Kofi Annan's Quotes

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.

National markets are held together by shared values and confidence in certain minimum standards. But in the new global market, people do not yet have that confidence.

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.

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.

We must ensure that the global market is embedded in broadly shared values and practices that reflect global social needs, and that all the world's people share the benefits of globalization.

Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.

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.

To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.

Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable human development.

More countries have understood that women's equality is a prerequisite for development.

In the rush for justice it is important not to lose sight of principles the country holds dear.

Many African leaders refuse to send their troops on peace keeping missions abroad because they probably need their armies to intimidate their own populations.

We have the means and the capacity to deal with our problems, if only we can find the political will.

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

If information and knowledge are central to democracy, they are conditions for development.

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.

We need to keep hope alive and strive to do better.

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.

It has been said that arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity.

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