Kofi Annan was a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Secretary-General of the United Nations between 1997 and 2006, and the founding chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation, which he set up to mobilise political will to overcome threats to peace, development and human rights.
Life
Kofi Annan
1938
Born in Kumasi, Ghana
Kofi Annan born in Kumasi, Ghana.
1957
School Gradution
In 1957, the year Annan graduated from Mfantsipim, the Gold Coast gained independence from Britain and adopted the name ‘Ghana’.
1962
First job at the United Nations
Kofi Annan joins the United Nations as a Budget Officer for the World Health Organization after attending the Graduate Institute in Geneva.
Podcast
Kofi Annan
Available on
About the Podcast
Regarded as one of the modern world’s icons of diplomacy, what is Kofi Annan’s legacy today? What can we learn from him, and how can we prepare for tomorrow based on his vision for a better world?
In this exclusive 10-part podcast, Ahmad Fawzi, one of Kofi Annan’s former spokespersons and Communication Advisor, examines how Kofi Annan tackled a specific crisis and its relevance to today’s world and challenges.
Kofi Annan’s call to bring all stakeholders around the table — including the private sector, local authorities, civil society organisations, academia, and scientists — resonates now more than ever with so many, who understand that governments alone cannot shape our future.
Join us on a journey of discovery as Ahmad Fawzi interviews some of Kofi Annan’s closest advisors and colleagues, including Dr Peter Piot, Christiane Amanpour, Mark Malloch-Brown, Michael Møller, Mark Suzman, Alicia Bárcena and more.
Listen and follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and SoundCloud.
Brought to you by the Kofi Annan Foundation and the United Nations Information Service.
Safeguarding a Legacy
The Kofi Annan Foundation is committed to protecting Kofi Annan’s legacy and honouring and promoting his values. The Foundation holds the rights to the name “Kofi Annan” to ensure that its use is aligned with his values.
Kofi Annan Speeches
As United Nations (UN) Secretary-General and later Chair of his Foundation, Kofi Annan was called upon to deliver many speeches at major events worldwide.
We have selected twenty of Kofi Annan’s speeches, 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.
Kofi Annan Quotes
Discover a wide selection of Kofi Annan’s most celebrated and impactful quotes on peace, democracy, human rights, and more. These Kofi Annan quotes were extracted from his speeches and statements from when he was the Secretary-General of the United Nations until his time as chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation.
Collected Papers
The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at the City College of New York (CCNY), under the direction of Dr Jean Krasno, has published the Collected Papers of Kofi Annan, who served two five-year terms as UN Secretary-General, spanning ten years from January 1997 to December 2006.
Under Dr Krasno’s direction, the research team read all of Kofi Annan’s papers in the public domain, including speeches, remarks, press conferences, reports to the Security Council, noon briefings, statements, and also declassified papers released to the project by the UN to build a database for publication. A five-volume set of books in print was published by Lynne Rienner Publishers in 2012 entitled The Collected Papers of Kofi Annan: UN Secretary-General 1997-2006.
Published Works
Kofi Annan
Interventions – A Life in War and Peace
Kofi Annan’s official memoirs
During over forty years of service in the United Nations, the last ten as Secretary-General, Kofi Annan has been at the centre of the major geopolitical events of our time. As much a memoir as a guide to world order, Interventions provides a unique, behind-the-scenes view of global diplomacy during one of the most tumultuous periods in UN history.
We the Peoples – A UN for the 21st century
A collection of Kofi Annan’s greatest speeches
We the Peoples is a collection of Kofi Annan’s greatest speeches. It reveals how Kofi Annan‘s ideas and priorities emerged and were proclaimed. His words on war, peace, humanity, and ‘man’s inhumanity to man’ continue to resonate and offer many pointers for maintaining and developing the UN as a vital instrument for humanity in coming decades.
The Collected Papers of Kofi Annan
Hardcover, 800 pages, English
To provide a comprehensive understanding of Kofi Annan’s tenure as UN Secretary-General from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006, a team led by Professor Jean Krasno assembled thousands of selected papers from his period in office, including speeches, reports, interviews, off-the-cuff comments, correspondence, statements to the press and internal notes. This is the first time that the papers of the UN.
“…it is young people’s hope and energy, their enthusiasm and willingness to experiment, that makes society move forward.”
Kofi Annan
News
Kofi Annan
Publications + Media
First published in
Mary Robinson: “The current failure of leadership is not gender neutral”
Mary Robinson, Chair of The Elders, delivered the Kofi Annan Peace Address during Geneva Peace Week 2024. Reflecting on Kofi Annan’s legacy and the current global leadership crisis in peace efforts, she called for greater respect for humanitarian law, and advocated for gender parity in leadership, emphasising the need for women’s inclusion in peacebuilding. Full Remarks from Mary Robinson […]
First published in
Democracy in Africa: Then & Now | Kofi Time with Mohamed Ibn Chambas | Episode 9
In episode 9, podcast host Ahmad Fawzi welcomes special guest Mohamed Ibn Chambas. Together, they explore trends, challenges, and opportunities for democracy in Africa. What are noteworthy examples of democratic governance on the continent? How can we restore trust in democracy, as the system best able to ensure that the voices of the people are […]
First published in
Human Rights: Then & Now | Kofi Time with Zeid Raad Al Hussein | Episode 6
In episode 6 of Kofi Time, our special guest is Zeid Raad Al Hussein. Zeid discusses his friendship with Kofi Annan and how they worked together to protect human dignity and promote human rights. Through the creation of the Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court, Kofi Annan played a critical role in establishing […]
First published in
Podcast | Reimaging Global Governance for Food Security
Amir Abdulla, a member of the Kofi Annan Commission on Food Security, joins The Next Page Pod to examine the complex issue of global food security and the need for a revamped governance system. Despite having enough food produced worldwide to feed everyone, millions still suffer from hunger due to systemic failures. This podcast episode […]
First published in
Democracy in Africa: Then & Now | Kofi Time with Mohamed Ibn Chambas | Episode 9
In episode 9, podcast host Ahmad Fawzi welcomes special guest Mohamed Ibn Chambas. Together, they explore trends, challenges, and opportunities for democracy in Africa. What are noteworthy examples of democratic governance on the continent? How can we restore trust in democracy, as the system best able to ensure that the voices of the people are […]
First published in
Human Rights: Then & Now | Kofi Time with Zeid Raad Al Hussein | Episode 6
In episode 6 of Kofi Time, our special guest is Zeid Raad Al Hussein. Zeid discusses his friendship with Kofi Annan and how they worked together to protect human dignity and promote human rights. Through the creation of the Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court, Kofi Annan played a critical role in establishing […]
First published in
Mary Robinson: “The current failure of leadership is not gender neutral”
Mary Robinson, Chair of The Elders, delivered the Kofi Annan Peace Address during Geneva Peace Week 2024. Reflecting on Kofi Annan’s legacy and the current global leadership crisis in peace efforts, she called for greater respect for humanitarian law, and advocated for gender parity in leadership, emphasising the need for women’s inclusion in peacebuilding. Full Remarks from Mary Robinson […]
First published in
Address by Nana Akufo-Addo – Kofi Annan Peace & Security Forum 2021
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana and Chair of ECOWAS delivered the following Address on December 8 2021, in Accra, Ghana, at the 2021 Kofi Annan Peace and Security Forum Check Against Delivery I am happy to be here this morning to participate in the 2nd Kofi Annan Peace and Security Forum, which was […]
First published in
"Let us rise" – Remarks by Kofi Annan Published in UNA-UK Magazine
The following is an edited version of Kofi Annan’s opening remarks for the 2001 World Conference on Racism in Durban, South Africa, as published in the October 2018 edition of the UNA-UK Magazine. Let us remember that no one is born a racist. Children learn racism as they grow up, from the society around them – […]
First published in
Kofi Annan's last 12 months at the Kofi Annan Foundation
As Kofi Annan is laid to rest tomorrow in Ghana, we reflect on his remarkable life, works and principles. The Kofi Annan Foundation was borne of Mr. Annan’s profoundly held convictions – those of great statesman, a committed internationalist and a compassionate human being – that we have a duty to pursue a fairer and […]
First published in
On democracy and rule of law
The Kofi Annan Foundation supports democracy and elections with integrity.
First published in
Interventions – A Life in War and Peace
Kofi Annan’s book Interventions, a Life in War and Peace was published in October 2012, and is now available for purchase in English, French, Dutch, German, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish. This page contains information on vendors, excerpts from the book and links to Mr. Annan’s speaking engagements and media appearances when the book was […]
First published in
Kofi Annan’s Lessons in Global Leadership
Sadly, principled statesmen and women who can forge bold, morally consistent responses to today’s global problems are in short supply. We must therefore safeguard and promote the virtues that the former UN secretary-general embodied. This article originally appeared in Project Syndicate on May 13, 2022. GENEVA – The world is facing a set of acute […]
First published in
Restoring the shine of the City on the Hill: An urgent global priority
As the saga continues to unfold in the US over last week’s riot on the Capitol building, Sébastien Brack, Head of Elections & Democracy at the Kofi Annan Foundation, explores what it will take to restore the shine of the City on the Hill. “The outcome of elections should be determined in the ballot box, […]
First published in
Open Letter: Times of unprecedented crisis present unique opportunities for unprecedented action
An open letter from Kofi Annan Foundation Board member Graça Machel, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dr. Vera Songwe, and Maria Ramos. COVID-19 has unearthed massive inequalities within our societies and brought to glaring light the unique burdens which women carry the world over. As we respond to the impacts of COVID-19 both in the immediate and […]
First published in
Kofi Annan Foundation launches Commission on Elections and Democracy in the Digital Age
The Kofi Annan Foundation holds the inaugural meeting of the Kofi Annan Commission on Elections and Democracy in the Digital Age at Stanford University from 14 to 16 January 2019. “Today, new technologies and social media platforms are profoundly changing democracies – and democratic processes everywhere” says Laura Chinchilla, the Chair of the Commission and […]
First published in
United Nations Democracy Fund and the Kofi Annan Foundation join forces
As 2019 kicks off, the Kofi Annan Foundation is delighted to have the support of the United Nations Democracy Fund for our on-going work to strengthen electoral process with integrity in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Foundation’s Electoral Integrity Initiative works across the globe with civil society, opposition parties, governments and election administrator to build capacity to respond to […]
First published in
IMD’s Orchestrating Winning Performance Welcomes Kofi Annan
IMD’s Orchestrating Winning Performance welcomes Kofi Annan The former UN leader calls for pressure on politicians to anticipate change By Michèle Laird for IMD business school New systems of governance are required to not only meet, but anticipate, the needs of a changing world. That was one of the messages Kofi Annan, the 7th Secretary […]