Kofi Annan Quotes

#1. More than ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only if we face it together. And that is why we have the United Nations.

Kofi Annan

#2. His Holiness brings a wealth of experience to this exalted office. The United Nations and the Holy See share a strong commitment to peace, social justice, human dignity, religious freedom and mutual respect among the world's religions.

Kofi Annan

#3. Globalization is a fact of life. But I believe we have underestimated its fragility.

Kofi Annan

#4. The death toll from small arms dwarfs that of all other weapons systems - and in most years greatly exceeds the toll of the atomic bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In terms of the carnage they cause, small arms, indeed, could well be described as 'weapons of mass destruction'.

Kofi Annan

#5. Once you are really challenged, you find something in yourself. Man doesn't know what he is capable of until he is asked.

Kofi Annan

#6. The international community ... allows nearly 3 billion people almost half of all humanity to subsist on $2 or less a day in a world of unprecedented wealth.

Kofi Annan

#7. Remembering is a necessary rebuke to those who say the Holocaust never happened or has been exaggerated.

Kofi Annan

#8. The future belongs to you, but it can only belong to you if you participate and take charge

Kofi Annan

#9. The world has lost a visionary leader, a courageous voice for justice, and a clear moral compass. By showing us that the path to freedom and human dignity lies in love, wisdom and compassion for one another, Nelson Mandela stands as an inspiration to us all.

Kofi Annan

#10. No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth severs its lifeline.

Kofi Annan

#11. Landmines are among the most barbaric weapons of war, because they continue to kill and maim innocent people long after the war itself has ended. Also, fear of them keeps people off the land, and thus prevents them from growing food.

Kofi Annan

#12. Under international law, the responsibility for protecting civilians in conflict falls on the belligerents. Under military occupation, responsibility for the welfare of the population falls on the occupiers.

Kofi Annan

#13. If you have a problem and you can't find a solution, you meet again tomorrow and you keep talking until you find a solution. You can disagree with behavior or a particular position, but you do not resort to calling an opponent worthless.

Kofi Annan

#14. If our hopes of building a better and safer world are to become more than wishful thinking, we will need the engagement of volunteers more than ever.

Kofi Annan

#15. You have to wake up every day ready to start again.

Kofi Annan

#16. Asked whether donor nations may be becoming fatigued ... The fatigue may be there, but I don't think we can justify it in the face of such misery. We may need to wake up our conscience and our conscience must force us to act.

Kofi Annan

#17. Microfinance is an idea whose time has come.

Kofi Annan

#18. We have to choose between a global market driven only by calculations of short-term profit, and one which has a human face.

Kofi Annan

#19. Let us, above all, be clear that, without a convincing program of debt relief to start the new millennium, our objective of halving world poverty by 2015 will be only a pipe dream.

Kofi Annan

#20. No nation can make itself secure by seeking supremacy over all others. We all share responsibility for each other's security, and only by working to make each other secure can we hope to achieve lasting security for ourselves.

Kofi Annan

#21. Tolerance, inter-cultural dialogue and respect for diversity are more essential than ever in a world where peoples are becoming more and more closely interconnected.

Kofi Annan

#22. When women thrive, all of society benefits, and succeeding generations are given a better start in life.

Kofi Annan

#23. Literacy is at the heart of sustainable development

Kofi Annan

#24. We must bring a message of solidarity, of mutual respect and, above all, of hope. Business cannot afford to be seen as the problem.

Kofi Annan

#25. Ignorance and prejudice are the handmaidens of propaganda. Our mission, therefore, is to confront ignorance with knowledge, bigotry with tolerance, and isolation with the outstretched hand of generosity. Racism can, will, and must be defeated.

Kofi Annan

#26. On this International Day of Peace, let us dare to imagine a world free of conflict and violence

Kofi Annan

#27. It is my aspiration that health finally will be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for.

Kofi Annan

#28. Drugs have destroyed many lives, but wrongheaded governmental policies have destroyed many more. I think it's obvious that after 40 years of war on drugs, it has not worked. There should be decriminalization of drugs.

Kofi Annan

#29. You saw the traumas that people lived through, and wondered what it will take to move us as a human community, as humanity, to help in these dangerous situations.

Kofi Annan

#30. Our biggest challenge in this new century is to take an idea that seems abstract - sustainable development - and turn it into a reality for all the world's people

Kofi Annan

#31. National markets are held together by shared values and confidence in certain minimum standards. But in the new global market, people do not yet have that confidence.

Kofi Annan

#32. The question is the morning after. What sort of Iraq do we wake up to after the bombing? What happens in the region? What impact could it have? These are questions leaders I have spoken to have posed.

Kofi Annan

#33. We need to create a world that is equitable, that is stable and a world where we bear in mind the needs of others, and not only what we need immediately. We are all in the same boat.

Kofi Annan

#34. From this vision of the role of the United Nations in the next century flow three key priorities for the future: eradicating poverty, preventing conflict and promoting democracy.

Kofi Annan

#35. The happiness of any society begins with the well being of the families that live in it.

Kofi Annan

#36. The right to development is the measure of the respect of all other human rights.That should be our aim: a situation in which all individuals are enabled to maximize their potential, and to contribute to the evolution of society as a whole.

Kofi Annan

#37. Gather the five virtues (Dignity, Confidence, Courage, Compassion, and Faith). Then you are a man.

Kofi Annan

#38. You are never too young to lead and you should never doubt your capacity to triumph where others have not.

Kofi Annan

#39. Education is the great equalizer of our time. It gives hope to the hopeless and creates chances for those without ...

Kofi Annan

#40. I am often asked what can people do to become a good global citizen? I reply that it begins in your own community.

Kofi Annan

#41. All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.

Kofi Annan

#42. I often quote an African proverb that says: "The world is not ours, the earth is not ours, It's a treasure we hold in trust for future generations." And I often hope we will be worthy of that trust.

Kofi Annan

#43. Violence against women is perhaps the most shameful human rights violation, and it is perhaps the most pervasive. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth. As long as it continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and peace

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#44. Time and again, when member states and the governments are faced with an insoluble problem, and they're under pressure to do something, that something usually ends up being referred to the U.N.

Kofi Annan

#45. Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.

Kofi Annan

#46. I have always believed that on important issues, the leaders must lead. Where the leaders fail to lead, and people are really concerned about it, the people will take the lead and make the leaders follow.

Kofi Annan

#47. Justice has taken its course and the authority and legitimacy of the legal process must be respected.

Kofi Annan

#48. Business, labor and civil society organizations have skills and resources that are vital in helping to build a more robust global community.

Kofi Annan

#49. Have confidence in the young people, give them a chance, and they will surprise you.

Kofi Annan

#50. Without a dream you'll not get anywhere.

Kofi Annan

#51. The global work of the United Nations is not without reason compared to that of a family - striving for a common goal in concert with all members for a better future.

Kofi Annan

#52. Let us work in partnerships between rich and poor to improve the opportunities of all human beings to build better lives.

Kofi Annan

#53. If information and knowledge are central to democracy, they are conditions for development.

Kofi Annan

#54. If one is going to err, one should err on the side of liberty and freedom.

Kofi Annan

#55. The Millennium Development Goals can be met by 2015, but only if all involved break with business as usual and dramatically accelerate and scale up action now.

Kofi Annan

#56. If we can come up with innovations and train young people to take on new jobs, and if we can switch to clean energy, I think we have the capacity to build this world not dependent on fossil-fuel. I think it will happen, and it won't destroy economy.

Kofi Annan

#57. The Lord had the wonderful advantage of being able to work alone.

Kofi Annan

#58. We need to keep hope alive and strive to do better.

Kofi Annan

#59. The status quo cannot work.

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#60. Democracy is, in essence, a form of non-violent conflict management. If war is the worst enemy of development, healthy and balanced development is the best form of conflict prevention.

Kofi Annan

#61. To educate girls is to reduce poverty

Kofi Annan

#62. When economic conditions are difficult, people tend to be less generous and protect themselves; the question of solidarity doesn't mean much to them at that time.

Kofi Annan

#63. Jewish people have been victims of anti-Semitism in many parts of the world, and in Europe they were the target of the Holocaust, the ultimate abomination. Yet, we cannot expect Palestinians to accept this as a reason why the wrongs done to them

Kofi Annan

#64. We shall not defeat any of the infectious diseases that plague the developing world until we have also won the battle for safe drinking water, sanitation, and basic health care.

Kofi Annan

#65. The United Nations is proud to have the Adopt-A-Minefield Campaign as a partner.

Kofi Annan

#66. To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.

Kofi Annan

#67. The report [by a UN commission on Darfur] demonstrates beyond all doubt that the last two years have been little short of hell on earth for our fellow human beings in Darfur.

Kofi Annan

#68. We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race.

Kofi Annan

#69. The invasion and occupation of Iraq is illegal.

Kofi Annan

#70. In all these cases, part of the reasons for failure perhaps was not analyzing and assessing the true nature of the crisis, the resources that would be required, and exaggerated expectation of what the U.N. troops can do.

Kofi Annan

#71. The fight against HIV/AIDS requires leadership from all parts of government - and it needs to go right to the top. AIDS is far more than a health crisis. It is a threat to development itself.

Kofi Annan

#72. Founded on the principles of private initiative, entrepreneurship and self-employment, underpinned by the values of democracy, equality and solidarity, the co-operative movement can help pave the way to a more just and inclusive economic order.

Kofi Annan

#73. Children are our future, and their mothers are its guardians.

Kofi Annan

#74. Access to a secure, safe and sufficient source of fresh water is a fundamental requirement for the survival, well-being and socio-economic development of all humanity. Yet, we continue to act as if fresh water were a perpetually abundant resource. It is not.

Kofi Annan

#75. I don't share the view that the ICC is anti-African. The ICC is not putting Africa on trial. The ICC is fighting impunity and individuals who are accused of crimes.

Kofi Annan

#76. The war on drugs has failed in West Africa and around the world

Kofi Annan

#77. Open markets offer the only realistic hope of pulling billions of people in developing countries out of abject poverty, while sustaining prosperity in the industrialized world.

Kofi Annan

#78. Acquiring literacy is an empowering process, enabling millions to enjoy access to knowledge and information which broadens horizons, increases opportunities and creates alternatives for building a better life.

Kofi Annan

#79. Achieving the MDGs is not optional; it is an essential investment in a safer, more human and prosperous world

Kofi Annan

#80. I don't see a situation where one side will win militarily, take over Syria, and there will be peace and quiet, a clean victory.

Kofi Annan

#81. It has been said that arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity.

Kofi Annan

#82. The U.N. power comes from concerted action of the governments.

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#83. More countries have understood that women's equality is a prerequisite for development.

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#84. Unless the Security Council is restored to its pre-eminent position as the sole source of legitimacy on the use of force, we are on a dangerous path to anarchy.

Kofi Annan

#85. We need to ensure the poorest in the planet - who will be hardest hit by the financial crisis - are not forgotten.

Kofi Annan

#86. We must ensure that the global market is embedded in broadly shared values and practices that reflect global social needs, and that all the world's people share the benefits of globalization.

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#87. Education is, quite simply, peace-building by another name. It is the most effective form of defense spending there is.

Kofi Annan

#88. To build a more healthy, peaceful and equitable world the classrooms of the world have to be full of girls as well as boys

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#89. The problem is not with the faith, but with the faithful

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#90. Poverty devastates families, communities and nations. It causes instability and political unrest and fuels conflict.

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#91. When things are really desperate and hopeless and you can't do anything about this, and there's a sense that something must be done, that is something usually leads to the U.N.

Kofi Annan

#92. Whether our task is fighting poverty, stemming the spread of disease or saving innocent lives from mass murder, we have seen that we cannot succeed without the leadership of the strong and the engagement of all.

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#93. The United Nations believes that acceptance of these principles will help the Palestinian people achieve their legitimate goal of an end to occupation and the creation of an independent and viable state, living in peace and security with its neighbors.

Kofi Annan

#94. We can love what we are, without hating what, and who, we are not.

Kofi Annan

#95. We will not enjoy security without development, we will not enjoy development without security, and we will not enjoy either without respect for human rights.

Kofi Annan

#96. I think that peacekeeping can do quite a lot, if they are given the right mandate with the commensurate resources to get the job done.

Kofi Annan

#97. Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family

Kofi Annan

#98. You are never too young to lead.

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#99. When so many lives are at risk, when so much killing is going on, when there's so much chaos and suffering, isn't the risk warranted? ... And if we don't take the risk of coming to the conference, what do we do? We let it continue?

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#100. Literacy unlocks the door to learning throughout life, is essential to development and health, and opens the way for democratic participation and active citizenship.

Kofi Annan