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We tend to look at countries in terms of failed states and functioning states, which is rather simplistic.

Kofi Annan

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Kofi Annan
Age: 80 †
Born: 1938
Born: April 8
Died: 2018
Died: August 18
Diplomat
Economist
Politician
Coomassie
Kofi Atta Annan
Annan
Kofi A. Annan
Looks
Failed
Country
Tend
Countries
Terms
Term
Rather
States
Simplistic
Look
Functioning

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To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.
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We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race.
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For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right.
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One has to have the strength of character to say the time has come to move on... unless you are a king.
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Does anyone seriously contend that any nation can fend for itself?
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It's not that easy to quit. When you look back in the American system it is very rare that people quit on issues of principle.
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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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In some ways, the challenges are even more daunting than they were at the peak of the cold war. Not only do we continue to face grave nuclear threats, but those threats are being compounded by new weapons developments, new violence within States and new challenges to the rule of law.
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Ignorance and prejudice are the handmaidens of propaganda. Our mission, therefore, is to confront ignorance with knowledge, bigotry with tolerance, and isolation with the outstretched hand of generosity. Racism can, will, and must be defeated.
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Let us work in partnerships between rich and poor to improve the opportunities of all human beings to build better lives.
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You are never too young to lead.
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Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts itself off from its youth severs its lifeline it is condemned to bleed to death.
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The United Nations is proud to have the Adopt-A-Minefield Campaign as a partner.
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After the end of the cold war, everybody thought, fantastic, finally the UN may be able to do what it was originally set up to do without big power divisions. It would be easy to get them to come together to resolve things. You will recall, on the first Gulf war, you almost got a unanimous resolution and a very solid coalition.
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We have to choose between a global market driven only by calculations of short-term profit, and one which has a human face.
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... the long-lasting humanitarian impact of these inhuman weapons continues to deny communities the opportunity to rebuild long after the end of the conflicts.
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It is not in the United Nations that the Millennium Development Goals will be achieved. They have to be achieved in each of its Member States, by the joint efforts of their governments and people.
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As I travel around the world, people think the only place where there is potential conflict [over] water is the Middle East, but they are completely wrong. We have the problem all over the world.
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We knew the Syrian situation was complex and there were lots of divisions, particularly on the side of the opposition... This is a tough job... It can perhaps be done if you stand united and work with me in putting sustained pressure on the protagonists or the parties to come together and seek a political settlement.
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Over time you get to understand the nature of man and the environments you are dealing with, and you can't always allow emotions and temper to flare up because you're displeased with something, or you want to change it.
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