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Kofi Annan

Kofi Annan Quotes

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Famous Kofi Annan Quotes

“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.”

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“It is extreme arrogance for one to think he is the only one who can govern his country and nobody else can do it. We're all human. After 10, 15 years you get tired, you run out of steam and ideas, you have to give a chance to somebody else. And whether you yourself are inclined to stay on, all those around you are pushing you to stay on for what they will gain. One has to have the strength of character to say the time has come to move on...unless you are a king.”

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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.”

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“...let us recognize that extreme poverty anywhere is a threat to human security everywhere. Let us recall that poverty is a denial of human rights. For the first time in history, in this age of unprecedented wealth and technical prowess, we have the power to save humanity from this shameful scourge. Let us summon the will to do it.”

FirstsHumansAgeTimeHumanityWealthPovertyRightsSecurityFirst TimeThreatHuman RightsExtremesDenialRecallsShamefulUnprecedentedScourgeEnding PovertyProwessExtreme PovertyWorld PovertyWealth And Poverty
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“We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race.”

HumansMayDifferentCultureLanguageRaceAcceptanceDiversitySkinsUnityHuman RaceBrotherhoodUnity In DiversityDifferent CulturesSkin ColorDifferent LanguagesDifferent ColorsHuman LanguageDifferent ReligionsInspirational DiversityGreat DiversityCulture And LanguageLanguage CultureHuman DiversityTolerance And DiversityCultures Of The World
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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.”

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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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“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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“UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after decades of conflict. The blue helmets and their civilian colleagues work together to organize elections, enact police and judicial reform, promote and protect human rights, conduct mine-clearance, advance gender equality, achieve the voluntary disarmament of former combatants, and support the return of refugees and displaced people to their homes.”

PeopleHumansStatesHomeTogetherSupportRightsAchieveMinesReturnProtectConflictPoliceElectionBlueComplexesHuman RightsGenderDecadesFormerReformOperationsWorking TogetherOrganizeColleaguesRefugeeCiviliansGender EqualityJudicialDisarmamentHelmetMonitoringPeacekeepingCeasefireClearance
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“Human beings are not property. On the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, let us reaffirm the inherent dignity of all men, women and children. And let us redouble our efforts so that the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - 'no one shall be held in slavery or servitude' - ring true.”

MenHumansChildrenHuman BeingsEffortRightsDignityUniversalSlaveryPropertyInternationalHuman RightsRingsInherentDeclarationMen WomenServitudeAbolitionAbolition Of SlaveryDeclaration Of Human Rights
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“Human rights education is much more than a lesson in schools or a theme for a day; it is a process to equip people with the tools they need to live lives of security and dignity. On this International Human Rights Day, let us continue to work together to develop and nurture in future generations a culture of human rights, to promote freedom, security and peace in all nations.”

PeopleNeedsHumansSchoolTogetherCultureNationsProcessRightsGenerationsSecurityLessonsToolsDignityInternationalHuman RightsLive LifeThemeWorking TogetherNurtureFuture GenerationHuman Rights Day
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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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“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.”

MenHumansMeanChildrenRealizingProgressEvery ManLiteracyMen WomenModern SocietyFull PotentialHuman ProgressDamsBuilding BlocksDemocratizationEducation And LiteracyLiteracy And ChildrenLiteracy For Children
Book:The quotable Kofi Annan: selections from speeches and statements by the Secretary-General
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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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“Slavery was, in a very real sense, the first international human rights issue to come to the fore. It led to the adoption of the first human rights laws and to the creation of the first human rights non-governmenta l organization. And yet despite the efforts of the international community to combat this abhorrent practice, it is still widely prevalent in all its insidious forms, old and new.”

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