Historical Figures Codexery

Kofi Annan

Ghanaian diplomat and seventh UN secretary-general, Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Born on 8 April 1938, Kofi Atta Annan was a diplomat from Ghana who held the position of the United Nations' seventh secretary-general from 1997 until 2006.[1] The Nobel Peace Prize for 2001 was awarded jointly to Annan and the United Nations.[1]

Quick Facts

Order
7th
Office
Secretary-General of the United Nations
Deputy
Louise Fréchette, Mark Malloch Brown
Took office
1 January 1997
Left office
31 December 2006
Predecessor
Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Successor
Ban Ki-moon

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Annan was born on 8 April 1938 in Kumasi, Gold Coast, into a Fante aristocratic family.[2] His name Kofi corresponds to Friday, the day he was born, and Annan means fourth-born child in Asante.[3] He attended the elite Mfantsipim school from 1954 to 1957.[4] Annan studied economics at Macalester College in the US, graduating in 1961.[5]

He was appointed UN secretary-general on 13 December 1996 and started his first term on 1 January 1997.[6] He faced criticism for his response to the Rwanda genocide, later saying "I could and should have done more to sound the alarm and rally support".[7] His professional career at the World Health Organization began in 1962, where he worked as a budget officer.[8] In March 1993, Annan was appointed to the role of Under-Secretary-General for the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.[9]

What the cited sources add

Annan spent virtually his entire career as an administrator in the United Nations.[10] During his tenure, he presided over some of the worst failures and scandals at the world body.[10] At a 2004 memorial conference, Annan said "the international community is guilty of sins of omission" regarding the Rwanda genocide.[11] He announced backing a call for a minute of silence to remember the victims and resolve to prevent such a tragedy.[11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Kofi Annan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "General Assembly Appoints Kofi Annan of Ghana As Seventh Secretary-general", United Nations, 17 December 1996; "The Nobel Peace Prize 2001", Nobel Foundation; "Kofi Annan Ghanaian statesman and secretary-general of the United Nations" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Kofi Annan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Kofi Annan - Biography", 8 October 2009; "Biography", Kofi Annan Foundation, 19 August 2018; "Kofi Annan Fast Facts", CNN International, 27 June 2013; "Kofi Annan: Former secretary-general of the United Nations, Africa's Foremost Diplomat and a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. – Everything Fante"; "Kofi Annan – The Man To Save The World?", November 2002; Cowell, "Kofi Annan, Who Redefined the U.N., Dies at 80", The New York Times, 18 August 2018 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Kofi Annan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Kofi – English English Dictionary English kasahorow", en.kasahorow.org (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Kofi Annan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Kofi Annan – Center of the Storm. Life Map. A Chief's Son | PBS" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Kofi Annan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "SECRETARY-GENERAL TO BE HONOURED BY KUMASI UNIVERSITY Meetings Coverage and Press Releases", press.un.org (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Kofi Annan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "BIO/3051 – "Kofi Annan of Ghana recommended by Security Council for appointment as Secretary-General of United Nations"", United Nations, 13 December 1996; Traub 2006; "GA/9208 -"General Assembly appoints Kofi Annan of Ghana as seventh Secretary-General"", United Nations, 17 December 1996 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Kofi Annan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "UN chief's Rwanda genocide regret", BBC News, 26 March 2004 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Kofi Annan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Meisler 2007 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Kofi Annan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Myint-U Scott 2007; "FACTBOX: Career of Kofi Annan, Kenya crisis mediator", Reuters, 22 January 2008; Meisler 2011 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. "Former U.N. Oil-for-Food Chief Benon Sevan Indicted Over Bribes From Saddam's Regime", Fox News, 16 January 2007. facts only, no text reused. foxnews.com
  11. "UN chief's Rwanda genocide regret", BBC News, 26 March 2004. facts only, no text reused. news.bbc.co.uk

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Kofi Annan (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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