Kofi Annan
Ghanaian diplomat and seventh UN secretary-general, Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Kofi Atta Annan was born on 8 April 1938 in Kumasi, in what was then the Gold Coast (now Ghana), into a Fante aristocratic family. His twin sister, Efua Atta, died in 1991; their shared middle name means "twin" in the Akan language. Annan’s name reflects Akan naming traditions: "Kofi" corresponds to Friday, the day he was born, and "Annan" means fourth-born child in Asante. He attended the elite Mfantsipim boarding school, where he learned that "suffering anywhere concerns people everywhere," graduating in 1957, the year Ghana gained independence. After studying economics at the Kumasi College of Science and Technology, he won a Ford Foundation grant to complete his undergraduate degree at Macalester College in Minnesota in 1961. He then earned a postgraduate degree in international relations in Geneva and later a master’s in management from MIT’s Sloan School.
Annan joined the United Nations in 1962 as a budget officer for the World Health Organization in Geneva. Over the next decades, he held various UN posts, including head of personnel for the UNHCR, director of administrative services, and assistant secretary-general for human resources and program planning. In 1992, he became deputy to the under-secretary-general for peacekeeping, and in March 1993 he took over that role after American officials pushed for his appointment, viewing him as more flexible on peacekeeping in Somalia. In August 1995, while Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali was unreachable, Annan authorized UN officials to temporarily give up their veto over air strikes in Bosnia, allowing NATO’s Operation Deliberate Force. This move, praised by US diplomat Richard Holbrooke, made Annan a favored candidate to replace Boutros-Ghali. He served as special representative to the former Yugoslavia from November 1995 to March 1996.
On 13 December 1996, the Security Council appointed Annan secretary-general, and the General Assembly confirmed him—the first UN staff member to rise to the top post. He was re-elected in 2001 and served until 2006, when Ban Ki-moon succeeded him. As secretary-general, Annan overhauled UN bureaucracy, pushed to combat HIV/AIDS (especially in Africa), and launched the UN Global Compact. He faced criticism for failing to expand the Security Council and calls to resign over the Oil-for-Food Programme investigation, but was largely cleared of personal wrongdoing. In 2003, retired Canadian general Roméo Dallaire accused Annan of being too passive during the lead-up to the Rwandan genocide.
After leaving the UN, Annan founded the Kofi Annan Foundation in 2007 to focus on international development. He also chaired The Elders, an organization created by Nelson Mandela. In 2012, he served as the UN–Arab League joint special representative for Syria, but resigned, frustrated by the UN’s lack of progress on the conflict. In September 2016, he led a UN commission investigating the Rohingya crisis. Annan died on 18 August 2018 and received a state funeral. He and the UN were jointly awarded the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize.
- born
- 8 April 1938
- died
- 18 August 2018
- field
- Diplomacy, international relations
- nationality
- Ghanaian
- known_for
- Seventh UN Secretary-General, 2001 Nobel Peace Prize, UN reform, HIV/AIDS advocacy, UN Global Compact
Lore & Background
Annan joined the United Nations in 1962, working for the World Health Organization's Geneva office. He went on to work in several capacities at the UN Headquarters, including serving as the under-secretary-general for peacekeeping between March 1992 and December 1996. He was appointed secretary-general on 13 December 1996 by the Security Council and later confirmed by the General Assembly, making him the first officeholder to be elected from the UN staff itself. He was re-elected for a second term in 2001 and was succeeded as secretary-general by Ban Ki-moon in 2007. As secretary-general, Annan reformed the UN bureaucracy, worked to combat HIV/AIDS (especially in Africa) and launched the UN Global Compact. He was criticised for not expanding the Security Council and faced calls for his resignation after an investigation into the Oil-for-Food Programme, but was largely exonerated of personal corruption. After the end of his term as secretary-general, he founded the Kofi Annan Foundation in 2007 to work on international development. In 2012, Annan was the UN–Arab League Joint Special Representative for Syria to help find a resolution to the Syrian civil war. Annan quit after becoming frustrated with the UN's lack of progress with regard to conflict resolution. In September 2016, Annan was appointed to lead a UN commission to investigate the Rohingya crisis. He died in 2018 and was given a state funeral.
Reader's Guide
Annan was born in Fante New Town, Kumasi, Gold Coast (Ghana) on 8 April 1938. He attended Mfantsipim school from 1954 to 1957. He studied economics at Kumasi College of Science and Technology, then at Macalester College (graduating 1961), then earned a DEA in International Relations at the Graduate Institute of Geneva (1961–62), and later a master's in management from MIT Sloan (1971–72). He worked for the WHO in 1962, then held various UN posts. He was under-secretary-general for peacekeeping from March 1993 to December 1996. He was appointed secretary-general on 13 December 1996, confirmed 17 December 1996, and served from 1 January 1997 to 2006. He was re-elected in 2001. After his term, he founded the Kofi Annan Foundation in 2007. He served as UN–Arab League Joint Special Representative for Syria in 2012, quitting due to lack of progress. In September 2016, he led a UN commission on the Rohingya crisis. He died on 18 August 2018.
Did You Know?
- Annan's twin sister Efua Atta died in 1991; 'Atta' means 'twin' in Akan.
- He was the first UN secretary-general elected from the UN staff itself.
- Annan and the UN shared the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize.
- He was appointed to lead a UN commission investigating the Rohingya crisis in September 2016.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"You can do a lot with diplomacy, but with diplomacy backed up by force you can get a lot more done." — Kofi Annan "We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race." — Kofi Annan "He is very calm—very, very calm. Never raises his voice. Well-informed, contrary to the sense outside that he is ill-informed and isolated. And decisive." — Kofi Annan "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
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