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The following is a transcript of the speech given by Kofi Annan at the 2017 Junior Chamber International (JCI). Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to join you for this year’s JCI World Congress. Let me thank JCI for inviting me to this important event. Standing here in front of…
Leadership and Governance for the Challenges of the 21st Century
The following is a transcript of the speech given by Kofi Annan at the 2017 Junior Chamber International (JCI). Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to join you for this year’s JCI World Congress. Let me thank JCI for inviting me to this important event. Standing here in front of so many young citizens from all over the world, I truly feel the positive energy and spirit of optimism in this room. And we will need your youthful energy, creativity and passion to set the world on course to a more sustainable future. We live in troubled times.…
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This speech was originally made by Kofi Annan at the 2017 Athens Democracy Forum on 13 September 2017. Your Excellency, the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Prokopios Pavlopoulos, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, let me start by thanking the New York Times for inviting me to this conference here in Greece, the…
The Crisis of Democracy
This speech was originally made by Kofi Annan at the 2017 Athens Democracy Forum on 13 September 2017. Your Excellency, the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Prokopios Pavlopoulos, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, let me start by thanking the New York Times for inviting me to this conference here in Greece, the ancient cradle of democracy. This lecture is being given in the name of Aristotle, one of the most enduring thinkers Greece, and indeed the world, has ever produced. His very name means “excellent insight”, and he certainly left us quite a few, which continue to resonate more than…
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Mr. President, Excellences, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is a privilege to speak to you today on one of the most important issues of our time: the relationship between religion, pluralism, and democracy. Let me say at the outset that I believe that religion, pluralism and democracy are not incompatible. To…
Religion, Pluralism, and Democracy
Mr. President, Excellences, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is a privilege to speak to you today on one of the most important issues of our time: the relationship between religion, pluralism, and democracy. Let me say at the outset that I believe that religion, pluralism and democracy are not incompatible. To the contrary, I believe that that they should be mutually reinforcing foundations of healthy, stable, and prosperous societies. From the dawn of time, and at the four corners of the earth, religion and faith have provided humanity with ethical codes and spiritual guidance and comfort. At its best,…
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This speech was originally made by Kofi Annan at the Andrew Carnegie Distinguished Lecture on Conflict Prevention, New York, October 24, 2014. I am delighted to be here this evening to deliver this lecture, which honours David Hamburg. At the outset of my first term as Secretary General, the Carnegie Commission under…
“The New World Disorder: Challenges for the UN in the 21st Century"
This speech was originally made by Kofi Annan at the Andrew Carnegie Distinguished Lecture on Conflict Prevention, New York, October 24, 2014. I am delighted to be here this evening to deliver this lecture, which honours David Hamburg. At the outset of my first term as Secretary General, the Carnegie Commission under David’s leadership published its far-sighted and far-reaching report on Preventing Deadly Conflict. For me, as I sought out new ideas and ways for the United Nations to better prevent and end violent conflict, the report proved to be both inspirational and instructive. So thank you David for that…
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This speech was originally made by Kofi Annan at the opening of the Centre on Food Security and the Environment Stanford, November 11, 2011. Thank you for the kind words and warm welcome. I am honoured to have been invited to mark the opening of the Centre on Food Security and the Environment.…
Food Security is a Global Challenge
This speech was originally made by Kofi Annan at the opening of the Centre on Food Security and the Environment Stanford, November 11, 2011. Thank you for the kind words and warm welcome. I am honoured to have been invited to mark the opening of the Centre on Food Security and the Environment. The challenges you are focussing on could hardly be more important. Nor could your timing better underline their urgency. Only last week the UN marked the world’s population reaching seven billion. And it was just 13 years earlier, in Sarajevo, where the world celebrated the birth of the…
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Former UN Secretary-General warns “time is running out” and says “leadership has never been more needed than it will be in the coming weeks and months”. Kofi Annan calls on the world’s political leaders to demonstrate the vision and courage to reach a post-Kyoto agreement which is global, effective and fair, with…
Gabriel Silver Memorial Lecture: 'Climate change – the leadership challenge of our time'
Former UN Secretary-General warns “time is running out” and says “leadership has never been more needed than it will be in the coming weeks and months”. Kofi Annan calls on the world’s political leaders to demonstrate the vision and courage to reach a post-Kyoto agreement which is global, effective and fair, with climate justice at its heart. In his inaugural address as a Global Fellow at Columbia University, Annan states that climate change is the greatest global challenge of modern times, which risks becoming the main restraint on development. In a speech delivered the day after the UN High-Level Meeting…
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This speech was originally made on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, Geneva, November 9, 2009. Mme Foreign Minister Calmy Rey, State Councillor Moutinot, Mayor Pagani, President Kellenberger, Excellences, ladies and gentleman, I am honoured to be here and for this chance to celebrate and reflect on the…
An appeal to our common humanity
This speech was originally made on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, Geneva, November 9, 2009. Mme Foreign Minister Calmy Rey, State Councillor Moutinot, Mayor Pagani, President Kellenberger, Excellences, ladies and gentleman, I am honoured to be here and for this chance to celebrate and reflect on the 60th Anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. Let me start by thanking the Government of Switzerland – and Mrs Calmy-Rey in particular – along with Mr Kellenberger and the ICRC for organizing this important conference. Both Switzerland and the ICRC are rightly identified around the world for advancing humanitarian…
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This speech was originally made by Kofi Annan to the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, in Oslo, Norway, July 14, 2009. “Co-operation is no longer a choice but a clear imperative” – Kofi Annan warns that the world’s most pressing challenges can only be overcome through multilateral solutions. I am honoured to…
'Multilateralism – Today's Imperative'
This speech was originally made by Kofi Annan to the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, in Oslo, Norway, July 14, 2009. “Co-operation is no longer a choice but a clear imperative” – Kofi Annan warns that the world’s most pressing challenges can only be overcome through multilateral solutions. I am honoured to be with you today to mark the 50th anniversary of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. Today’s conference clearly shows that the Institute, as its approaches venerable middle age, has lost none of its youthful purpose or energy. In your first half-century, you have made a major contribution…
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This speech was originally made by Kofi Annan at the Obafemi Awolowo Centenary Celebrations, Lagos, Nigeria, July 14, 2009. Kofi Annan calls on Africa to take greater responsibility for its own problems and solutions. Ambassador (Hamzat) Ahmudu, Your Royal Majesty/Highness, distinguished friends. I am honoured to be with you today to help mark…
Kofi Annan's remarks at the Obafemi Awolowo Centenary Celebrations, 'Africa in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities'
This speech was originally made by Kofi Annan at the Obafemi Awolowo Centenary Celebrations, Lagos, Nigeria, July 14, 2009. Kofi Annan calls on Africa to take greater responsibility for its own problems and solutions. Ambassador (Hamzat) Ahmudu, Your Royal Majesty/Highness, distinguished friends. I am honoured to be with you today to help mark the centenary of a remarkable man. An outstanding son of both Nigeria and Africa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo was a man of vision and courage, of intellect and leadership. Identifying the challenges facing our continent long before many others, he also worked tirelessly to find solutions which would allow…
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This speech was originally made by Kofi Annan to the Swedish Parliamentary Ombudsman Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, June 9, 2009. “Sovereignty shared is not sovereignty given up. The collective interest in the new century is also a national interest if we are to find fair, effective and lasting solutions.” I am very pleased…
‘Sovereignty – The State and the Individual’
This speech was originally made by Kofi Annan to the Swedish Parliamentary Ombudsman Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, June 9, 2009. “Sovereignty shared is not sovereignty given up. The collective interest in the new century is also a national interest if we are to find fair, effective and lasting solutions.” I am very pleased to be in Stockholm for the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of one of Sweden’s greatest gifts to the world – the Ombudsman system. The modern Ombudsman may have started here but it has since been adopted and adapted right across the world as is clear from the…
