MEGASTARS

Annan’s World

On the occasion of his unanimous re-election for a second term as UN secretary-general, the Ambassadors looks at how Kofi Annan fared in the "most impossible job in the world." But as he said in a PBS interview (Dec. 1996), "someone has to do it." Here we will look at the man's priorities, his accomplishments, and how he foresees the future of his world.  

"We have the means and the capacity to deal with 
our problems, if only we can find the political will." 
Kofi Annan
(On the UN's goal of cutting the level of global 
poverty in half by 2015, September 2000)

Emerging out of a milieu-stricken fall  season for the U.N., few expected the consolation secretary-general, elected in 1997, to revitalize the ailing organization. At a time when a new world order created a dis-equilibrium of power, the UN struggling for its role in this new international community, ideological and practical conflicts between the U.N administration and Washington were at the forefront of problems that threatened the 56-year old organization’s viability, effectiveness and perhaps even its existence. Today, one man whose name is familiar to virtually every household, has cast the phantom of the UN’s demise aside and reinvigorated hope in the very principles that it was conceived under in San Francisco. 

The Road to the UN

Kofi Annan was born in Kumasi, Ghana, on 8 April 1938 to one of Ghana's most prominent families — his father was both a hereditary chief of the Fante people and a high-ranking civil servant. The young Annan took advantage of the educational opportunities presented to him in Ghana by completing his primary studies in science and technology and in 1959, he traveled to the United States to study at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was a pivotal period for both Annan and his homeland. Two years prior to his departure, Ghana had proclaimed its independence, and the Civil Rights Movement was gaining momentum in America. He graduated from Macalester in 1961 with a degree in economics. From 1961 to 1962, he undertook graduate studies in economics at the Institut universitaire des hautes études internationales in Geneva. As a 1971-1972 Sloan Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Annan received a Master of Science degree in management.

After graduate studies in economics in Geneva, Switzerland, Annan took his first UN appointment at the World Health Organization (WHO). After more than a decade of diplomatic work, Annan took a break to serve from 1974 to 1976 as director of the Ghana Tourist Development Company. Four years later, he received his first high-level UN post, as deputy director of administration and head of personnel at the office of the United Nations high commissioner for refugees. He worked there until 1983, when he became director of budget in the office of financial services. By 1990, he had risen to the office of assistant secretary general for program planning, budget, and finance. Following the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in 1990, Annan was asked by the Secretary-General, as a special assignment, to facilitate the repatriation of more than 900 international staff and citizens of Western countries from Iraq. He subsequently led the first United Nations team negotiating with Iraq on the sale of oil to fund purchases of humanitarian aid.

His tenure as Under Secretary-General coincided with unprecedented growth in the size and scope of United Nations peacekeeping operations, with a total deployment, at its peak in 1995, of almost 70,000 military and civilian personnel from 77 countries. From November 1995 to March 1996, following the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Annan served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the former Yugoslavia, overseeing the transition in Bosnia and Herzegovina from the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) to the multinational Implementation Force (IFOR) led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Annan's who is fluent in English, French and several African languages was appointed in 1993 to the head of peacekeeping operations made him one of the UN's most visible and potentially controversial leaders. UN peacekeeping missions in Somalia and the former Yugoslavia had recently provoked widespread criticism, and raised doubts about the agency's future. According to an American official quoted in the New York Times, Annan was "the only top official of the UN who came out of the Bosnia experience with dignity and without having harmed the organization or relations with any one of the great powers. That's what a great diplomat's about." He gained an international reputation not only for shrewd diplomacy, but also for his candor and personal charm. When the United States publicly campaigned against a second term for then-secretary general Boutros Boutros-Ghali, it was Annan to whom the UN turned.  

Given that Annan was expected to scale down the UN administration while simultaneously making it more responsive to member nations, it is not surprising that he has faced criticism in the early years of his secretariat. In particular, his preference for coalition-building and compromise over quick decision-making irritated some in the U.S. government, whose support — and repayment of its massive UN debt - is seen by many as crucial for Annan's success. At the same time, other member nations accused Annan of currying favor with America, to which he replied that he would "devote the same attention to any country that pays 25 percent of the dues and owes $1.3 billion." The burden of defining the new objectives of the organization and positioning it vis-à-vis the world community was at the top of the Annan's agenda although he cautions that "any precipitous attempts to move the organization in one direction or the other before there’s a broad consensus on the part of the member states could be counterproductive.” This reluctance to take strong, bold steps has drawn ambivalent views about Annan's styles of negotiation with his proponents calling him 'reflective' and critics 'passive'.

In April 2000, he issued a Millennium Report, entitled "We the Peoples: The Role of the United Nations in the 21st Century", calling on Member States to commit themselves to an action plan for ending poverty and inequality, improving education, reducing HIV/AIDS, safeguarding the environment and protecting peoples from deadly conflict and violence. The Report formed the basis of the Millennium Declaration adopted by Heads of State and Government at the Millennium Summit, held at UN Headquarters in September 2000.

Mrs. Nane Annan (left) at a meeting of "Formatrices Alimentation Infantile" -- a non-governmental group whose members are trained by UNICEF in the basics of infant nutrition and then return to their communities to teach what they have learned. (UN Photo# ESD399) Reuters/Corinne Dufka

Annan's wife, Nane of Sweden, a lawyer and artist, has also dedicated her time to the United Nations. Two issues of particular concern to her are HIV/AIDS and education for women. She is also a very accomplished painter whose work focuses on the plight of refugees and others in prison camps.  She has written an introductory book on the United Nations for third grade students entitled “The United Nations, Come along with me!”  Mr. and Mrs. Annan are parents to three children.

Here we look at the issues that the Secretary-general has focused his efforts on. From globalization to combating AIDS worldwide, Annan's dedication to progress, development and democratization is evident in all his work.  

The Global Controversy

One of the most contentious issues at the forefront of international relations and politics today is globalization. With the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank under fire for their policies in developing countries, Kofi Annan is in a sensitive position requiring him to defend his global initiatives and preference for open market economy. For this reason, Annan has popularized an new campaign to build closer partnerships with civil society, the private sector and other non-State actors whose strengths complement those of the United Nations. In particular, he has called for a "Global Compact" involving leaders of the world business community as well as labor and civil society organizations, aimed at enabling all the world's people to share the benefits of globalization and embedding the global market in values and practices that are fundamental to meeting socio-economic needs. In July 2000, Annan was quoted as saying "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." But he further attributes the discrepancy between the hopes of globalization and the views of its critics to an absence of confidence stating that "national markets are held together by shared values and confidence in certain minimum standards." With the most recent G-8 meetings in Genoa (Italy) attracting thousands of demonstrators and leading to outbreaks of violence, its is still unclear whether the motives of the globalizing movement will be met with the confidence that Annan describes. Furthermore, what role will the UN and its secretariat play in this crucial stage.   

On Development in Africa 

Children welcome Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Mrs. Nane Annan to the newly opened UN House.  (UN Photo# ESD395 - Gambia, April 2000).

While some officials boast about the dramatic success of developmental projects in Africa, the 2000 UN report on the Progress of Nations provides shocking numbers that serve as a stark reminder that much work is still undone. The report indicates that the average African household today consumes 20 percent less than it did 25 years ago. Since the start of his tenure, Annan, the first secretary-general from black Africa, has placed the continent at the top of his agenda. His April 1998 report to the Security Council on "The Causes of Conflict and the Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa" was among several efforts to maintain the international community's commitment to Africa, the most disadvantaged of the world's regions and to encourage wealthier nations to contribute towards a global fund for Africa. He has also increased his coordinated activities with the Organization of African Unity (OAU).

Battling AIDS

Annan has made it a personal challenge to strike at the ailments that cripple his continent, notably an AIDS epidemic of colossal proportions. In a worldwide campaign to congregate mass response and commitment from member states, Annan is hopeful that an initial fund of $7-billion can be collected jumpstart the fight against HIV/AIDS pandemic.

At the end of 1997, nearly 31 million people were living with HIV, up from 22.3 million the year before. With 16,000 new infections a day -- 90 percent in developing countries -- it is now estimated that 48 million people will be living with HIV in 2001.

In April 2001, Annan issued a five-point "Call to Action" to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic -- which he described as his "personal priority" -- and proposed the establishment of a Global Aids and Health Fund to serve as a mechanism for some of the increased spending needed to help developing countries confront the crisis.

For this reason, Annan brought forth a special UN General Assembly meeting in June 2001 on AIDS, the first that the organization has devoted to any healthcare subject. The discussions have made it clear that stemming AIDS requires complex and sensitive strategies that vary greatly from country to country, perhaps frustrating Secretary General Kofi Annan's plea to "combine leadership, partnership and solidarity." To date, the fund has brought it millions of dollars from countries such as the USA, Canada, Great Britain, France etc. and hopes to reach desired goal before the end of 2001.

Promoting Peace

Mr. Kofi Annan and wife, Nane, attending the Venice Film Festival, in which the United Nations film "Footnotes to a War" was an entry.  Here seen with Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Ford, and Walter Veltroni, Italian Deputy-Prime Minister and Minister of Culture.

Prior to his appointment, Annan served as Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. During this period, the UN was criticized for its involvement in the Balkans, Somalia and Rwanda. Annan has taken these experiences and used them as a steppingstone for new and successful peacekeeping assignments in East Timor and Kosovo. 

Under Annan's tenure, the work of peace-keepers has expanded thrice fold to include non-traditional, non-military operations that provide services to the most impoverished. This was build on the assumption that a hostile environment begins with the absence of basic necessities. 

Diplomatic Intervention 

In an attempt to diffuse a crisis over weapons inspections in Iraq, Mr. Kofi Annan met with Iraqi president Saddam Hussein  in Baghdad in February 1998. He achieved a tentative settlement that would allow UN weapons inspectors access to suspected weapons depots in Iraq. Ina--Reuters/Archive Photos

Kofi Annan was the first secretary- general ever to be elected from the ranks of the United Nations staff with his previous appointment being a peacekeeping initiative. Hence, his diplomatic ventures, a trademark mandate for the secretariat, have been the among the highlights of his achievements. 

Annan succeeded in silencing many of his critics by successfully resolving the first major diplomatic test of his leadership. In February 1998, his negotiations with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein averted what looked like a very likely war, further burnishing Annan's reputation as a devoted peacemaker.  

Other diplomatic accomplishments by Annan include an attempt in 1998 to gain Iraq's compliance with Security Council resolutions; a mission in 1998 to help promote the transition to civilian rule in Nigeria; an agreement in 1999 to resolve a stalemate between Libya and the Security Council over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing; diplomacy in 1999 to forge an international response to violence in East Timor; the certification of Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon in September 2000, and further efforts, since the renewed outbreak of violence in September 2000, to encourage Israelis and Palestinians to resolve their differences through peaceful negotiations based on Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 and the principle of "land for peace".

At a time when the world contemplates its internationalization, Annan's represents the meeting point between the global and the local, the tribal and urban, the national and continental, the powerful and compassionate. The Ambassadors Magazine would like to congratulate Mr. Annan on his reelection and wish him a promising and rewarding second tenure.  

Adel Iskandar, BSc (Dalhousie), MA (Purdue), is a PhD student in Communication at the University of Kentucky, USA.

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The Ambassadors