A Quick History On Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan was born in Kumasi on April 8, 1938. Since 1960 Ghana has been a republic within the British Commonwealth, a group of nations dependent on Great Britain. Named for an African empire along the Niger River, Ghana was ruled by Great Britain for 113 years as the Gold Coast. Annan is descended from tribal chiefs on both sides of his family. His father was an educated man, and Annan became accustomed to both traditional and modern ways of life.
He has described himself as being “atribal in a tribal world.”
After receiving his early education at a leading boarding school in Ghana, Annan attended the College of Science and Technology in the capital of Kumasi. At the age of twenty, he won a Ford Foundation scholarship for undergraduate studies at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he studied economics. Even then he was showing signs of becoming a diplomat, or someone skilled in international relations. Annan received his bachelor’s degree in economics in 1961. Shortly after completing his studies at Macalester College, Annan headed for Geneva, Switzerland, where he attended graduate classes in economics at the Institut Universitaire des Hautes Etudes Internationales.
Work with the UN
Annan was appointed secretary-general, the top post of the UN, by the UN General Assembly in December 1996. The Ghanian was the seventh secretary-general of the UN. He began serving his four-year term of office on January 1, 1997. Joining him was his second wife, former lawyer Nane Lagergren of Sweden. She is the niece of the diplomat Raoul Wallenberg (1912–c.1947), who saved thousands of European Jews from the German Nazis during World War II (1939–45), when American-led forces fought against Germany, Italy, and Japan. Annan and Lagergren were married in 1985. The couple has one child.
Kofi Annan arrives in Accra after being appointed as UN Secretary General, 1997.
AP Archives. pic.twitter.com/EA3KEDculw— Goldcoastghana (@goldcoastghana_) August 19, 2018
In February 2008, Annan led a UN envoy to Kenya after elections in the east African nation descended into chaos. Post-election violence had broken out after Kenya’s former president Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner of the 2007 presidential polls against opposition leader Raila Odinga.
#RememberingAnnan “As it is history will jugde us rather severely for #Rwanda. I don’t think we can repeat that in #Burundi” K. Annan pic.twitter.com/C8xF7yz4V6
— Désiré (@nduwarugira) August 18, 2018
Nobel Prize
In the summer of 2001, the United Nations unanimously appointed Kofi Annan to his second five-year term as secretary-general. On October 12, 2001, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to the United Nations and Kofi Annan. The Nobel citation pointed out that Annan had brought new life to the peacekeeping organization, highlighted the United Nations’s fight for civil rights, and boldly taken on the new challenges of terrorism and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS; a disease of the immune system).
“HIV/AIDS is not only an African problem. It is global and must be recognized as such. But within that international obligation, the fight against AIDS in Africa is an immediate priority, which must be part and parcel of our work for peace and security in that continent,” Annan said at the time.
Kofi Annan Foundation
Founded in 2007 by Kofi Annan, the Kofi Annan Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit organization that works to promote better global governance and strengthen the capacities of people and countries to achieve a fairer, more peaceful world.
Today Kofi Annan has died at the age of 80 on 18th, August 2018. Bless his soul.
“Annan and his advisers managed to nurse UN operations back to life and launch new blue missions in trouble spots like Congo and Liberia. If Annan hadn’t pushed the UN back into peacekeeping in Africa, the organization would be even less credible in global security than it is today,” said Richard Gowan, a fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Tributes from fellow world leaders and supporters in honor of Annan’s legacy.
It is with immense sadness that the Annan family and the Kofi Annan Foundation announce that Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Laureate, passed away peacefully on Saturday 18th August after a short illness… pic.twitter.com/42nGOxmcPZ
— Kofi Annan (@KofiAnnan) August 18, 2018
Tribute to #KofiAnnan from @JahaENDFGM: “This was during the elders event when we hijacked Kofi Annan on stage. We thought he would be mad but he was so cool about it. I am part of a group called the New Now which is the young people’s version of the elders.” (1) pic.twitter.com/sJnTUeyQOZ
— CNN Africa (@CNNAfrica) August 18, 2018
Fmr. President Obama on death of fmr. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan:
“Kofi never stopped his pursuit of a better world, and made time to motivate and inspire the next generation of leaders. Michelle and I offer our condolences to his family and many loved ones.” pic.twitter.com/AouJ2JjNU8
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 18, 2018
We mourn the loss of Kofi Annan, a relentless champion for peace and a passionate ambassador for Sesame Street and the world’s children. pic.twitter.com/b0ovPdQ8I9
— Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) August 18, 2018
Rest In Peace Kofi Annan. When I was younger he was the first example of Ghanaian excellence I became familiar with. 🇬🇭🔥❤️ https://t.co/XvgLVC7Vr8
— Joshua Kissi (@JoshuaKissi) August 18, 2018
