“ Many African leaders refuse to send their troops on peace keeping missions abroad because they probably need their armies to intimidate their own populations. Kofi Annan
“ You can do a lot with diplomacy, but with diplomacy backed up by force you can get a lot more done. Kofi Annan
“ More than ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only if we face it together. And that is why we have the United Nations. Kofi Annan
“ 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 generosi… Kofi Annan
“ We cannot wait for governments to do it all. Globalization operates on Internet time. Governments tend to be slow moving by nature, because they have to build political support for every step. Kofi Annan
“ Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance. Kofi Annan
“ More than ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only if we face it together. And that, my friends, is why we have the United Nations. Kofi Annan
“ If information and knowledge are central to democracy, they are conditions for development. Kofi Annan
“ Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development, an essential complement to investments in… Kofi Annan
“ On climate change, we often don't fully appreciate that it is a problem. We think it is a problem waiting to happen. Kofi Annan
“ Business, labor and civil society organizations have skills and resources that are vital in helping to build a more robust global community. Kofi Annan
“ The question is the morning after. What sort of Iraq do we wake up to after the bombing? What happens in the region? What impact could it have? These are questions leaders I have spoken to have posed. Kofi Annan
“ There is no development strategy more beneficial to society as a whole - women and men alike - than the one which involves women as central players. Kofi Annan
“ In the 21st century, I believe the mission of the United Nations will be defined by a new, more profound awareness of the sanctity and dignity of every human life, regardless of race or religion. Kofi Annan
“ I urge the Iraqi leadership for sake of its own people... to seize this opportunity and thereby begin to end the isolation and suffering of the Iraqi people. Kofi Annan
“ Open markets offer the only realistic hope of pulling billions of people in developing countries out of abject poverty, while sustaining prosperity in the industrialized world. Kofi Annan
