100 Quotes by Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan, a Ghanaian diplomat and statesman, left an indelible mark on the world stage through his commitment to international peace, diplomacy, and humanitarianism. Serving as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, Annan navigated the organization through complex global challenges, advocating for human rights, development, and conflict resolution. His efforts earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, a recognition of his tireless dedication to promoting understanding and cooperation among nations. Beyond his diplomatic achievements, Annan's legacy includes his emphasis on the responsibility of governments and individuals to protect vulnerable populations and uphold ethical principles. His ability to bridge divides and foster dialogue demonstrated the potential for diplomacy to shape a more just and harmonious world.
Kofi Annan Quotes
There is no trust more sacred than theone the world holds with children. (Meaning)
Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. (Meaning)
Education is a human right with immense power to transform (Meaning)
It has been said that arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity. (Meaning)
To educate girls is to reduce poverty. (Meaning)
We all make mistakes. (Meaning)
Extreme poverty anywhere is a threat to human security everywhere. (Meaning)
We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race.
Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.
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.
Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace. If, however, they are left on society's margins, all of us will be impoverished. Let us ensure that all young people have every opportunity to participate fully in the lives of their societies.
We need to promote greater tolerance and understanding among the peoples of the world. Nothing can be more dangerous to our efforts to build peace and development than a world divided along religious, ethnic or cultural lines. In each nation, and among all nations, we must work to promote unity based on our shared humanity.
Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable human development.
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.
There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women.
Education is, quite simply, peace-building by another name. It is the most effective form of defense spending there is.
When women thrive, all of society benefits, and succeeding generations are given a better start in life.
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.
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.
If globalization is to succeed, it must succeed for poor and rich alike. It must deliver rights no less than riches. It must provide social justice and equity no less than economic prosperity and enhanced communication.
It has been said that arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity.
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
You are never too young to lead and you should never doubt your capacity to triumph where others have not.
...let us continue to work together to develop and nurture in future generations a culture of human rights, to promote freedom, security and peace in all nations.
I am not afraid to dream. You first have to start with a dream. Build your castles in the air and give it foundation. Without a dream, you are not going to get anywhere.
No one is born a good citizen or a good democrat or a good leader; it takes time and education.
Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.
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.
We need to think of the future and the planet we are going to leave to our children and their children.
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.
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.
Poverty devastates families, communities and nations. It causes instability and political unrest and fuels conflict.
Business, labor and civil society organizations have skills and resources that are vital in helping to build a more robust global community.
Once you are really challenged, you find something in yourself. Man doesn't know what he is capable of until he is asked.
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.
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.
It is impossible to realize our goals while discriminating against half the human race. As study after study has taught us, there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women.
People of different religions and cultures live side by side in almost every part of the world, and most of us have overlapping identities which unite us with very different groups. We can love what we are, without hating what – and who – we are not. We can thrive in our own tradition, even as we learn from others, and come to respect their teachings.
In an age of interdependence, global citizenship - based on trust and sense of shared responsibility - is a crucial pillar of progress. At a time when more than one billion people are denied the very minimum requirements of human dignity, business cannot afford to be seen as the problem. Rather, it must work with governments and all other actors in society to mobilize global science, technology and knowledge to tackle the interlocking crises of hunger, disease, environmental degradation and conflict that are holding back the developing world.
Microfinance recognizes that poor people are remarkable reservoirs of energy and knowledge, posing an untapped opportunity to create markets, bring people in from the margins and give them the tools with which to help themselves.
One must also acknowledge that there are moments in an organization's development when fresh blood and new vision are required, which may imply that an outsider may be better suited to the leadership role.
Let us be good stewards of the Earth we inherited. All of us have to share the Earth's fragile ecosystems and precious resources, and each of us has a role to play in preserving them. If we are to go on living together on this earth, we must all be responsible for it.
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.
I urge you to celebrate the extraordinary courage and contributions of refugees past and present.
Reform is a process, and not an event.
If you are neutral in a situation where one side is patently being mistreated, the conclusion is that you're siding with this wrong.
You have to wake up every day ready to start again.
It is within the family that children learn the values that will guide them for the rest of their lives. It is within the family that they form their earliest relationships, learn to communicate with others and interact with the world around them. It is within the family that the notion of human rights becomes a reality lived on a daily basis. If tolerance, respect and equity permeate family life, they will translate into values that shape societies, nations and the world.
I am often asked what can people do to become a good global citizen? I reply that it begins in your own community.
The global HIV/AIDS epidemic is an unprecedented crisis that requires an unprecedented response. In particular it requires solidarity - between the healthy and the sick, between rich and poor, and above all, between richer and poorer nations. We have 30 million orphans already. How many more do we have to get, to wake up?
The United Nations, whose membership comprises almost all the States in the world, is founded on the principle of the equal worth of every human being.
Globalization is a fact of life. But I believe we have underestimated its fragility.
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
Children are our future and if we use them in battle, we are destroying the future. We must reclaim them, every one of them, one at a time.
I used to tell the story about as a young man in high school one of the professors came in and put a broad white sheet on the board with a dot in the right hand corner and said, "Boys, what do you see?" And we all shouted, a black dot. He stood back and said, "not a single one of you saw the broad white sheet, you all saw the black dot." He went on to tell us to focus on the broader picture, don't focus on the negative.
Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development... For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right.... Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realize his or her full potential.
If we are to make poverty history, we must have the active participation of States, civil society and the private sector, as well as individual volunteers.
The war on drugs has failed in West Africa and around the world
You are never too young to lead.
Good, healthy democratic societies are built on three pillars: there's peace and stability, economic development, and respect for rule of law and human rights. And where all three are present, you stand a very good chance of making a go of it.
We have to choose between a global market driven only by calculations of short-term profit, and one which has a human face.
A developed country is one that allows all its citizens to enjoy a free and healthy life in a safe environment
The future of peace and prosperity that we seek for all the world's peoples needs a foundation of tolerance, security, equality and justice. That foundation is the family. It is only by protecting families, from famine as well as from fragmentation, that they can prosper and contribute to the family of nations that is the United Nations.
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.
We have the means and the capacity to deal with our problems, if only we can find the political will.
Human beings are not property. On the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, let us reaffirm the inherent dignity of all men, women and children. And let us redouble our efforts so that the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - 'no one shall be held in slavery or servitude' - ring true.
Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realize his or her full potential.
We can love what we are, without hating what, and who, we are not.
Literacy unlocks the door to learning throughout life, is essential to development and health, and opens the way for democratic participation and active citizenship.
We don’t need any more promises. We need to start keeping the promises we already made.
If tolerance, respect and equity permeate family life, they will translate into values that shape societies, nations and the world.
In an era of global abundance, our world has the resources to reduce dramatically the massive divides that persist between rich and poor, if only those resources can be unleashed in the service of all peoples.
In an age where community involvement and partnerships with civil society are increasingly being recognized as indispensable, there is clearly a growing potential for cooperative development and renewal worldwide.
Have confidence in the young people, give them a chance, and they will surprise you.
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.
Women themselves have the right to live in dignity, in freedom from want and freedom from fear. On this International Women's Day, let us rededicate ourselves to making that a reality.
"There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children."
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.
More than ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only if we face it together. And that, my friends, is why we have the United Nations.
The future belongs to you, but it can only belong to you if you participate and take charge
International law now grants rights to all human beings, not only to citizens.
There can be no doubt that these attacks are deliberate acts of terrorism, carefully planned and coordinated and as such I condemn them utterly. Terrorism must be fought resolutely wherever it appears.
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.
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.
Contrary to popular belief, we do not face a choice between economy and ecology, It is often said that protecting the environment would constrain or even undermine economic growth. In fact, the opposite is true: unless we protect resources and the earth's natural capital, we shall not be able to sustain economic growth.
...let us recognize that extreme poverty anywhere is a threat to human security everywhere. Let us recall that poverty is a denial of human rights. For the first time in history, in this age of unprecedented wealth and technical prowess, we have the power to save humanity from this shameful scourge. Let us summon the will to do it.
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.
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.
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.
Without a dream you'll not get anywhere.
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.
The Refugee Convention of 1951 was a major breakthrough, outlining the rights of those displaced across borders as well as the legal obligations of states to protect them.
Knowledge is power. Information is liberating.
To look into some aspects of the future, we do not need projections by supercomputers. Much of the next millennium can be seen in how we care for our children today. Tomorrow's world may be influenced by science and technology, but more than anything, it is already taking shape in the bodies and minds of our children.
The future of peace and prosperity that we seek for all the world's peoples needs a foundation of tolerance, security, equality and justice.
The happiness of any society begins with the well being of the families that live in it.
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.
As one of my predecessors said, our objective is not to take people to heaven, but to prevent humanity from going to hell.
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.
To live is to choose.
Any society that does not succeed in tapping into the energy and creativity of its youth will be left behind.
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.
Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace.
More countries have understood that women's equality is a prerequisite for development.
Let us all reaffirm our commitment to improving the well- being of families throughout the world.
We cannot wait for governments to do it all. Globalization operates on Internet time. Governments tend to be slow moving by nature, because they have to build political support for every step.
Neutrality is a tough call for the weaker ones.
We were all children once. And we all share the desire for the well-being of our children, which has always been and will continue to be the most universally cherished aspiration of humankind.
The preservation of biodiversity is not just a job for governments. International and non-governmental organisations, the private sector and each and every individual have a role to play in changing entrenched outlooks and ending destructive patterns of behaviour
I think that in the West, many citizens, especially younger citizens, take their freedoms and institutions for granted and focus on their frustrations with their governments' inability to solve pressing problems.
The gap between the rich and the poor cannot keep growing without nothing being done about it.
The US-led invasion of Iraq was an illegal act that contravened the UN charter.
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.
To educate girls is to reduce poverty.
In their greatest hour of need, the world failed the people of Rwanda.
Peace is never a perfect achievement.
Education is a human right with immense power to transform
Business cannot prosper in societies that fail.
However much one tries to suppress the will of the people they eventually will have the last word.
The Lord had the wonderful advantage of being able to work alone.
One of my biggest regrets was the fact that as an institution and an international community we could not stop the war in Iraq. That really was very difficult and very painful. Every fibre in my body felt it was wrong. I spoke to leaders, we spoke to people, we tried... we couldn't stop it... and we see the results.
Human rights education is much more than a lesson in schools or a theme for a day; it is a process to equip people with the tools they need to live lives of security and dignity. On this International Human Rights Day, let us continue to work together to develop and nurture in future generations a culture of human rights, to promote freedom, security and peace in all nations.
The World is not ours to keep. We hold it in trust for future generations.
We need to keep hope alive and strive to do better.
A hungry mind is not free, and I felt if we were really going to make a difference and fight poverty we should at least start with the ability to feed ourselves, and the millions of Africans who don't have it.
If the United Nations is not as united as it should be, that is because it is a reflection of the world we live in.
If information and knowledge are central to democracy, they are the conditions for development.
Let us choose to unite the power of markets with the authority of universal ideals. Let us choose to reconcile the creative forces of private entrepreneurship with the needs of the disadvantaged and the requirements of future generations.
If we get agriculture right in Africa, where most of the people now are working in that sector, not only would it help boost development but we will be secure in terms of food and nutrition and then be able to move on to other areas.
The United Nations has long recognised that the imagination, ideals and energies of young men and women are vital for the continuing development of the societies in which they live. And since its inception in 1948, AIESEC has contributed to this development by serving as an agent of positive change trough education and cultural exchange.
Education is the great equalizer of our time. It gives hope to the hopeless and creates chances for those without.
If one is going to err, one should err on the side of liberty and freedom.
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.
There has to be a force on the horizon that can come very quickly. But the way we run and fund peacekeeping, this capacity is unavailable.
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.
The status quo cannot work.
Good, healthy democratic societies are built on three pillars: there's peace and stability, economic development, and respect for rule of law and human rights. But often, we take stability - peace in terms of security and economic activity - to mean a country is doing well. We forget the third and important pillar of rule of law and respect for human rights, because no country can long remain prosperous without that third pillar.
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.
One has to learn from history. Quite frankly, it is almost impossible to have a sense of vision without a sense of history. If history is learned, then it doesn't have to repeat itself over generations.
The problem is not with the faith, but with the faithful
Change is a process which has to be managed. If it's managed and managed well in the interest of the nation and the people, the likelihood is that it will end well.
Intelligence can be used to manipulate.
I was an ordinary boy at school, a young man. In fact, what did the headmaster once say? "You're constantly challenging those in authority; questioning and challenging those in authority." Which was not really the way I saw it. I felt there were questions that had to be answered, and things that weren't quite right.
A United Nations that will not stand up for human rights is a United Nations that cannot stand up for itself.
The Security Council should be seen as the executive committee of the global security system set up after World War II. Its members, and especially the Permanent 5 (P5), have a special responsibility for international peace and security.
In countries where democracy is either non-existent or in development, on the other hand, citizens crave those freedoms. Maybe that is one lesson Western citizens can learn from those countries: treasure what you have. Use your rights and freedoms to effect the change you want.
I think the world has moved on.
I think over time you learn to know a bit more about yourself - you develop a certain amount of self-insight and self-awareness, and you know what you can absorb, and what you cannot; what gets to you and what doesn't.
― Kofi Annan Quotes
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
