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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…
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 Kofi Annan Geneva Peace Address, 15 October 2024. These remarks were first published by The Elders. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen It is an honour and a pleasure to be with you here tonight in my capacity as Chair of The Elders to deliver the Kofi…
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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…
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 crises without recent parallel: a war in Europe that could escalate into a nuclear conflict, skyrocketing food prices that are hitting the poor the hardest, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the climate emergency. We need principled statesmen and women to forge bold, morally consistent responses to…
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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…
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, not in the streets”, said Kofi Annan forcefully after the Kenyan election crisis of 2007-2008, but recent events in the USA have highlighted that the challenge exists in established and fledgeling democracies alike. Though consistent with President Trump’s discourse over the past four years and…
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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…
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 long term, we have an unprecedented opportunity to completely redesign our ways of living with innovative and large-scale action to cater for the magnitude of the task of transforming the African continent. Allocation of response resources should be targeted towards the immediate needs of managing…
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Geneva – April 8, 2020: Today, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, would have been 82 years old. On this occasion, Geneva Airport announces that its protocol lounge will be renamed “Espace Kofi Annan.” This gesture honours a man who unceasingly fought for international cooperation to tackle global challenges,…
Geneva Airport dedicates its protocol salon to Kofi Annan
Geneva – April 8, 2020: Today, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, would have been 82 years old. On this occasion, Geneva Airport announces that its protocol lounge will be renamed “Espace Kofi Annan.” This gesture honours a man who unceasingly fought for international cooperation to tackle global challenges, something which has never been more relevant than today, given the global crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic. At a time when the world is facing unprecedented threats and disruptions due to COVID-19, we recall Kofi Annan’s ever-important words; “It makes sense that we all come together to…
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The following article originally appeared in the New York Times special World Review: The State of Democracy, a special section that examines global policy and affairs through the perspectives of thought leaders and commentators. A version of this article also appears in print on Oct. 18, 2019, in The New York Times International Edition.…
How Does the Age of Fake News Impact Democracy in the Developing World?
The following article originally appeared in the New York Times special World Review: The State of Democracy, a special section that examines global policy and affairs through the perspectives of thought leaders and commentators. A version of this article also appears in print on Oct. 18, 2019, in The New York Times International Edition. — Post-Truth Politics Afflicts the Global South, Too – by Laura Chinchilla Centuries before the age of social media, in his “Politics,” Aristotle explicitly outlined the vital trait that sustains modern democratic coexistence, separates us from other species and makes us, in his famous words, a “political animal”:…
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The below article was written by Alan Doss and Faizel Ismail and first published in the Daily Maverick Just 11% of countries in Africa are politically ‘free’, and the average level of democracy, understood as the respect for political rights and civil liberties, fell in each of the last 14 years. In the…
Defending Democracy: Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan’s ideals under the spotlight
The below article was written by Alan Doss and Faizel Ismail and first published in the Daily Maverick Just 11% of countries in Africa are politically ‘free’, and the average level of democracy, understood as the respect for political rights and civil liberties, fell in each of the last 14 years. In the SADC region, five countries have lost ground since 2006. “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society,” said Nelson Mandela. Two-thirds of Africans still share his ideal today (Afrobarometer), one of the highest scores in the world. What’s more, democratic principles are enshrined in the African…
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The following article was written by Kofi Annan Foundation President Alan Doss and published in the August edition of Réalités Industrielles; ‘What future for the African economy?‘ Summary One of the most pressing challenges in Africa is how to eradicate hunger and extreme poverty and ensure prosperity for all people. Kofi Annan…
Feeding Africa through increased intra-African food trade
The following article was written by Kofi Annan Foundation President Alan Doss and published in the August edition of Réalités Industrielles; ‘What future for the African economy?‘ Summary One of the most pressing challenges in Africa is how to eradicate hunger and extreme poverty and ensure prosperity for all people. Kofi Annan Foundation President Alan Doss argues that intra-African food trade can be an important driver in strengthening Africa’s capacity to ensure food security, as well as for its economic growth and shared prosperity. While the creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area is a critical step forward, the…
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The following article was written by H.E Mrs Ruth Dreifuss, former President of Switzerland and chair of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. The article was written on the occasion of the 72nd World Health Assembly, where Kofi Annan’s contributions to global health and drug policies were recognised. It was originally in…
What We Owe to Kofi Annan’s Legacy in Global Health by H.E. Ruth Dreifuss
The following article was written by H.E Mrs Ruth Dreifuss, former President of Switzerland and chair of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. The article was written on the occasion of the 72nd World Health Assembly, where Kofi Annan’s contributions to global health and drug policies were recognised. It was originally in Tages-Anzeiger. GENEVA – This week, as representatives from all countries gather in Geneva for the World Health Assembly, a notable person, who did so much to advance global public health solutions, will be sorely missed: Kofi Annan, who passed away in summer, 2018. On Monday, May 21, 2019,…
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GENEVA – The Kofi Annan Foundation and Interpeace are proud to take part in the 2019 edition of the European Development Days (EDD). Organised by the European Commission, the EDD brings the development community together each year to share ideas and experiences in ways that inspire new partnerships and innovative solutions to…
Does Equality in Peace Matter?
GENEVA – The Kofi Annan Foundation and Interpeace are proud to take part in the 2019 edition of the European Development Days (EDD). Organised by the European Commission, the EDD brings the development community together each year to share ideas and experiences in ways that inspire new partnerships and innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Inequality is a critical obstacle to the construction of peaceful, inclusive, and resilient societies. However, the mechanism behind this, especially in low-income or post-conflict states, has not been thoroughly examined. The Kofi Annan Foundation and Interpeace will co-host a session: ‘Does Equality in…
