My intimate knowledge of the [UN] system allowed me to get things done despite the many obstacles.
Kofi AnnanThe right to development is the measure of the respect of all other human rights.That should be our aim: a situation in which all individuals are enabled to maximize their potential, and to contribute to the evolution of society as a whole.
Kofi AnnanThere is no development strategy more beneficial to society as a whole - women and men alike - than the one which involves women as central players.
Kofi AnnanWe at the U.N. have to take some of the blame, because we have not lowered expectations creating the impression we are here to save people, even when we have very limited resources.
Kofi AnnanI think the generational change is going to be so important for Africa that we really should encourage and push it as much as we can, because some of these younger men and women, who are men and women of their times, and are also connected to the rest of the world, wouldn't even know how to behave in the way some of the old leaders do.
Kofi Annan