Kofi A. Annan was the 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations and was the founder and chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation. In 2001, he and the United Nations were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. Kofi Annan was praised for being “pre-eminent in bringing new life to the organization.” (Norwegian Nobel Committee, October 2001). He died in 2018 after a short illness.
Kofi Annan established the Kofi Annan Foundation as a catalyst for lasting peace and inclusive governance by anticipating looming threats security, development and human rights. With the Foundation, Annan then elaborated solutions and set in motion the political will to see these solutions implemented. In early 2008, he led the African Union’s Panel of Eminent African Personalities, which mediated a peaceful resolution to post-election violence in Kenya.