Kofi Annan

Author: (German) Friedrich Baur
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The situation in Iraq is stable, and the Middle East is gradually returning to calm—Kofi Annan sincerely hopes to see these two points achieved during his tenure. Additionally, ending the violent incidents in Sudan's Darfur region; the future prospects of the divided island of Cyprus, despite his significant efforts in the spring of 2004, the referendum still failed; resolving the Kashmir conflict; a referendum in Western Sahara, and a noticeable reduction in African conflicts. Annan certainly hopes to resolve all outstanding issues—who wouldn’t? However, he did not mention these issues. When discussing the future, Annan first focused on Iraq for a moment, then quickly shifted to other topics beyond military conflicts, as he believed there were other latent dangers threatening humanity that urgently needed to be addressed. He emphasized the need to prevent the spread of such dangers: "Therefore, I remind governments not to focus solely on severe threats like war, weapons of mass destruction, and terrorism, but also to pay attention to soft threats such as poverty and AIDS, which have claimed the lives of millions." To date, he believes his achievements in these areas have been particularly significant, and he is willing to continue his efforts. "I think I have made my contribution by firmly placing development, poverty, and hunger on the international agenda," Annan said, mentioning the Millennium Summit (where he highlighted eight specific development goals, such as halving the number of impoverished countries by 2015) and his AIDS prevention initiative. Thanks to this initiative, more funds have been raised than ever before, though they are still insufficient. Without Annan's efforts, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria might never have been established. These eight "Millennium Development Goals," as he stated, can "focus on the millions of people today who have no voice, no influence, and are in dire need of help." This framework for development goals has been accepted worldwide, from the World Bank to the International Monetary Fund, from governments to non-governmental organizations. Annan takes pride in this fact, even though, given current circumstances, these goals are clearly unsuitable for Africa at least. At least, people are working in these directions—this is what the Secretary-General might think...