Kofi Annan quotes - page 4

I arrived there straight from Africa. (Kofi Annan)
In this new century, we must start from the understanding that peace belongs not only to states or peoples, but to each and every member of those communities. The sovereignty of States must no longer be used as a shield for gross violations of human rights. View quote
Kofi Annan
The United Nations, whose membership comprises almost all the States in the world, is founded on the principle of the equal worth of every human being. It is the nearest thing we have to a representative institution that can address the interests of all states, and all peoples. View quote
Kofi Annan
These values: compassion; solidarity; respect for each other - already exist in all our great religions. We can begin by reaffirming and demonstrating that the problem is not the Koran, nor the Torah nor the Bible. As I have often said, the problem is never the faith. View quote
Kofi Annan
In a world filled with weapons of war and all too often words of war, the Nobel Committee has become a vital agent for peace. Sadly, a prize for peace is a rarity in this world. Most nations have monuments or memorials to war, bronze salutations to heroic battles, archways of triumph. But peace has no parade, no pantheon of victory. What it does have is the Nobel Prize - a statement of hope and courage with unique resonance and authority. View quote
Kofi Annan
It is these great, enduring and universal principles which are also enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We can use these values – and the frameworks and tools we have based on them - to bridge divides and make people feel more secure and confident of the future. View quote
Kofi Annan
I believe we have a responsibility not only to our contemporaries but also to future generations - a responsibility to preserve resources that belong to them as well as to us, and without which none of us can survive. View quote
Kofi Annan
We can love what we are, without hating what - and who - we are not. We can thrive in our own tradition, even as we learn from others, and come to respect their teachings. View quote
Kofi Annan
Today's real borders are not between nations, but between powerful and powerless, free and fettered, privileged and humiliated. Today, no walls can separate humanitarian or human rights crises in one part of the world from national security crises in another. View quote
Kofi Annan
We are not only all responsible for each other's security. We are also, in some measure, responsible for each other's welfare. View quote
Kofi Annan
I moved on from Minnesota to the United Nations. (Kofi Annan)
It is only through multilateral institutions that States can hold each other to account. View quote
Kofi Annan
The 20th century was perhaps the deadliest in human history, devastated by innumerable conflicts, untold suffering, and unimaginable crimes. View quote
Kofi Annan
I think it is especially fitting that I do that here in the house that honours the legacy of Harry S Truman. View quote
Kofi Annan
Today, in Afghanistan, a girl will be born. Her mother will hold her and feed her, comfort her and care for her - just as any mother would anywhere in the world. In these most basic acts of human nature, humanity knows no divisions. View quote
Kofi Annan
When you leave one home for another, there are always lessons to be learnt. View quote
Kofi Annan
Throughout history, human life has been enriched by diversity, and different communities have learnt from each other. But, if our different communities are to live together in peace we must stress also what unites us: our common humanity, and our shared belief that human dignity and rights should be protected by law. View quote
Kofi Annan
Both security and development ultimately depend on respect for human rights and the rule of law. View quote
Kofi Annan
My friends, our challenge today is not to save Western civilization - or Eastern, for that matter. All civilization is at stake, and we can save it only if all peoples join together in the task. View quote
Kofi Annan
Governments must be accountable for their actions in the international arena, as well as in the domestic one. - Today, the actions of one State can often have a decisive effect on the lives of people in other States. View quote
Kofi Annan
The idea that there is one people in possession of the truth, one answer to the world's ills, or one solution to humanity's needs, has done untold harm throughout history - especially in the last century. (Kofi Annan)
I think that my darkest moment was the Iraq war and the fact that we could not stop it. View quote
Kofi Annan
Eating insects is good for the environment and balanced diets. View quote
Kofi Annan
To some extent, Rwanda became a victim of the Somalia experience. View quote
Kofi Annan
Unfortunately, very few governments think about youth unemployment when they are drawing up their national plans. View quote
Kofi Annan