'Kofi Atta Annan' (born
April 8,
1938) is a
Ghanaian
diplomat who served as the seventh
Secretary-General of the
United Nations from
January 1 1997 to
January 1 2007, serving two five-year terms. He was the co-recipient of the
Nobel Peace Prize in 2001.
Early years and family
Kofi Annan (
IPA: //) was born to Victoria and Henry Reginald Annan in the Kofandros section of
Kumasi,
Ghana. He is a
twin, an occurrence that is regarded as special in
Ghanaian culture. His twin sister Efua Atta, who died in 1991, shares the middle name 'Atta', which in
Fante and Akan means 'twin'. As with most
Akan names, his first name indicates the day of the week he was born: Kofi denotes a boy born on a Friday. The name Annan can indicate that a child was the fourth in the family, but in Annan's family at some time in the past it became a family name, which Annan inherited from his parents. Annan's surname is frequently mispronounced as // or //. In an interview on
National Public Radio, shortly after taking office as UN Secretary General, he was asked how to say his name, and explained that the correct pronunciation rhymes with "cannon"; thus, //.
Annan's family was part of the country's elite; both of his grandfathers and his uncle were tribal chiefs. His father was half
Asante and half
Fante; his mother was Fante. Annan's father worked for a long period as an export manager for the
Lever Brothers cocoa company.
Annan is married to Nane Maria Annan, a
Swedish lawyer and artist who is the half-niece of
Raoul Wallenberg. He has two children,
Kojo and Ama, from his previous marriage to a
Nigerian woman, Titi Alakija, whom he divorced in the late 1970s. Annan also has one step-child, Nina Cronstedt de Groot, Nane's daughter from a previous marriage.
Education
From 1954 to 1957, Annan attended the elite
Mfantsipim school, a
Methodist boarding school in
Cape Coast founded in the 1870s. Annan has said that the school taught him "that suffering anywhere concerns people everywhere". In 1957, the year Annan graduated from Mfantsipim, Ghana became the first British colony in Sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence.
In 1958, Annan began studying for a
degree in
economics at the Kumasi College of Science and Technology, now the
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology of Ghana. He received a
Ford Foundation grant, enabling him to complete his undergraduate studies at
Macalester College in
St. Paul,
Minnesota,
United States, in 1961. Annan then studied at the
Graduate Institute of International Studies (''Institut universitaire des hautes études internationales'' IUHEI) in
Geneva,
Switzerland, from 1961–62, later attending the
MIT Sloan School of Management (1971–72)
Sloan Fellows program and receiving a
Master of Science (M. S.) degree from the
MIT Sloan School of Management.
Annan is fluent in
English,
French,
Kru, other dialects of
Akan, and other
African languages.
Early career
In 1962, Annan started working as a Budget Officer for the
World Health Organization, an agency of the United Nations. From 1974 to 1976, he worked as the Director of
Tourism in Ghana. Annan then returned to work for the United Nations as an Assistant Secretary-General in three consecutive positions: Human Resources Management and Security Coordinator, from 1987 to 1990; Program Planning, Budget and Finance, and Controller, from 1990 to 1992; and Peacekeeping Operations, from March 1993 to February 1994.
The chain of events which lead up to the 1994
Rwandan Genocide unfolded while Annan was heading up Peacekeeping Operations.
In his book ''
Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda'', Canadian ex-General
Roméo Dallaire, who was force commander of the
United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda, claims that Annan was overly passive in his response to the incipient genocide. Gen. Dallaire explicitly asserts that Annan held back U. N. troops from intervening to settle the conflict, and from providing more logistical and material support. In particular, Dallaire claims that Annan failed to provide any responses to his repeated faxes asking him for access to a weapons depository, something that could have helped defend the endangered
Tutsis. Dallaire concedes, however, that Annan was a man whom he found extremely "committed" to the founding principles of the United Nations.
Annan served as Under-Secretary-General until October 1995, when he was made a Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the former
Yugoslavia, serving for five months in that capacity before returning to his duties as Under-Secretary-General in April 1996.
Secretary-General of the United Nations
On
December 13 1996, Annan was recommended by the
United Nations Security Council to be Secretary-General,
[1] and was confirmed four days later by vote of the
General Assembly.
[1] Annan took the oath of office without delay, starting his first term as Secretary-General on
January 1 1997. Annan replaced outgoing Secretary-General
Boutros Boutros-Ghali of
Egypt, becoming the first person from a black African nation to serve as Secretary-General.
Annan's tenure as Secretary-General was renewed on January 1, 2002, in an unusual deviation from informal policy. The office usually rotates among the continents, with two terms each; since Annan's predecessor Boutros-Ghali was also an African, Annan normally would have served only one term and Annan's re-appointment indicated his unusual popularity.
Mark Malloch Brown succeeded
Louise Frechette as Annan's Deputy Secretary-General in April 2004.
In April 2001, he issued a five-point "Call to Action" to address the
HIV/
AIDS pandemic. As Secretary-General, Annan saw this pandemic as a "personal priority" and proposed the establishment of a
Global AIDS and Health Fund in an attempt to stimulate the increased spending needed to help developing countries confront the HIV/AIDS crisis.
On December 10, 2001, Annan and the United Nations were jointly awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize, "for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world".
During the buildup to the
2003 invasion of Iraq, Annan called on the United States and the
United Kingdom not to invade without the support of the United Nations. In a September 2004 interview on the
BBC, Annan was asked about the legal authority for the invasion, and responded, "from
our point of view, from the
charter point of view it was illegal."
[3][4]
Annan supported sending a
UN peacekeeping mission to
Darfur,
Sudan, and worked with the government of Sudan to accept a transfer of power from the
African Union peacekeeping mission to a UN one. Annan also worked with several
Arab and
Muslim countries on
women's rights and other topics.
Nuala O'Loan, the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland recently stated, "I imagine that if Kofi Annan saw somebody abusing human rights he would kick them in the knee".
Beginning in 1998 Annan convened an annual UN ''Security Council Retreat'' with 15 States representatives of the Council at the
Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) Conference Center at the
Rockefeller family estate at Pocantico, which was sponsored by both the RBF and the UN.
[5] Along with his wife he also attended the Playhouse at the family estate on the occasion of
Brooke Astor's 100th birthday celebration (see
Kykuit).
[6] He is a strong supporter and guest of the family's
Asia Society in New York.
[7]
UN controversies during Annan's tenure
Lubbers sexual harassment investigation
In
June 2004, Annan was given a copy of the
Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) report on the complaint of
sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and retaliation against
Ruud Lubbers,
UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The report also discussed allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against Werner Blatter, Director of UNHCR Personnel by a long-serving staff member. The investigation report found Ruud Lubbers guilty of sexual harassment and no mention was made publicly of the other charge against a senior official or the two subsequent complaints she filed later that year. In the course of the official investigation, Lubbers wrote a letter that some speculate was a threat to the female worker who had brought the charges of misconduct.
[8] However, on
July 15,
2004, Lubbers was declared innocent by Kofi Annan . His decision only lasted until November when OIOS issued its annual report to the UN General Assembly noting it has found Lubbers guilty. Widely reported in the media, these events served to weaken Annan's position.
On
November 17,
2004, Annan accepted a report clearing UN Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services
Dileep Nair of
graft and sexual harassment charges — charges which some viewed as retaliation against Nair for supporting the complainant in the Lubbers affair. However, clearance was not viewed favorably by some UN staff in New York, leading to extensive debate on November 19. In February 2005, Lubbers resigned as head of the UN refugee agency.
[2]
Administration of the Oil-for-Food Program
In December 2004, reports surfaced that the Secretary-General's son Kojo received payments from the
Swiss company
Cotecna Inspection SA, which won a lucrative contract under the UN
Oil-for-Food Program. Kofi Annan called for an investigation into this matter.
The Independent Inquiry Committee into The United Nations Oil-for-Food Program was appointed by Annan
[9] and led by former US Federal Reserve Chairman
Paul Volcker;
[10] Volcker has strong ideological ties to the UN as director of the
United Nations Association of the United States of America. In his first interview with the Inquiry Committee, Annan denied having had a meeting with Cotecna. Later in the inquiry he recalled that he had met with Cotecna's chief executive Elie-Georges Massey twice. In a final report issued on
October 27, the committee exonerated Kofi Annan of any illegal actions, but found fault with the UN management structure and the Security Council oversight. It strongly recommended a new position of Chief Operating Officer to handle the fiscal and administrative responsibilities which currently fall to the Secretary General's office. The report listed the companies, both Western and
Middle Eastern, who illegally benefited from the program. Some believe the committee and its outcome to have been politically motivated
[3] [4].
Conflict between the United States and the United Nations
Kofi Annan supported his deputy Secretary-General
Mark Malloch Brown, who openly criticized segments of the United States media in a speech on
June 6,
2006: "The prevailing practice of seeking to use the UN almost by stealth as a diplomatic tool while failing to stand up for it against its domestic critics is simply not sustainable…. You will lose the UN one way or another."
[11] The U.S. ambassador
John R. Bolton was reported to have told Annan on the phone: "I've known you since 1989 and I'm telling you this is the worst mistake by a senior UN official that I have seen in that entire time."
[12]
Annan's recommendations for UN reform
On
March 21,
2005, Annan presented a progress report, ''
In Larger Freedom'', to the UN General Assembly. Annan recommended Security Council expansion and a host of other
UN reforms.
[13]
On
31 January,
2006, Kofi Annan outlined his vision for a comprehensive reform of the UN in a policy speech to the
United Nations Association UK. The speech, delivered at Central Hall,
Westminster, also marked the 60th Anniversary of the first meetings of the
UN General Assembly and
UN Security Council.
[14]
On
March 7,
2006, he presented to the General Assembly his proposals for a fundamental overhaul of the United Nations Secretariat. The reform report is entitled: "Investing in the United Nations, For a Stronger Organization Worldwide".
[15]
On
March 30,
2006, he presented to the General Assembly his analysis and recommendations for updating the entire work programme of the United Nations Secretariat over the last 60 years. The report is entitled: "Mandating and Delivering: Analysis and Recommendations to Facilitate the Review of Mandates".
[16]
Farewell addresses
On
September 19,
2006, Annan gave a farewell address to world leaders gathered at the
UN headquarters in New York, in anticipation of his retirement on
December 31. In the speech he outlined three major problems of "an unjust world economy, world disorder, and widespread contempt for
human rights and the rule of law", which he believes "have not resolved, but sharpened" during his time as Secretary-General. He also pointed to violence in
Africa, and the
Arab-Israeli conflict as two major issues warranting attention.
[17]
On
December 11 2006, in his final speech as Secretary-General, delivered at the
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library in
Independence,
Missouri, Annan recalled
Truman's leadership in the founding of the United Nations. He called for the United States to return to President Truman's
multilateralist foreign policies, and to follow Truman's credo that "the responsibility of the great states is to serve and not dominate the peoples of the world", an apparent rebuke of the largely
unilateralist policies of the
George W. Bush administration. He also said that the United States must maintain its commitment to human rights, "including in the struggle against terrorism."
[18][19]
Post-UN career
Upon his return to Ghana, Annan was immediately suggested as a candidate to become the country's next
head of state.
[20]
In April of 2007, Annan was named chairman of the prize committee for the
Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership.
In June 2007, Annan was chosen to lead the new formation of Alliance for a
Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
In July 2007, Annan was chosen as a member of the
Global Elders
Honors
★
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (Kumasi), Honorary Doctor of Science,
August 24,
1998
★
United Nations Mandated University for Peace, Honorary President, 1999
★
Lund University, Honorary Doctor of Law, 1999
★
National University of Ireland, Doctor of Law,
January 22,
1999
★
Technische Universität Dresden, ''doctor honoris causa'',
April 27,
1999
★
Howard University, honorary doctorate of humane letters,
May 8,
1999
★
University of Notre Dame, Doctor of Letters, ''honoris causa'',
May 21,
2000
★
Seton Hall University,
John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Honorary Doctorate, February 2001
★
Brown University, Doctor of Laws, ''honoris causa'',
May 28,
2001
★
Free University of Berlin, ''doctor honoris causa'',
July 13,
2001
★
Nobel Foundation, The Nobel Peace Prize, jointly presented to Kofi Annan and the United Nations, 2001
★
Northwestern University, Doctor of Laws,
June 21,
2002
★ 2002 winner of the "
Profiles in Courage Award," given by the JFK Memorial Museum.
★
University of Pittsburgh, honorary Doctor of Public and International Affairs degree
October 21,
2003
★
Ghent University (
Belgium), ''doctor honoris causa''
March 21,
2003
★
Carleton University, ''Legum Doctor, honoris causa'',
March 9,
2004
★
University of Ottawa, Doctor of the University Degree,
March 9,
2004
★
University of Pennsylvania, Doctor of Laws, ''honoris causa'',
May 16,
2005
★ Grand Collar of the Order of Liberty (
Portugal),
October 11,
2005
★
Universidade Nova de Lisboa, ''doctor honoris causa'',
October 12,
2005
★
The George Washington University, Doctor of Public Service,
May 5,
2006
★
University of Tokyo, Honorary Doctorate,
May 18,
2006
★
Order of the Dutch Lion, Grand Cross, 2006
★
Georgetown University, Doctor of Humane Letters, ''honoris causa'',
October 30,
2006
★
University of St. Gallen,
Switzerland, Max Schmidheiny Foundation Freedom Prize (originally awarded 2003, but postponed due to Annan's illness),
November 18,
2006
★
Princeton University, Crystal Tiger Award,
November 28,
2006
★
Inter Press Service,
International Achievement Award for Annan's lasting contributions to peace, security, and development,
December 19,
2006
★
Olof Palme Prize, 2006
See also
★
Rwandan Genocide
★
Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Ghana
References
★ Annan, Kofi: ''
In Larger Freedom,''
21 March 2005.
★ Jan Tromp, ''Relatie Washington en VN is danig verziekt'' (De Volkskrant, zaterdag 10 juni 2006) 6.
Footnotes
1.
2.
3. Iraq war illegal, says Annan
4. Excerpts: Annan interview
5. Pocantico Conferences 2005
6. Grandest Of Dames Turns 100 in Style Alex Kuczynski
7. Society’s 50th Milestone Honors Rockefellers Tim Boxer
8. UN report slams Lubbers for 'regular sexual harassment'
9. About the Committee
10. Members
11. UN needs US, US needs UN to face challenges -- HIV/AIDS, SUDAN -- that defy national solutions, says Deputy Secretary-General in New York address
12. Speech by U. N. Leader Draws Angry Response From US
13. In Larger Freedom
14. Annan addresses UNA-UK in London
15. Reforming the United Nations
16. Reforming the United Nations, Mandate Review
17. UN's Annan depicts polarized world in farewell speech Evelyn Leopold
18. Annan chides US in final speech
19. Independence, Missouri, 11 December 2006 - Secretary-General's address at the Truman Presidential Museum and Library followed by Questions and Answers
20. http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2058913,00.html
External links
Articles
★
Norm Coleman, ''
The Wall Street Journal'',
December 1,
2004,
"Kofi Annan Must Go: It's time for the secretary-general to resign"
★ Colum Lynch, ''
The Washington Post'',
April 24,
2005,
"U.N. Chief's Record Comes Under Fire"
★ Ian Williams, ''
The Guardian'',
20 September 2005,
"Annan has paid his dues: The UN declaration of a right to protect people from their governments is a millennial change"
★
Annan, Kofi A. "Lessons from the U.N. leader" ''The Washington Post'', Dec 12, 2006.
★
"Kofi and U.N. Ideals" ''The Wall Street Journal'', Dec 14, 2006.
Biographies, interviews, and profiles
★
Official UN biography
★
Nobel Peace Prize biography
★
Kofi Annan – Nobel Lecture
★
Kofi Annan: Center of the Storm Detailed PBS profile. Includes interactive biography and map of Annan's worldwide travels, among other things. Requires Flash.
★
Kofi Annan: An Online News Hour Focus A compilation of information, interviews, and initiatives about and by Kofi Annan, by the website of the ''NewsHour with Jim Lehrer''. From 1998-1999.
★
Kofi Annan: Biographical Note Basic biography by Phyllis Bennis of the Global Policy Forum.
★
One-on-one with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan October 1998 interview of Kofi Annan by Kevin Chappell of ''Ebony''.
★
Prominent People - Kofi Annan
★
Annan Article in Saga Magazine
★
Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) Conference Center: ''UN Security Council Retreat'' Kofi Annan and fifteen representatives of the States members of the UN Security Council meet at the 'Pocantico Conference Center' in 2005 for the seventh annual “Security Council retreat”, convened by the Secretary-General.
Speeches
★
Statements of Secretary-General Kofi Annan
★
Nobel Peace Prize lecture
Other
★
The United Nations Homepage
★
United Nations Secretary-General Homepage
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