The seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Kofi Annan was a model leader with intellect and vision. Annan was born on April 8, 1938 in Kumasi, Ghana (Gold Coast) and died on August 18, 2018 in Bern, Switzerland. He studied at the Kumasi University of Science and Technology before moving to the US where he attended Macalester College and received a bachelor’s degree in economics. Other educational pursuits included studying at the Geneva Institute for Advanced International Studies and earning a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Britannica).
Early Career
Annan first joined the UN in 1962 as part of the World Health Organization (WHO). While serving in many political roles including on the Economic Commission of African, the UN Emergency Force, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Annan’s first post and background gave him an important perspective for realizing how the UN could do better once he became Secretary-General (United Nations).
UN Secretary-General
During his tenure as UN Secretary-General, Annan was able to implement many important reforms and policies that revitalized the United Nations and made the international governance system more effective. At the beginning of his term, the UN had damaged relationships with some countries like the United States making it imperative that Annan repair these ties. Annan introduced a plan to lower its budget and streamline bureaucracy. This boosted confidence in the international organization and allowed Annan to focus on other important issues like increasing awareness around health issues like AIDS and HIV, ending human rights abuses, and building a strategy against terrorism (Britannica).
Regarding health issues, Annan focused on AIDS/HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, though he is most well-known for his work with AIDS. At the time, some 23.3 million people were living with HIV and less than 30% of people knew of HIV. The UN Security Council adopted a resolution in 2000 identifying AIDS as a threat to global security. The UN had not previously met with world leaders concerning a health issue. Additionally, Annan brought together leaders in the media community to launch a global media AIDS initiative. The US originally only had $1 billion invested in the fight against AIDS. Through Annan’s influence, the US increased their investment to $7-10 billion to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria (UNAIDS).
Regarding ending human rights abuses, Annan urged the UN to establish the peacekeeping commission and human rights council. In an address to the Commission on Human Rights, Annan addressed the failures of the organization in protecting defenseless Rwandans. The overall protections are summarized through preventing armed conflict, protecting civilians in armed conflict, ending impunity, and providing early and clear warnings (United Nations 2004 Speech). These protections have and hopefully will continue to be the guidelines by which the UN monitors risks especially as they pertain to genocide.
Regarding building a strategy against terrorism, Annan sought to use a five ‘D’ strategy to combat terrorism after 9/11. This involved “dissuading people from resorting to terrorism or supporting it, denying terrorists the means to carry out an attack, deterring states from supporting terrorism, developing state capacity to defeat terrorism, and defending human rights” (United Nations 2006 Speech).
Clearly, the many initiatives Annan pursued deemed him and the United Nations he led worthy of the Nobel Prize for Peace which he won in 2001. While later parts of his tenure were somewhat rocky, his positive impact on the history of the world cannot be mistaken.
Post-UN life
Annan was named chairperson for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in 2007. AGRA aids local farmers and is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. After helping resolve a problem with the Kenyan election in December 2007, he was awarded the the Peace of Westphalia Prize for his ability to broker a power-sharing agreement. He also founded the Kofi Annan Foundation meant to “promote peace, sustainable development, human rights, and the rule of law” (Kofi Annan Foundation).
Later, the United Nations appointed him Joint Special Envoy for Syria in the hope that he could help end the Syrian civil war. His six-point plan was endorsed by the Security Council. While the Syrian government accepted the plan, attacks continued along with demonstrations. As one of his last politically visible tasks, he announced the demission of the Special Envoy because of a lack of political motivation among the world’s powers to peacefully conclude the conflict. While a tough decision to make, it served as a reminder to the world that if we do not work together, we cannot resolve conflicts like the one in Syria (Britannica, Kofi Annan Foundation).
Featured Photo: Courtesy of Flickr
Works Cited:
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Kofi Annan”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kofi-Annan. Accessed 5 November 2021.
Kofi Annan Foundation. “Kofi Annan.” https://www.kofiannanfoundation.org/kofi-annan/biography/
UNAIDS. “Kofi Annan’s AIDS legacy.” 20 August 2018. https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/
presscentre/featurestories/2018/august/kofi-annan-aids-legacy
United Nations. “Kofi Annan.” https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/kofi-annan
United Nations. “Address by Kofi Annan to the Commission on Human Rights. 07 April 2004. https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/speeches/2004-04-07/address-kofi-annan-commission-human-rights
United Nations. “Address to the General Assembly by Kofi Anna on the launch of Uniting
against terrorism: Recommendations for a global counter-terrorism strategy.” 02 May 2006.
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/speeches/2006-05-02/address-general-assembly-kofi-annan-
launch-uniting-against-terrorism
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