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Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan was a Ghanaian diplomat and statesman who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder and chairman of the Kofi Annan Foundation, as well as chairman of The Elders, an international organisation founded by Nelson Mandela.
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politics · UN Secretary-General from 1997 to 2006 · diplomat · economist · politician · also Kofi Annan, Kofi Atta Annan, Annan, Kofi A. Annan, Busumuru Kofi Atta Annan
Born 8 April 1938 · Died 18 August 2018 · Q1254
88 published statements · 0 followers
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2026· 8 entries
Modern Ghana: What is GoldBod’s contribution to Ghana’s broader development agenda? — James Annan #JoyNews
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Modern Ghana: IMF: Ghana’s Gold Purchase Programme recorded GH¢22bn in losses in 2025-Dr. James Kofi Annan.#AMShow
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GhanaWeb: ‘Men who shape their beard and hairline won’t make heaven’ - Prophet Francis Kofi Annan
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yen.com.gh: UN honours Kofi Annan eight years after his death with heartfelt tribute
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GBC Ghana Online: Eight years on, Kofi Annan’s legacy of peace and goodness endures
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صوت الإمارات: Kofi Annan: His achievements as Secretary-General of the United Nations
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The New Indian Express: The politics and economics of TVK government's Annan Seer scheme
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2018· 9 entries
The Hill: Kofi Annan’s memorial was a celebration of his service to the world
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Yahoo: Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan dies at age 80
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Yahoo: Barack Obama, Justin Trudeau and Other World Leaders Celebrate the Life of Kofi Annan
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Died 2018-08-18.
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“When women thrive, all of society benefits and succeeding generations are given a better start in life.”
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Before Annan's death, Myanmar's civilian government, under the direction of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, made a gesture of acceptance of the Annan commission's recommendations by convening another board – the advis
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“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.”
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“We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race. We all share the same basic values.”
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“Gender equality is critical for the development and peace of every nation.”
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2014· 1 entry
The Report highlighted the potential of African fisheries, agriculture, and forests to drive economic development
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2013· 1 entry
Awarded Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour (2013).
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2012· 3 entries
Awarded Confucius Peace Prize (2012).
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Annan was the UN–Arab League Joint Special Representative for Syria to help find a resolution to the Syrian civil war
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Career landmark: United Nations Envoy to Syria (2012–2012).
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2010· 1 entry
Awarded Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (2010).
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2009· 1 entry
Won Medal of honor Dag Hammarskjold (2009).
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2008· 1 entry
Awarded Freedom Award (2008).
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2007· 3 entries
Awarded Bruno Kreisky Award for Services to Human Rights (2007).
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Awarded North–South Prize (2007).
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Annan established the Kofi Annan Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit organisation that "works to promote better global governance and strengthen the capacities of people and countries to achieve a fairer, more sec
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2006· 4 entries
Awarded Grand Cross of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria (2006).
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Awarded Olof Palme Prize (2006).
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“The world is not ours to keep. We hold it in trust for future generations.”
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“I think the tragedy of the Holocaust is an undeniable historical fact and we should really accept that fact and teach people what happened in World War II and ensure it is never repeated”
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2005· 1 entry
Annan included the doctrine of "Responsibility to Protect" (RtoP) in his report In Larger Freedom
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2004· 4 entries
Awarded Honorary doctors of Ghent University (2004).
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Won Four Freedoms Award – Freedom Medal (2004).
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“I could and should have done more to sound the alarm and rally support.”
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Ten years after the genocide in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed, Annan said: "I could and should have done more to sound the alarm and rally support
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2003· 3 entries
Awarded Indira Gandhi Peace Prize (2003).
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Awarded Sakharov Prize (2003).
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Retired Canadian general Roméo Dallaire, who was force commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR), claimed that Annan was overly passive in his response to the imminent genocide
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2002· 4 entries
Awarded Torstein Dale Memorial Prize (2002).
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Awarded Profile in Courage Award (2002).
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Awarded Honorary doctorate from the University of Geneva (2002).
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Annan was enstooled by Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene of Asanteman, as the Busumuru of the Ashanti people - a Ghanaian chief
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2001· 11 entries
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Peace — for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world.
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Awarded J. William Fulbright Prize (2001).
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Awarded honorary doctorate from Brown University (2001).
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Awarded Honorary doctor of the Free University of Berlin (2001).
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Awarded Nobel Peace Prize (2001).
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Won Philadelphia Liberty Medal (2001).
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Which focused not on the right of states to intervene but on a responsibility to protect populations at risk
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Which he shared with the UN "for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world
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Its centennial year, the Nobel Committee decided that the Peace Prize was to be divided between the UN and Annan
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The Asia-Pacific Group agreed to support Annan for a second term in return for the African Group's support for an Asian secretary-general in the 2006 selection
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And was succeeded as secretary-general by Ban Ki-moon in 2007
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2000· 4 entries
Awarded Kora Awards (2000).
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Annan issued a report titled We the Peoples: the Role of the United Nations in the 21st Century
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Was responsible for certifying Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon, and in 2006, he led talks in New York between the presidents of Cameroon and Nigeria, which led to a settlement of the dispute between the two countries
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“s recommendations were essential to making the United Nations truly credible as a force for peace. Later that same year, the Security Council adopted several provisions relating to peacekeeping following the report, in Resolution 1327. Millennium Development Goals In 2000, Annan issued a report titled We the Peoples: the Role of the United Nations in the 21st Century. The report called for member states to”
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1999· 2 entries
Awarded honorary doctor of the Dresden University of Technology (1999).
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“goals of the United Nations and those of business can, indeed, be mutually supportive”
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1998· 3 entries
Annan convened an annual UN "Security Council Retreat" with the 15 states' council representatives
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Annan was deeply involved in supporting the transition from military to civilian rule in Nigeria
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Published “Orexins and Orexin Receptors: A Family of Hypothalamic Neuropeptides and G Protein-Coupled Receptors that Regulate Feeding Behavior” in Cell — cited 4,601 times.
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1997· 2 entries
Career landmark: United Nations Secretary-General (1997–2006).
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Annan released two reports on management reform
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1996· 2 entries
Career landmark: 1996 United Nations Secretary-General selection.
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Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali ran unopposed for a second term
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1992· 1 entry
Annan was appointed to the new department as Deputy to then Under-Secretary-General Marrack Goulding
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1991· 1 entry
Shared the middle name Atta, which in the Akan language means "twin"
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1990· 1 entry
Became Assistant Secretary-General for Program Planning, Budget and Finance, and Control
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1989· 1 entry
Published “GROUND‐PENETRATING RADAR FOR HIGH‐RESOLUTION MAPPING OF SOIL AND ROCK STRATIGRAPHY<sup>1</sup>” in Geophysical Prospecting — cited 1,521 times.
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1987· 1 entry
Annan was appointed as an assistant secretary-general for Human Resources Management and Security Coordinator for the UN system
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1984· 1 entry
Annan married Nane Lagergren, a Swedish lawyer at the UN and a maternal half-niece of diplomat Raoul Wallenberg
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1983· 1 entry
Became the director of administrative management services of the UN Secretariat in New York
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1980· 2 entries
Published “Electromagnetic determination of soil water content: Measurements in coaxial transmission lines” in Water Resources Research — cited 4,078 times.
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Became the head of personnel for the office of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva
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1972· 1 entry
Studied at MIT Sloan School of Management (1971–1972).
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1965· 1 entry
Annan married Titi Alakija, a Nigerian woman from an aristocratic family
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1962· 3 entries
Annan started working as a budget officer for the World Health Organization, an agency of the United Nations (UN)
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Studied at Graduate Institute of International Studies (1961–1962).
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Working for the World Health Organization's Geneva office
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1961· 1 entry
Studied at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (1958–1961).
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1958· 1 entry
Annan began studying economics at the Kumasi College of Science and Technology, (the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology of Ghana)
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1957· 3 entries
“suffering anywhere, concerns people everywhere”
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The year Annan graduated from Mfantsipim, the Gold Coast gained independence from the UK and began using the name "Ghana"
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Studied at Mfantsipim School (1954–1957).
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1938· 1 entry
Born 1938-04-08.
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