United Nations

Photo: Secretary-General António Guterres pays his respects during a ceremony honouring the memory and legacy of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who passed away on 18 August at the age of 80. Annan was the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, serving from 1997 to 2006. 22 August 2018. United Nations, New York. Credit: UN Photo/Manuel Elias

Kofi Annan Was the United Nations, Says UN Chief Guterres

By Shanta Roy

NEW YORK (IDN) – Kofi Annan, the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, and the first from sub-Saharan Africa, was the only UN chief who rose from the mid-level ranks of the professional staff to the 38th floor of the Secretariat.

At a wreath-laying ceremony in the UN precincts on August 21, Secretary-General António Guterres said "because of Annan's long and varied career in different offices and departments, it sometimes seemed as though Kofi knew everyone personally."

"But even staff members who never met him felt a bond with Kofi, because he was really one of us. In many ways, Kofi Annan was the United Nations," he declared.

: Shanta Roy; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; United Nations; 23 August 2018

Photo: In October 2017, Kofi Annan joined his successor as Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, and the current chief of the UN, Antonio Guterres at UN Headquarters in New York. On August 19, Guterres described Annan as “a guiding force for good” and a “proud son of Africa who became a global champion for peace and all humanity.” UN Photo/Mark Garten

UN's Fallen Chief Kofi Annan 'A Voice for the Voiceless’

By António Guterres

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks, as delivered, at the wreath-laying for Kofi Annan at United Nations Headquarters, in New York on August 22, 2018. Read also Kofi Annan: A Life of Service to People Across the World. – The Editor

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – We are here to pay tribute to Kofi Annan, one of the best of us, a man who embodied United Nations values and made us all proud to call ourselves his colleagues. This is a personal loss for many of us. It is difficult to imagine what a blow it must be to his wife and to his family. Our hearts go out to them.

We know how much Kofi meant to the world. I would like to say a few words about what he meant to all of us who work for the United Nations. Kofi Annan’s years in office were an exciting time.

: Ramesh Jaura; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; United Nations; 23 August 2018

Photo: Mary Robinson and Kofi Annan attend Citizens Manifesto event in Zimbabwe in July 2018. Credit: The Elders

The Elders Call for Restraint and Justice in Zimbabwe to Honour Kofi Annan’s Legacy

By The Elders

LONDON (IDN-INPS) – The Elders today urged Zimbabweans at every level in society to uphold the democratic rights to justice and peaceful protest, and refrain from words or actions that could incite violence, drawing on the counsel of their late Chair, Kofi Annan (1938-2018).

Ahead of the ruling by Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court on the petition filed by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change Alliance regarding the 30 July election result, The Elders called on political leaders to act responsibly to avert further bloodshed.

: Ramesh Jaura; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; Kofi Annan; 23 August 2018

Photos: (Top) Kofi Annan blows out the candles on his 80th birthday, with help from his grandson Atta. Credit: Kofi Annan Foundation.

A Tribute to Kofi Annan, From His Family

By (Grandson) Kojo, on behalf of the Annan family

Kofi Annan Foundation

GENEVA | ACCRA (IDN-INPS) – On August 18, the world lost a leader and a statesman: Kofi Atta Annan.

And we lost a brother, a husband, a father, a grandfather, and an uncle – a man of deep conviction who was as committed to instilling the values of fairness, integrity, kindness, and service in each of us, as he was to advocating for peace and human rights around the world.

: Ramesh Jaura; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; Kofi Annan; 22 August 2018

'The Elders' Mourn the Loss of Kofi Annan

By The Elders

LONDON (IND-INPS) – The Elders are shocked and deeply saddened at the passing of their dear friend and colleague Kofi Annan, who was the globally admired and respected Chair of The Elders.

The Elders are shocked and deeply saddened at the passing of their dear friend and colleague Kofi Annan, who was the globally admired and respected Chair of The Elders.

: Ramesh Jaura; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; Kofi Annan; 18 August 2018

The United Nations mourns Kofi Annan

: Ramesh Jaura; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; United Nations; 18 August 2018

UN Determined to Protect Civilians, Humanitarian Aid Workers

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – Fifteen years ago, a bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Iraq's capital Baghdad killed 22 humanitarian aid workers, including the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. The Brazilian United Nations diplomat had been working for the world body's humanitarian and political programs for more than 34 years.

"The Canal Hotel bombing was," according to Secretary-General António Guterres, "a massive loss for the United Nations and the humanitarian community, and it marked a turning point for the need to increase the protection of humanitarian operations in Iraq and worldwide."

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 18 August 2018

Photo: On December 10, 2001, the United Nations and its Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, on the 100th anniversary of the prestigious award. UN Photo/Sergey Bermeniev

Eradicating Poverty, Preventing Conflict, and Promoting Democracy are UN's Key Priorities

By Kofi Annan

Beneath the surface of states and nations, ideas and language, lies the fate of individual human beings in need. Answering their needs will be the mission of the United Nations in the century to come, said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Following are extensive excerpts form his lecture – which is widely considered his legacy – at the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony on December 10, 2001 in Oslo. – The Editor

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – Today, in Afghanistan, a girl will be born. Her mother will hold her and feed her, comfort her and care for her – just as any mother would anywhere in the world. In these most basic acts of human nature, humanity knows no divisions. But to be born a girl in today’s Afghanistan is to begin life centuries away from the prosperity that one small part of humanity has achieved. It is to live under conditions that many of us in this hall would consider inhuman.

: Ramesh Jaura; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; Kofi Annan; 18 August 2018

Photo: Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, briefs the Security Council as it considers the situation in the Middle East. 5 February 2018. © UN Photo/Manuel Elias

Advancing Disarmament Within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Viewpoint by Izumi Nakamitsu

The author is Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. This article first appeared in UN Chronicle, Vol. LV No. 2 2018 | August 2018.

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – The idea that disarmament and arms control are connected to development is not new. Article 26 of the Charter of the United Nations recognizes disarmament as a precondition for durable peace, security and development by calling for the maintenance of international peace and security with the least diversion of the world’s economic and human resources for arms.

For a long time, however, disarmament has largely slipped off the development agenda. This is despite overwhelming evidence that excessive arms accumulation diverts needed resources from development and fuels armed conflict and violence, leading to unnecessary death and suffering, social inequality and environmental degradation. Hence, the failure to establish effective disarmament and arms control systems is devastating to socioeconomic development, peace and security, and human well-being.

: UN Bureau; OPINION; 10 August 2018

Photo: Secretary-General António Guterres folds origami cranes with young Japanese leaders at the Nagasaki Peace Memorial. Credit: Dan Powell | UN Photo.

No More Hiroshimas, No More Nagasakis, No More Hibakusha

Viewpoint by António Guterres

The survivors of the atomic bombings, known in Japanese as the hibakusha, have become global "leaders for peace and disarmament", United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said at the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony in Japan on 9 August 2018, commemorating the 73rd anniversary of that devastating day. Following are extensive extracts from Guterres' remarks. – The Editor

NAGASAKI (IDN-INPS) – I am humbled, as Secretary-General of the United Nations, to be here with you to commemorate the women, men and children killed by the nuclear attack on Nagasaki on 9 August 1945. I convey my deepest respect and condolences to everyone here today, and to all the victims and survivors of the atomic bombs.