Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan has died
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Kofi Annan, former UN secretary general, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and widely-regarded champion of human rights around the globe, has died at age 80. Annan became the head of the United Nations at a time when that organization was under attack and in disarraFormer UN secretary-general Kofi Annan has died
Kofi Annan, former UN secretary general, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and widely-regarded champion of human rights around the globe, has died at age 80. Annan became the head of the United Nations at a time when that organization was under attack and in disarray. He lead it through the crises following 9/11 and a second term that included the war in Iraq and widespread unrest. He was frequently named as the “world’s greatest diplomat,” who worked constantly to establish stronger ties between nations and fought against isolationism and factionalism. His reform of the tangled UN bureaucracy revitalized the organization. He was the first Secretary General actually elected to that office by a vote of the UN representatives. He was the founder and driving force behind the United Nations Global Compact, a program that works with business leaders to use sustainable practices, uphold human rights, support strong labor laws, and fight against corruption. In 2001, Annan shared the Nobel Prize with the whole United Nations as he and the organization were honored for their work to bring “a more peaceful world.” After his second term as Secretary-General, Annan served in other roles at the UN before resigning in 2012, frustrated by his inability to find a solution to the worsening crisis in Syria. Later, Annan became part of the group “The Elders” a humanitarian group formed by Nelson Mandela as a way for former leaders to share their wisdom. Annan was criticized for failing to note the beginning of the genocide in Rwanda and for acting too slowly to halt the crisis. He was also accused of wrongdoing connected to the Oil-for-food program, though later investigations cleared him of charges of corruption. Annan was born in Kumasi, Ghana in 1938 while that nation was still under British domination as the Gold Coast. He was 19 when the country declared its independence. He came to the United States as a student and collected degrees in economics, international relations, and management. He died in Switzerland after a brief illness. Read more