinking Done Jobs Given Can Do Resources Mandates Get The Job Done Peacekeeping

Author:Kofi Annan

“The status quo cannot work.”

Author:Kofi Annan

“We need to ensure the poorest in the planet - who will be hardest hit by the financial crisis - are not forgotten.”

Needs Planets Crisis Forgotten Financial Hardest Poorest Financial Crisis Hardest Hit

Author:Kofi Annan

“Does anyone seriously contend that any nation can fend for itself?”

Author:Kofi Annan

About the Author

Born: April 8, 1938
Known for: Diplomat
Quotes: 336

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World People Humans Ifs Development Nations Needs Country Rights Security

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Books & Sources

The quotable Kofi Annan: selections from speeches and statements by the Secretary-GeneralRelated source material

We the Peoples: A UN for the Twenty-First CenturyRelated source material

Wir die VölkerRelated source material

Interventions: A Life in War and PeaceRelated source material

The question of intervention: statements by the Secretary-GeneralRelated source material

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