Kofi Annan: 20 Speeches you need to know - Kofi Annan Foundation

20 Speeches by Kofi Annan

A selection of twenty speeches by Kofi Annan you need to know

As United Nations (UN) Secretary-General and later Chair of his Foundation, Kofi Annan was called upon to deliver many speeches at major events around the world.

We have selected twenty of Kofi Annan’s speeches for this page, which taken together provide a broad understanding of his views on peace, development and human rights. Many of his recommendations for action are as valid and important today as they were when he spoke these words.

The list is not exhaustive and any selection is somewhat arbitrary. You can find more Kofi Annan speeches on our website and in UN online archives.

The UN Library & Archives in Geneva has published a series of videos to remember Kofi Annan, his legacy, what has been accomplished since 2001 – when he and the United Nations were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize – and what still needs to be achieved.

©UN Photo/Sergey Bermeniev

Nobel Lecture

The speech by Kofi Annan upon reception of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Oslo, December 10, 2001

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Photo by Leigh Vogel for The New York Times Athens Democracy Forum

The Crisis of Democracy

This speech was made by Kofi Annan at the 2017 Athens Democracy Forum.

Athens, September 14, 2017

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Kofi Annan Junior Chamber International World Congress 2017 © Junior Chamber International

Leadership & Governance

The speech by Kofi Annan at the 2017 Junior Chamber International (JCI).

Amsterdam, November 8, 2017

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Religion, Pluralism & Democracy,

Kofi Annan’s speech on the relationship between religion, pluralism, and democracy.

Bali, December 07, 2016

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The New World Disorder: Challenges for the UN in the 21st Century

Andrew Carnegie Distinguished Lecture on Conflict Prevention,

New York, October 24, 2014

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Kofi Annan at Stanford November 2011 ©L.A. Cicero

Food Security is a Global Challenge

Remarks at opening of the Centre on Food Security and the Environment,

Stanford, November 11, 2011

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Sovereignty – The State and the Individual

Swedish Parliamentary Ombudsman Conference,

Stockholm, June 9, 2009

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Multilateralism – Today’s Imperative

Speech to the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs,

Oslo, July 14, 2009

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Kofi Annan World Leaders Lecture 2009 at Columbia ©Columbia University

Climate change – the leadership challenge of our time

Gabriel Silver Memorial Lecture,

Columbia University, September 23, 2009

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Africa in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities

Remarks at the Obafemi Awolowo Centenary Celebrations,

Lagos, July 14, 2009

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An appeal to our common humanity

Address on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Geneva Conventions,

Geneva, November 9, 2009

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The battle is never finally won

Address to both Houses of Parliament to commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade,

London, May 8, 2007

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10 years after – A farewell statement to the General Assembly

10 years after – A farewell statement to the General Assembly,

New York, September 19, 2006

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Nuclear weapons, the greatest danger of all

Lecture at Princeton University,

New York, November 28, 2006

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Secretary-General Kofi Annan - 2005 World Summit - Credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten

We stand or fall together

Address to the 2005 World Summit,

New York, September 14, 2005

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Putting care and treatment within everyone's reach

Address by Kofi Annan to the African Summit on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Other Infectious Diseases,

Abuja, April 26, 2001

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Building a partnership for girls' education

Address to the World Education Forum,

Dakar, April 26, 2000

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Global Compact with Business

Address to World Economic Forum,

Davos, January 31, 1999

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On Intervention

35^th Annual Ditchley Foundation Lecture,

Ditchley Park, June 26, 1998

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Our Enemy Is Indifference

Remarks at the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library,

Boston, June 06, 1997

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