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Kofi Annan

Kofi Annan Quotes

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Famous Kofi Annan Quotes

“The global HIV/AIDS epidemic is an unprecedented crisis that requires an unprecedented response. In particular it requires solidarity - between the healthy and the sick, between rich and poor, and above all, between richer and poorer nations. We have 30 million orphans already. How many more do we have to get, to wake up?”

FightingNationsPoorMillionsRichParticularHealthySickWake UpCrisisResponseAidsSolidarityHivRich And PoorUnprecedentedOrphanEpidemicsHiv AidsAids Epidemic
Author:Kofi Annan
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“Can the state, which represents the whole of society and has the duty of protecting society, fulfill that duty by lowering itself to the level of the murderer, and treating him as he treated others? The forfeiture of life is too absolute, too irreversible, for one human being to inflict it on another, even when backed by legal process.”

HumansStatesWholeLife IsProcessHuman BeingsLevelsDutyAbsolutesTreatedMurdererDeath PenaltyIrreversibleAgainst Death Penalty
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“For too long the development debate has ignored the fact that poverty tends to be characterized not only by material insufficiency but also by denial of rights. What is needed is a rights-based approach to development. Ensuring essential political, economic and social entitlements and human dignity for all people provides the rationale for policy. These are not a luxury affordable only to the rich and powerful but an indispensable component of national development efforts.”

PeopleHumansLongFactsPoliticalSocialPowerfulEffortPovertyRichRightsEconomicPolicyMaterialsDevelopmentNeededEssentialsApproachDignityHuman RightsDebateLuxuryDenialIgnoredIndispensableComponentsEntitlementAffordableHuman DignityRationaleInsufficiency
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“To look into some aspects of the future, we do not need projections by supercomputers. Much of the next millennium can be seen in how we care for our children today. Tomorrow's world may be influenced by science and technology, but more than anything, it is already taking shape in the bodies and minds of our children.”

WorldNeedsMindLooksMayChildrenBodyCareTodayNextTechnologyTomorrowShapesAspectOur ChildrenHuman RightsMind And BodyProjectionScience And TechnologyMillenniumSupercomputers
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“Let us choose to unite the power of markets with the authority of universal ideals. Let us choose to reconcile the creative forces of private entrepreneurship with the needs of the disadvantaged and the requirements of future generations.”

NeedsForceChallengesCreativeGenerationsInspireAuthorityIdealsUniversalEntrepreneurshipProvokingRequirementsFuture GenerationReconcileDisadvantaged
Book:The quotable Kofi Annan: selections from speeches and statements by the Secretary-General
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“In an age of interdependence, global citizenship - based on trust and sense of shared responsibility - is a crucial pillar of progress. At a time when more than one billion people are denied the very minimum requirements of human dignity, business cannot afford to be seen as the problem. Rather, it must work with governments and all other actors in society to mobilize global science, technology and knowledge to tackle the interlocking crises of hunger, disease, environmental degradation and conflict that are holding back the developing world.”

PeopleWorldHumansProblemGovernmentAgeActorsChallengesResponsibilityTechnologyProgressInspireConflictDiseaseDignityCrisisEnvironmentalHungerBillionsDevelopingCrucialDeniedMinimumProvokingRequirementsCitizenshipDegradationPillarsHuman DignityInterdependenceHolding BackEnvironmental DegradationScience TechnologyShared Responsibility
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“The preservation of biodiversity is not just a job for governments. International and non-governmental organisations, the private sector and each and every individual have a role to play in changing entrenched outlooks and ending destructive patterns of behaviour”

PlayGovernmentJobsIndividualNatureRolesEnvironmentInternationalPatternsDestructiveBehaviourPreservationOutlookOur EnvironmentOrganisationPrivate SectorNatural EnvironmentBiodiversity
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“Contrary to popular belief, we do not face a choice between economy and ecology, It is often said that protecting the environment would constrain or even undermine economic growth. In fact, the opposite is true: unless we protect resources and the earth's natural capital, we shall not be able to sustain economic growth.”

SaidFactsAbleEarthFacesChoicesBeliefGrowthNaturalEconomyEnvironmentEconomicProtectResourcesOppositesEnvironmentalContraryEcologyEconomic GrowthConstrainContrary To Popular Belief
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“We need to promote greater tolerance and understanding among the peoples of the world. Nothing can be more dangerous to our efforts to build peace and development than a world divided along religious, ethnic or cultural lines. In each nation, and among all nations, we must work to promote unity based on our shared humanity.”

WorldNeedsHumanityNationsUnderstandingReligiousLinesEffortGreaterDangerousDevelopmentUnityToleranceDividedPeace And ToleranceShared Humanity
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“Applaud us when we prevail, correct us when we fail; but, above all, do not let this indispensable, irreplaceable institution wither, languish or perish as a result of Member States' indifference, inattention or financial starvation.”

StatesResultsFailingMembersInstitutionsFinancialIndifferenceIndispensableStarvationIrreplaceableInattentionLanguish
Book:The quotable Kofi Annan: selections from speeches and statements by the Secretary-General
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“The United Nations has long recognised that the imagination, ideals and energies of young men and women are vital for the continuing development of the societies in which they live. And since its inception in 1948, AIESEC has contributed to this development by serving as an agent of positive change trough education and cultural exchange.”

MenLongYoungEnergyNationsImaginationUnitedDevelopmentMen And WomenIdealsAgentsYoung ManServingContinuingUnited NationsPositive ChangeInceptionTroughCultural Exchange
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“The death toll from small arms dwarfs that of all other weapons systems — and in most years greatly exceeds the toll of the atomic bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In terms of the carnage they cause, small arms, indeed, could well be described as 'weapons of mass destruction'.”

YearsWellsCausesTermArmsWeaponsMassDestructionBombsExceedWeapons Of Mass DestructionMass DestructionTollsAtomic BombDevastatedDwarfsHiroshimaCarnageHiroshima And Nagasaki
Book:Wir die Völker
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“These often unsung heroes understand...that poverty, disease and famine are just as deadly and destructive as earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis. Individuals ...are taking on these challenges in their communities, volunteering to make a difference. They remain the true champions of our work towards the Millennium Development Goals.”

IndividualGoalCommunityChallengesDifferencesPovertyDevelopmentHeroDiseaseChampionMaking A DifferenceDestructiveVolunteerHurricanesEarthquakesFamineMillenniumTsunamiTrue ChampionUnsung HeroMillennium Development Goals
Author:Kofi Annan
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“I believe that our world needs an instrument of global action as never before in history. I believe that the United Nations is the instrument for securing peace and for giving people everywhere, in poorer countries as in richer, a real stake in that peace by promoting development and encouraging cooperation. But the United Nations is only an instrument, an actor in need of props and cues from its directors, And so I will paraphrase Winston Churchill: Give us the tools-the trust, the authority and the means-and we will do the job.”

PeopleWorldNeedsGivingBelieveMeanRealCountryActionJobsActorsI BelieveNationsUnitedTrustDevelopmentDirectorsAuthorityToolsInstrumentsOur WorldCooperationStakesUnited NationsPromotingPropsParaphraseUnesco
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