Kofi Annan Nations Quotations

New threats make no distinction between races, nations or regions. A new insecurity has entered every mind, regardless of wealth or status.

I would expect the summit to come up with a program of action not just for the United Nations but also for the members states,

I wish to stress that the United Nations is eager to be at your side in the efforts to resolve the problems of your country and the region on the basis of universal principles of peace, justice and human rights,

Let me be absolutely clear: the United Nations does not want to take over, police or otherwise control the Internet,

made it quite clear that the United Nations cannot condone the Turkish incursion into northern Iraq.

Simply put, what the United Nations wants is what the U.S. also wants: a reformed United Nations that is effective, efficient, leaner and relevant to the tasks that member states want to set for us, ... The world has changed and we have to change, we have to adapt and I have given my commitment to the president that I will pursue reforms.

Two years ago, I declared that in my view no reform of the United Nations would be complete without reform of the Security Council. That is still my belief,

Under the circumstances, it is difficult to envisage the United Nations operating with a large number of international staff inside Iraq in the near future unless there is an unexpected and significant improvement in the overall security situation,

When I think of the delicate balance of tremendous promise and urgent peril in today's world, I think particularly of the nations of Latin America, ... Because yours is a region that truly hangs in that delicate balance. It is in many ways a microcosm of the world in which we live, and it is therefore a place in which all that the United Nations stands for is put to test.

We must resolve, even more firmly, to build nations within which people of different communities can coexist, and enjoy equal rights,

The only way to escape from the present downward spiral lies through ending the violence and resuming negotiations aimed at comprehensive peaceful settlement based on relevant United Nations resolutions,

We agreed that in this interdependent world we need the United Nations more than ever.

The permanent mission of Cuba to the United Nations wishes to protest strongly at the arbitrary decision and to state that it disagrees completely with the pretexts given.

While many parts of the United Nations have been involved in the peace-building process, the system has lacked a dedicated entity to oversee the process, ensure its coherence or sustain it through the long haul.

What is needed today is nothing less than a new consensus between alliances that are frayed, between wealthy nations and poor. The essence of that consensus is simple: We all share responsibility for each other's security.

The United Nations needs U.S. leadership, but the U.S. also needs the United Nations, ... We look forward to working with you and the administration in ensuring that the U.S. is ... back in the fold with the question of arrears, behind us as we move ahead in strengthening and reshaping this organization.

the United Nations will do whatever we can to help.

The tragedy of Srebrenica will forever haunt the history of the United Nations

We need to decide our priorities. And we must adapt our United Nations so that in the future, those priorities are reflected in clear and prompt decisions leading to real change in people's lives. That my friend is what the people expect of us -- let us not disappoint them.

Few United Nations officials have demonstrated the calm, grace and professionalism that you have in the face of virtually unprecedented pressure and attention over the past several months.

Notwithstanding the embargo, Cuba's achievements in social development are impressive given the size of its gross domestic product per capita, ... As the human development index of the United Nations makes clear year after year, Cuba should be the envy of many other nations ostensibly far richer.

I know that I speak for the whole world in offering them my heartfelt sympathy and any assistance that the United Nations can give, ... We will be happy to work with other parts of the international community to support the efforts of President Bush and his administration, the American Red Cross, and other U.S. relief organizations who have been our partners in the past.

I hope you will give your full backing to all points of the strategy I have outlined. Let us ensure the United Nations play its role in this fight to the full,

That is why a healthy, effective United Nations is so vital.

exercised through patient diplomatic persuasion and coalition-building. We all need to understand that the United Nations is not a separate or alien entity, seeking to impose its agenda on others. The United Nations is us; it is you and me.

It seems at times like a nightmare from which we are still hoping to awake, except that for millions of people in 12 affected countries, spanning two continents, and for tens of thousands of visitors from nations around the world, this nightmare is devastatingly real,

You will agree to establish a Peace building Commission, backed by a support office and a fund, ... This will mark a new level of strategic commitment to one of the most important contributions the United Nations makes to international peace and security. You will also agree to create a standing police capacity for the United Nations peacekeeping operations.

This is a house of peace and we work in the interest of all nations and this kind of activity is not something that anyone can condone, ... I appeal to them to desist and use other means to raise their complaints.

As we move forward into the future, the role of the United Nations in legitimizing a military presence on the ground, and giving it a mandate, and allowing it to operate, becomes absolutely essential,

I do not believe that the situation which exists between and within nations where we have extreme wealth and extreme poverty side by side can be sustained in the long term without our attempting to do something about it,

A United Nations that will not stand up for human rights is a United Nations that cannot stand up for itself.

Does anyone seriously contend that any nation can fend for itself?