UN secretary-general (19972006), born in Kumasi, SC Ghana. He studied in the USA and Switzerland, joining the UN in 1962, and held posts in the High Commission for Refugees and the World Health Organization. After joining the UN secretariat, he became (1993) under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations. He replaced Boutros Boutros-Ghali to become the first secretary-general from sub-Saharan Africa. Jointly with the UN, he was awarded the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize, and in 2005 received the Zayed Prize for his global leadership on the environment.
Kofi Atta Annan|
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| 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations | |
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In office January 1, 1997 – December 31, 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Boutros Boutros-Ghali |
| Succeeded by | Ban Ki-moon |
| Born |
April 8, 1938 Kumasi, Ghana |
| Spouse |
Titi Alakija (div.) Nane Maria Annan |
Kofi Atta Annan (born April 8, 1938) is a Ghanaian diplomat and the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Early years and family
Kofi Annan (IPA: /kofi ænən/) was born to Victoria and Henry Reginald Annan in the Kofandros section of Kumasi, Ghana.
Annan is married to Nane Maria Annan, a Swedish lawyer and artist who is the half-niece of Raoul Wallenberg.
Education
From 1954 to 1957, Annan attended the elite Mfantsipim school, a Methodist boarding school in Cape Coast founded in the 1870s.
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.
Early career
In 1962, Annan started working as a Budget Officer for the World Health Organization, an agency of the United Nations.
In his book Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda, ex-General Roméo Dallaire who was force commander of the UNAMIR claims that Annan has been overly passive in his response to the 1994 Tutsi genocide in Rwanda.
Annan was then an 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 this capacity and returning to his duties as Under-Secretary-General in April 1996.
Secretary-General of the United Nations
On December 13, 1996, Annan was selected by the United Nations Security Council to be Secretary-General, and was confirmed four days later by vote of the General Assembly.
Annan's tenure as Secretary-General was renewed on January 1, 2002, in an unusual deviation from informal policy. since Annan's predecessor Boutros-Ghali was also an African, Annan normally would have served only one term, indicating Annan's unusual popularity.
Mark Malloch Brown succeeded Louise Frechette as Annan's Deputy Secretary-General in April 2006.
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.
Annan supports sending a UN peacekeeping mission to Darfur, Sudan, and is working with the government of Sudan to accept a transfer of power from the African Union peacekeeping mission to a UN one.
On September 19, 2006, Annan gave a farewell address in anticipation of his retirement on December 31.
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, and sexual harassment and misconduct as well against Werner Blatter, Director of UNHCR Personnel by a long-serving staff member.
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, some viewed as retaliation against Nair for supporting the complainant in the Lubbers affair.
The Independent Inquiry Committee into The United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme was appointed by Annan and led by former US Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, in spite of the latter's strong ideological ties to the UN as director of the United Nations Association of the United States of America.
Conflict between the United States and the United Nations
Kofi Annan supported his deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown, who openly criticized the United States media in a speech on June 6, 2006: 'The prevailing practice of seeking to use the U.N. reform
On March 21, 2005, Annan presented a progress report, In Larger Freedom, to the UN General Assembly.
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 cause March 21, 2003 Carleton University, Doctor of Laws, 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, November 18, 2006Biographies, interviews, and profiles
Official UN biography Nobel Peace Prize biography Kofi Annan – Nobel Lecture Kofi Annan: Center of the Storm Detailed PBS profile. 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. 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 MagazineSpeeches
Statements of Secretary-General Kofi Annan Nobel Peace Prize lectureNews
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"Other
The United Nations Homepage United Nations Secretary-General Homepage|
Preceded by: Boutros Boutros-Ghali |
United Nations Secretary-General 1997–2006 |
Succeeded by: Ban Ki-moon |
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2001: UN, Annan | Ban Ki-moon (Effective January 1, 2007) |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Annan, Kofi Atta |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | United Nations Secretary-General |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 8, 1938 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kumasi, Ghana |
| DATE OF DEATH | living |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
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