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Kofi Annan

Kofi Annan Quotes

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Famous Kofi Annan Quotes

“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”

ChildrenCountryWholeLyingWaitingSilenceMillionsFieldsDevelopmentWeaponsObstaclesInnocentVillageBuriedLivelihoodCultivationReconstructionLandmines
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“Good, healthy democratic societies are built on three pillars: there's peace and stability, economic development, and respect for rule of law and human rights. But often, we take stability - peace in terms of security and economic activity - to mean a country is doing well. We forget the third and important pillar of rule of law and respect for human rights, because no country can long remain prosperous without that third pillar.”

HumansWellsMeanLongImportantCountryLawThreeTermForgetRightsEconomicSecurityDevelopmentHealthyActivityBuiltThirdsDemocraticHuman RightsStabilityProsperousRule Of LawGood HealthPillarsDemocratic SocietyEconomic Development
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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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“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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“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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“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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“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development... For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right.... Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realize his or her full potential.”

MenHumansMeanChildrenRealizingPovertyProgressModernBuildingDevelopmentToolsMiseryEvery ManBlockBridgesDaily LifeLiteracyMen WomenModern SocietyFull PotentialHuman ProgressDamsBuilding BlocksDemocratizationEducation And LiteracyLiteracy And ChildrenModern EducationLiteracy For ChildrenBasic Education
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“Violence against women is perhaps the most shameful human rights violation, and it is perhaps the most pervasive. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth. As long as it continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and peace”

KnowsHumansLongRealCultureWealthRightsProgressViolenceDevelopmentClaimsHuman RightsBoundariesViolationGeographyShamefulViolence Against WomenNo BoundariesStop Violence Against Women
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“There is no tool for development more effective than the education of girls and the empowerment of women... When women are fully involved, the benefits can be seen immediately: families are healthier; they are better fed; their income, savings, and reinvestment go up. And what is true of families is true of communities and, eventually, whole countries.”

CountryWholeGirlCommunityDevelopmentInvolvedBenefitsEmpowermentToolsIncomeSavingFedsSavings
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“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams, clinics and factories.”

PovertyModernBuildingDevelopmentEssentialsToolsMiseryInvestmentBlockBridgesDaily LifeFactoriesLiteracyModern SocietyFull PotentialComplementClinicDamsBuilding BlocksDemocratizationEducation And LiteracyModern Education
Book:The quotable Kofi Annan: selections from speeches and statements by the Secretary-General
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