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My intimate knowledge of the [UN] system allowed me to get things done despite the many obstacles.

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
Done
Many
Intimate
Things
Obstacles
Allowed
Despite
System
Knowledge

More quotes by Kofi Annan

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The problem is this. The spread of markets outpaces the ability of societies and their political systems to adjust to them, let alone to guide the course they take
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Let us all reaffirm our commitment to improving the well- being of families throughout the world.
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Normally when people resign they will organise their champagne farewell parties... and then they resurface somewhere.
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On this International Day of Peace, let us dare to imagine a world free of conflict and violence
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Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope... Especially for girls and women, it is an agent of family health and nutrition.
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Asked whether donor nations may be becoming fatigued ... The fatigue may be there, but I don't think we can justify it in the face of such misery. We may need to wake up our conscience and our conscience must force us to act.
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We at the U.N. have to take some of the blame, because we have not lowered expectations creating the impression we are here to save people, even when we have very limited resources.
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Access to safe water is a fundamental human need and therefore a basic human right.
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In their greatest hour of need, the world failed the people of Rwanda.
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When the US withdrew their troops from Somalia, I recall making a comment that [in] the way the peacekeepers had been withdrawn from Somalia, the impression had been given that the easiest way to unravel a peacekeeping operation is to kill a few soldiers.
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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.
Kofi Annan
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The happiness of any society begins with the well being of the families that live in it.
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The young and dynamic and idealistic people in the square do not have the chance to organise themselves politically, to be able to follow through their dreams in six months time, to play an effective role in the future.
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I am often asked what can people do to become a good global citizen? I reply that it begins in your own community.
Kofi Annan
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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.
Kofi Annan
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There is a certain tendency on the part of some Americans to treat the UN as a multilateralism à la carte where you pick and choose where it suits you and when it doesn't suit you, you pull back.
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Globalization is a fact of life. But I believe we have underestimated its fragility.
Kofi Annan
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To go to war without the Security Council will not be in conformity with the Council.
Kofi Annan
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...there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women.
Kofi Annan
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I often quote an African proverb that says: The world is not ours, the earth is not ours, It's a treasure we hold in trust for future generations. And I often hope we will be worthy of that trust.
Kofi Annan