Annan Thangachi Quotes

As I travel around the world, people think the only place where there is potential conflict [over] water is the Middle East, but they are completely wrong. We have the problem all over the world. ~ Kofi Annan

Poverty devastates families, communities and nations. It causes instability and political unrest and fuels conflict. ~ Kofi Annan

We must restore the sacredness of the family as a bedrock of humane values everywhere, in peace as well as in war. ~ Kofi Annan

Access to safe water is a fundamental human need and therefore a basic human right. ~ 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

I would never play any role in anything that involves the United Nations for obvious reasons. ~ Kojo Annan

The Lord had the wonderful advantage of being able to work alone. ~ Kofi Annan

Time and again, when member states and the governments are faced with an insoluble problem, and they're under pressure to do something, that something usually ends up being referred to the U.N. ~ Kofi Annan

We need to think of the future and the planet we are going to leave to our children and their children. ~ 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

If one is going to err, one should err on the side of liberty and freedom. ~ Kofi Annan

If we can come up with innovations and train young people to take on new jobs, and if we can switch to clean energy, I think we have the capacity to build this world not dependent on fossil-fuel. I think it will happen, and it won't destroy economy. ~ Kofi Annan

The right to development is the measure of the respect of all other human rights.That should be our aim: a situation in which all individuals are enabled to maximize their potential, and to contribute to the evolution of society as a whole. ~ 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 generosity. Racism can, will, and must be defeated. ~ Kofi Annan

Sadly, I do my homework. I've a soft spot for the boring minutiae. I read the Charter of the United Nations before meeting with Kofi Annan. I read the Meltzer report, and then I'll read C. Fred Bergsten's defense of institutions like the World Bank and the I.M.F. It's embarrassing to admit. ~ Bono

Microfinance recognizes that poor people are remarkable reservoirs of energy and knowledge, posing an untapped opportunity to create markets, bring people in from the margins and give them the tools with which to help themselves. ~ Kofi Annan

A citizen of the world in the fullest sense - one whose vision and culture gave him a deep empathy with fellow human beings of every creed and color. ~ Kofi Annan

The international community ... allows nearly 3 billion people almost half of all humanity to subsist on $2 or less a day in a world of unprecedented wealth. ~ Kofi Annan

The war on drugs has failed in West Africa and around the world ~ Kofi Annan

I was with Ted Turner when he came to see Kofi Annan - the Secretary-General of the UN - to announce his decision to put $1 billion to the service of UN projects and programs. ~ Maurice Strong

We must bring a message of solidarity, of mutual respect and, above all, of hope. Business cannot afford to be seen as the problem. ~ Kofi Annan

Can the state, which represents the whole of society and has the duty of protecting society, fulfill that duty by lowering itself to the level of the murderer, and treating him as he treated others? The forfeiture of life is too absolute, too irreversible, for one human being to inflict it on another, even when backed by legal process. ~ Kofi Annan

The fight against HIV/AIDS requires leadership from all parts of government - and it needs to go right to the top. AIDS is far more than a health crisis. It is a threat to development itself. ~ Kofi Annan

Education is the great equalizer of our time. It gives hope to the hopeless and creates chances for those without ... ~ Kofi Annan

We need to ensure the poorest in the planet - who will be hardest hit by the financial crisis - are not forgotten. ~ Kofi Annan

The status quo cannot work. ~ Kofi Annan

I am not afraid to dream. You first have to start with a dream. Build your castles in the air and give it foundation. Without a dream, you are not going to get anywhere. ~ Kofi Annan

The World is not ours to keep. We hold it in trust for future generations. ~ Kofi Annan

It may seem sometimes as if a culture of peace does not stand a chance against the culture of war, the culture of violence and the cultures of impunity and intolerance. Peace may indeed be a complex challenge, dependent on action in many fields and even a bit of luck from time to time. It may be a painfully slow process, and fragile and imperfect when it is achieved. But peace is in our hands. We can do it. ~ Kofi Annan

Does anyone believe that Kofi Annan scares Bashar Assad? ~ Elliott Abrams

To look into some aspects of the future, we do not need projections by supercomputers. Much of the next millennium can be seen in how we care for our children today. Tomorrow's world may be influenced by science and technology, but more than anything, it is already taking shape in the bodies and minds of our children. ~ Kofi Annan

Above all else, we need a reaffirmation of political commitment at the highest levels to reducing the dangers that arise both from existing nuclear weapons and from further proliferation. ~ Kofi Annan

I feel the whole issue has been a witchhunt from day one as part of a broader Republican political agenda. ~ Kojo Annan

Microfinance is an idea whose time has come. ~ Kofi Annan

Let us all reaffirm our commitment to improving the well- being of families throughout the world. ~ Kofi Annan

Education is, quite simply, peace-building by another name. It is the most effective form of defense spending there is. ~ Kofi Annan