The Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 went to the United Nations and its Secretary-General Kofo Annan, the incarnation of the dedicated diplomat. In 2006, the secretary-general from Ghana wrapped up his second term, after ten years in office. He handed over to Ban Ki-Moon, from South Korea
The Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 went to the United Nations and its Secretary-General Kofo Annan, the incarnation of the dedicated diplomat.
He was born on 8th April 1938 into an aristocratic family in Kumasi in what was called the Gold Coast then and is now Ghana.
Economics, international relations and management studies there, in the United States and in Switzerland prepared him for a UN career, starting when he was 24, in the World Health Organisation. Later, he oversaw budgeting, human resources and security. By 1993, Annan was Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. His talents and knowledge of the organisation, along with fluent English, French and African languages satisfied key player Washington that here was a suitable replacement to succeed the Egyptian Boutros Boutros-Ghali and become the seventh Secretary-General, in December 1996. He was also the first to issue from the UN’s own ranks.
„I feel humbled. It is a great challenge, which I hope I can do with the support of all the member states and my colleagues.“
Annan came into the job after serving as Boutros-Ghali’s special envoy during the Dayton Accords. UN peacekeeping was experiencing exceptional expansion, with 70,000 soldiers deployed in 1995, which entailed a strain on resources as well as credibility, following a series of failures to uphold the UN’s primary mandate.
