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Kofi Annan

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Article Genealogy
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Kofi Annan
NameKofi Annan
CaptionAnnan in 2008
Office7th Secretary-General of the United Nations
Term start1 January 1997
Term end31 December 2006
PredecessorBoutros Boutros-Ghali
SuccessorBan Ki-moon
Birth date8 April 1938
Birth placeKumasi, Gold Coast
Death date18 August 2018
Death placeBern, Switzerland
SpouseTiti Alakija (m. 1965, div. 1983), Nane Lagergren (m. 1984)
Alma materUniversity of Science and Technology, Macalester College, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
AwardsNobel Peace Prize (2001)

Kofi Annan was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. He was the first Sub-Saharan African to hold the post and, along with the United Nations, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001. Annan's tenure was marked by ambitious reform efforts and significant challenges, including the Iraq War and the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Early life and education

He was born into an aristocratic family in Kumasi, then part of the British Gold Coast. His father was a provincial governor for the Ashanti Empire and an executive of the United Africa Company. Annan completed his secondary education at the elite Mfantsipim School before studying economics at the Kumasi College of Science and Technology. He then won a Ford Foundation scholarship to study at Macalester College in Minnesota, earning a degree in economics. He pursued further graduate studies in international relations at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva and later earned a master's degree from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Career at the United Nations

Annan joined the World Health Organization in 1962, beginning a long career within the United Nations System. He held various administrative and leadership posts, including serving as Director of the UNHCR's Budget Division and as Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management. During the Persian Gulf War, he was responsible for repatriating international staff from Iraq and later served as Assistant Secretary-General for Program Planning. In 1993, he was appointed Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, a role that placed him at the center of difficult missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, and Somalia.

Secretary-General of the United Nations

Elected after a stalemate over the re-election of Boutros Boutros-Ghali, his tenure began with a major reform agenda titled "Renewing the United Nations." He advocated for the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals. His diplomatic efforts included brokering a peace agreement in 1998 between Libya and the United Nations Security Council over the Lockerbie bombing. The September 11 attacks and the subsequent War on Terror dominated global affairs, leading to significant divisions within the Security Council over the 2003 invasion of Iraq by a coalition led by the United States. He later described the war as "illegal." His term also saw the establishment of the International Criminal Court and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Post-UN career and initiatives

After leaving the United Nations, he founded the Kofi Annan Foundation to promote global governance and peace. He served as the Arab League-United Nations Joint Special Envoy for Syria in 2012, though he resigned citing a lack of international support. He chaired the The Elders, an independent group of global leaders, and the Africa Progress Panel. He also led a high-profile advisory commission on the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. In 2017, he was appointed to lead a United Nations inquiry into the crisis of the Rohingya people.

Personal life and death

He was married first to Titi Alakija, a Nigerian woman, with whom he had two children. After their divorce, he married Swedish lawyer and artist Nane Lagergren, a niece of Raoul Wallenberg. He was fluent in English, French, and several African languages. Annan died on 18 August 2018 at a hospital in Bern, Switzerland, after a short illness. His state funeral was held in Accra at the Accra International Conference Centre, with many world leaders in attendance, before a private burial.

Legacy and honors

He is widely remembered as a charismatic global diplomat who embodied the ideals of the United Nations. His receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 cemented his international stature. Numerous institutions bear his name, including the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra. He received honorary degrees from universities worldwide, including the University of Geneva and University of Pennsylvania. The Kofi Annan Award for Innovation in Global Health was established in his memory, and he is often cited as a key architect of modern international development frameworks.

Category:Kofi Annan Category:1938 births Category:2018 deaths Category:Secretaries-General of the United Nations Category:Ghanaian diplomats Category:Nobel Peace Prize laureates