UN Secretary-General Annan Kofi: biography, activities, awards and personal life. Annan Kofi: biography and achievements
Higher Institute international studies in Geneva
Biography
Born in the British colony of the Gold Coast, which later became independent state Ghana. Together with her twin sister, Efua Atta (died 1991), is descended from the Akan aristocracy; their father was the paramount chief of the Fanti tribe and governor of the Ashanti province. In 1954-1957 he studied at the Mfantsipim Methodist School in Cape Coast, then at the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, now named after Kwame Nkrumah.
As a student, in 1962 he began working for the UN as an employee of the World Health Organization. Then he worked in other UN structures - in Addis Ababa in Economic Commission UN for Africa; in Ismailia as part of the UN Emergency Force; in Geneva, he headed the staff of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Kofi Annan is married. His wife is Swedish Nane Annan (née Lagergren (English)Russian), niece of the Swedish fighter for saving Jews from the Nazis, Raoul Wallenberg. Speaks English and French languages, but prefers the first one in communication.
Activities as UN Secretary General
Elected after the US vetoed the candidacy of re-run Boutros Boutros-Ghali. The day before, Annan worked as the UN Assistant Secretary-General for peacekeeping operations(March 1993 - February 1994) and then Deputy Secretary General (February 1994 - October 1995; April 1996 - December 1996).
This period marked the peak of UN peacekeeping operations, with the number of deployed personnel peaking in 1995 at nearly 70,000 military and civilian personnel from 77 countries. However, his activities were also criticized; for example, the Canadian commander of peacekeepers in Rwanda, Romeo Dallaire, believed that his slowness did not prevent genocide.
Kofi Annan served as UN Secretary-General from January 1, 1997, was re-elected for a second term on June 29, 2001, and expired on December 31, 2006. Actively, but unsuccessfully, tried to reform the UN by improving administration in the organization, doubling the number of members of the UN Security Council and significantly expanding the powers of the UN Secretary General.
Annan's report, We the Peoples: The Role of the United Nations in the 21st Century, formed the basis of the UN Millennium Declaration, adopted at the Millennium Summit in September 2000 by the heads of state and government of UN members.
He opposed the US-led coalition invasion of Iraq in 2003, insisting that there was no reason for forceful intervention.
Kofi Annan is the first black African to serve as UN Secretary-General.
Awards
- Order of Good Hope, 1st class (South Africa)
- Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class. (Ukraine, June 3, 2002) - for outstanding personal contribution to the development of cooperation between Ukraine and countries international community, a significant role in maintaining peace and security in the world
- Commemorative medal of A. M. Gorchakov (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, 2002)
- Order "Dostyk" 1st degree (Kazakhstan, October 16, 2002)
- Order "Manas" 1st degree (Kyrgyzstan)
- Grand Chain of the Order of Liberty (Portugal, )
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (Netherlands, )
- Olof Palme Prize (Sweden, 2006)
- Winner of the 2008 Westphalian Peace Prize
- In the indigenous language of Ghana, "Kofi" means "born on Friday". The Ashanti people have names for all 7 days of the week: Adwoa (Monday), Abena (Tuesday), Akua (Wednesday), Ahamisi (Thursday), Kofi (Friday), Ama (Saturday), Akosua (Sunday).
- Kofi Annan's nephew, footballer Anthony Annan, plays for the Ghana national team.
- Kofi has an unusual resemblance to the appearance of actor Morgan Freeman, which is why he is often mistaken for Freeman on the street.
see also
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Secretary General of the United Nations, 1997-2006.
Annan Kofi born April 8, 1938 in the British colony of the Gold Coast, independent state of Ghana. Along with his twin sister Efua, Atta comes from the Akan aristocracy; their father was the paramount chief of the Fanti tribe and governor of the Ashanti province. In 1954-1957 he studied at the Mfantsipim Methodist School in Cape Coast, then at the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, now named after Kwame Nkrumah.
Thanks to a Ford Foundation Fellowship, Annan received further education in the USA, where he studied at Macalister College. in St. Paul, Minnesota, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 1961-1962 he studied at Higher Institute on studying international problems in Geneva. Then, having received a Sloan scholarship, he entered the University of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
As a student, in 1962 he began working for the UN as an employee of the World Health Organization. Then he worked in other UN structures - in Addis Ababa at the UN Economic Commission for Africa; in Ismailia as part of the UN Emergency Force; In Geneva, he headed the staff of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Kofi Annan is married. His wife is Swedish Nane Annan, the niece of the Swedish fighter for saving Jews from the Nazis, Raoul Wallenberg. He speaks English and French, but prefers the first in communication.
Elected after the US vetoed the candidacy of re-run Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Previously, Annan served as UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peace Operations and then Deputy Secretary-General.
This period also marked the peak of UN peacekeeping operations, with the number of deployed personnel peaking in 1995 at nearly 70,000 military and civilian personnel from 77 countries. However, his activities were also criticized; for example, the Canadian commander of the peacekeepers in Rwanda, Romeo Dallaire, believed that his slowness did not prevent the genocide.
Kofi Annan served as UN Secretary-General on January 1, 1997, re-elected for a second term on June 29, 2001, and expired on December 31, 2006. Actively, but unsuccessfully, tried to reform the UN by improving administration in the organization, doubling the number of members of the UN Security Council and significantly expanding the powers of the UN Secretary General.
Annan's report, We the People: The Role of the United Nations in the 21st Century, formed the basis of the UN Millennium Declaration, adopted at the Millennium Summit in September 2000 by the heads of state and government of UN members.
He opposed the US-led coalition invasion of Iraq in 2003, insisting that there was no basis for forceful intervention. Kofi Annan is the first black African to serve as UN Secretary-General.
Kofi Annan was the first black African to serve as UN Secretary-General. Laureate Nobel Prize world 2001. Since 2008, Kofi Annan has been Honorary Chancellor of the University of Ghana.
The Great Annan died on August 18, 2018 in Bern, Switzerland, at the age of 80. He lived near Geneva for several years before his death.
It was created in 1945 and on the path of development all this time remained a guarantor of peace and stability. At times its role weakened somewhat, and in some periods it gained strength again. As head international organization one could see diplomats from many countries of the world. Kofi Annan became the first representative of the black population in Africa.
short biography
Annan Kofi Atta is a native of Kumasi in Ghana. It was previously the British colony of the Gold Coast. His father is the chief of the Fanti tribe. The people of this tribe inhabit Ghana and number about two million people. The future general studied in the USA, and then at the Geneva Institute of International Studies (Switzerland), after which he received a position at the UN as a health officer from World Organization Healthcare.
He was married twice; his current wife is Swedish citizen Nane Annan. It is reliably known that Annan's son, Kojo, collaborated with his father on some issues.
As head of the UN
The position of head of such an influential organization did not go to Mr. Annan right away. The representative of Egypt, Boutros-Ghali, was running for this seat, and his first term in office was ending. The United States vetoed his candidacy, considering it unpopular. Thus, Annan Kofi was elected to such a high post. This situation had an absolutely political context: Boutros-Ghali opposed NATO bombing during the Bosnian War, and the United States needed a different, more loyal representative of the organization.
As head of the UN, Kofi Annan became famous as a reformer. Despite the fact that the transformation could not be carried out in to the fullest, considerable attempts have been made. He cited the inefficiency of the organization as the reason for the reforms. It was proposed to reduce the number of its employees, document flow and secretariat. However, all these plans remained to exist only on paper.
Talk about the ineffectiveness of the Organization began to be heard on the sidelines of Headquarters back in the 90s, some world leaders began to openly express this opinion at sessions General Assembly. Some political scientists say Annan is responsible for spreading these thoughts in people's minds.
Personal life of a diplomat
Annan Kofi was married twice. His first wife was a Nigerian citizen, Titilola Alakija. In 1981, they decided to break off their union. Annan had two children from this marriage. The diplomat's second wife was the Swede Nane Maria Lagergren. She is a lawyer by profession. Since 1983, she has been working in the United States at the UN headquarters, where she is involved in environment, poverty and other problems of the millennium.
Nana has a daughter from her first marriage. Kofi Annan's wife is quite famous in Sweden, and after her husband took office as UN Secretary General, she proved herself to be a fighter for freedoms and rights of citizens around the world. It is noteworthy that she is the niece of a well-known diplomat in Sweden, who, according to one version, saved the lives of several tens of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust in Hungary.
Annan Prizes and Honors
UN Kofi Annan was awarded various orders and prizes. Among them is the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.
- In South Africa, he was awarded the highest state award - the Order of Good Hope for his contribution to the development of cooperation with South Africa.
- In 2002, he was awarded the state award of Ukraine - the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise for his personal contribution to the development of cooperation between Ukraine and the international community.
- In the same 2002, the diplomat was awarded the Gorchakov commemorative medal from the Russian Foreign Ministry. This highest award ministry, established in honor of the 200th anniversary of the State Chancellor and His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov.
- Kazakhstan awarded Mr. Annan the Order of Dostyk, first degree. Translated from Kazakh, “dostyk” means “friendship”.
- The Republic of Kyrgyzstan awarded the diplomat the Order of Manas, first degree. This is the highest state award.
- He also received the Olof Palme Award, which is given for achievements in the field of human rights in Sweden.
- In 2001, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to the renewal of the UN. Essentially, the award was given for an attempt to rehabilitate the organization and renew it.
Whether Kofi Annan was worthy or not, the prize, however, did not go to him for empty words, but for his significant contribution to the cause of the United Nations.
Annan's remarks
His harshest statements were related to the idea of reforming the UN. Here is one of them: “Under current conditions, responsibility between states is distributed extremely unevenly. Poor and weak states are easy to hold accountable because they need foreign aid. However, large and powerful states, whose actions have the greatest impact on others, can only be restrained in their actions by their own people, acting through their domestic institutions."
Many politicians agree with Annan's opinion, but most of of them believes that UN reform will not give the results that the Secretary General sought. Moreover, there are skeptics who believe that the activities of the Secretary General in office and his statements after leaving are radically different. This applies, for example, to military operation NATO in Iraq, which began in 2003. At this time, the UN Secretary General dealt exclusively with humanitarian issues and did not try to interfere with the invasion, which, as it turned out already in 2004, was based on falsified US data about weapons allegedly possessed by Iraq mass destruction. In 2015, Annan said in Munich that the invasion of Iraq was a mistake and generally contributed to the creation of a Daesh terrorist base on its territory.
Scandals
While still at the UN post, Annan faced a number of scandals. One of them could have cost the Secretary General his post, but everything worked out. Annan oversaw international program UN Oil for Food project, contracted to Cotecna. In 2004, information appeared in the press that he received from representatives of the Cotecna company cash son of Secretary General Kojo Annan. Kofi Annan denied these accusations, calling them outrageous. The investigation did not prove the company's connection with the family of the general secretary, but the news left a stain on his reputation, and therefore he was even asked to resign.
Another scandal was also associated with 2004. It turned out that the British intelligence service MI6 was secretly bugging Annan.
After leaving the post of head of the UN, Annan worked under the organization's roof as an envoy until 2012. good will on various issues. His vast experience in diplomatic work still helps him today.
The Fanti people, to whom Annan belongs, are considered black and white in Ghana. This is due to the education of many members of the tribe and passion for education.
The name "Kofi" is translated from the tribal language as "born on Friday." This is an ancient tradition of the people.
Mr. Annan himself looks very similar to the famous American actor They are often confused by passers-by on the street, which both have long been accustomed to.
Annan's nephew plays for the Ghana football team under the name Anthony Annan. He also plays for the Norwegian club Stabaek.
"The world has changed"
After Kofi Annan left his high position, he continued to express the idea that not only the UN, but also the Security Council must be reformed. Thus, in an interview with The Guardian newspaper, Annan said that the permanent members of the UN Security Council should take up the procedure for including other permanent members. By the way, he noted that neither the United States nor Russia showed interest in this topic.
He expressed this opinion for the first time in 2004, after which a “battle” unfolded between countries for the post. permanent representative. Then everyone voted against the expansion resolution permanent members The UN Security Council, despite Annan’s words that we must change along with the world, which has already changed.
Negotiations to resolve the crisis in Syria
One of the first negotiators to resolve the Syrian issue was Kofi Annan. His biography made it possible to become not only a UN representative on this issue, but also to go much further. However, he did not achieve success in this post, perhaps due to the fact that the conflict itself was then in limbo.
Today we are seeing how Steffan de Mistura deals with this issue in Geneva. The negotiations are going very hard, and few people believe in their positive outcome. Today, we, like Mr. Annan, can only hope for the normalization of relations in a world that is on the verge of more and more new conflicts.
Birthday April 8, 1938
Ghanaian diplomat, 7th Secretary General of the United Nations
Biography
Born in the British colony of the Gold Coast, which later became the independent state of Ghana. His father was the paramount chief of the Fante tribe and governor of the Ashanti province. Annan was educated in Switzerland and the United States, where he studied at Macalister College in Minnesota, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. Then he entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and, as a student, in 1971 he began working at the UN as a WHO employee. Kofi Annan is married. His wife is Swedish, Nane Annan (née Lagergren), the niece of the famous Swedish fighter for saving Jews from the Nazis, Raoul Wallenberg. He speaks English and French, but prefers the first in communication.
Activities as UN Secretary General
Elected after the US vetoed the candidacy of re-run Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Kofi Annan served as UN Secretary-General from January 1, 1997, was re-elected for a second term on June 29, 2001, and expired on December 31, 2006.
Kofi Annan is the first black African to serve as UN Secretary General.
Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 (along with the organization he heads).
Awards
- Order of Good Hope, 1st class (South Africa)
- Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class. (Ukraine, June 3, 2002) - for outstanding personal contribution to the development of cooperation between Ukraine and the countries of the international community, a significant role in maintaining peace and security in the world
- Commemorative medal of A. M. Gorchakov (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, 2002)
- Order "Dostyk" 1st degree (Kazakhstan, October 16, 2002)
- Order "Manas" 1st degree (Kyrgyzstan)
- Grand Chain of the Order of Liberty (Portugal, 2005)
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (Netherlands, 2006)
- Olof Palme Prize (Sweden, 2006)
- Winner of the 2008 Westphalian Peace Prize
- In the indigenous language of Ghana, "Kofi" means "born on Friday". The Ashanti people have names for all 7 days of the week: Adwoa (Monday), Abena (Tuesday), Akua (Wednesday), Ahamisi (Thursday), Kofi (Friday), Ama (Saturday), Akosua (Sunday).
- Kofi Annan's nephew, footballer Anthony Annan, plays for the Ghana national team.
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ANNAN Kofi Atta (b. 1938), Secretary General of the UN (see UNITED NATIONS (UN)) (1997 2007), representative of Ghana. Annan was educated at the University natural sciences and Technology in Kumasi followed by a B.A. encyclopedic Dictionary
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Books
- The role of the World Trade Organization in global governance. A collection of articles, edited by former WTO Director Gary P. Sampson, focuses on key issues activities of the WTO. The book's authors, including UN Secretary General Kofi...