The World is not ours to keep. We hold it in trust for future generations. Kofi Annan More Quotes by Kofi Annan More Quotes From Kofi Annan In some ways, the challenges are even more daunting than they were at the peak of the cold war. Not only do we continue to face grave nuclear threats, but those threats are being compounded by new weapons developments, new violence within States and new challenges to the rule of law. Kofi Annan lawwarpeace Sometimes when you take a tough action against one side in the conflict, they see you as part of the conflict and they attack you. Kofi Annan toughsidesaction Sometimes in peacekeeping operations you show force in order not to use force - people realise that there's a pushback and there's a solid force there that's not going to be pushed around, that sometimes helps. Kofi Annan useorderpeople The report produced by my commission, the Global Commission on Elections, Democracy and Security, in 2012 showed the corrosive impact of money in US politics, for example, which undermines the legitimacy of the democratic system in citizens' eyes. Such perceptions partly explain the rise of a phenomenon like the success of Donald Trump. Kofi Annan impactperceptioneye Iraq has a new opportunity to comply with all these relevant resolutions of the Security Council. Kofi Annan resolutioniraqopportunity Some have suggested that ideally there must be some international body that would treat areas like the Arctic as a global commerce, a bit like the way we treat the sea. It doesn't belong to any particular country, but to all of us, but I'm not sure some of the powerful are ready for that sort of solution. Kofi Annan powerfulseacountry UN is made even more complex by the constant interplay of politics and bureaucracy and can certainly be bewildering for a novice. Kofi Annan novicesbureaucracymade Each crisis is different, has its own specificities, and we need to look at it critically; look at each one in its own terms. Kofi Annan differentlooksneeds It is tragic that so few young people in Western democracies vote. They have forgotten that their ancestors fought for the right to choose and change their leaders. They don't realise that their votes are more important than their tweets or Facebook posts. Kofi Annan importantleaderpeople In countries where democracy is either non-existent or in development, on the other hand, citizens crave those freedoms. Maybe that is one lesson Western citizens can learn from those countries: treasure what you have. Use your rights and freedoms to effect the change you want. Kofi Annan rightscountryhands This is an historic step forward in the world's efforts to combat a truly global threat. Kofi Annan climateeffortworld I believe that our world needs an instrument of global action as never before in history. I believe that the United Nations is the instrument for securing peace and for giving people everywhere, in poorer countries as in richer, a real stake in that peace by promoting development and encouraging cooperation. But the United Nations is only an instrument, an actor in need of props and cues from its directors, And so I will paraphrase Winston Churchill: Give us the tools-the trust, the authority and the means-and we will do the job. Kofi Annan trustjobscountry The drafters of the [Refugee Convention ] had the Cold War in mind and mainly sought to protect a few thousand dissidents from the Communist bloc. They did not envision the mass displacements of people we are seeing today. Kofi Annan mindwarpeople Having worked my way from the bottom of the ladder to the top [of the UN] certainly helped me navigate that complexity, both political and bureaucratic. Kofi Annan ladderspoliticalway My intimate knowledge of the [UN] system allowed me to get things done despite the many obstacles. Kofi Annan obstaclesintimatedone In fact UN is more of a galaxy of organisations and agencies than one machine. Kofi Annan machinesagencyfacts 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 nuclear-disarmamentpoliticalcommitment Like any large organisation, public or private, the UN is a complex machine. Kofi Annan organisationcomplexesmachines [Refugees] cannot be stopped, but they can and must be managed better, more humanely, protecting migrants' human rights whilst accepting states' rights to control their borders. Kofi Annan migrantsbordersrights It is true that the principle of national citizenship, associated with rights, and the control of a country's borders are two key aspects of modern 'sovereign' nation states as they emerged in the Westphalian order. But there has been much progress since 1648. Kofi Annan keysrightscountry