Kofi Annan
LeaderGhana

Kofi Annan

We may have different religions, different languages, different coloured skin, but we all belong to one human race.

The Story of a Life

Kofi Annan was the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations (1997-2006), the first to rise from within the UN staff. Under his leadership, he articulated the Millennium Development Goals, championed the "Responsibility to Protect" doctrine, and navigated the UN through the HIV/AIDS crisis and the post-9/11 world. He and the UN jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001. A gentle but unflinching diplomat, Annan believed fundamentally that global problems require global solutions, and that human dignity is non-negotiable.

The Milestones

Achievements
2001

Nobel Peace Prize (2001) — shared with the United Nations

1997

7th UN Secretary-General (1997-2006)

03

Championed the Millennium Development Goals

04

Articulated the "Responsibility to Protect" doctrine

2008

Global mediator in the 2008 Kenyan post-election crisis