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" Time and again, when member states and the governments are faced with an insoluble problem, and they're under pressure to do something, that something usually ends up being referred to the U.N. "

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" We cannot wait for governments to do it all. Globalization operates on Internet time. Governments tend to be slow moving by nature, because they have to build political support for every step. "

Kofi Annan

Nature

Time

Support

" In the 21st century, I believe the mission of the United Nations will be defined by a new, more profound awareness of the sanctity and dignity of every human life, regardless of race or religion. "

" As long as inequality and other social problems plague us, populists will try to exploit them. "

" Could you imagine if the U.N. had endorsed the war in Iraq, what our reputation would be like? "

" No single solution or actor can deal with the complex and interrelated challenges to electoral integrity arising from manipulated data, hate speech, and fake news. These phenomena are not new; they have been part of electoral cycles since the advent of democracy. "

" National markets are held together by shared values and confidence in certain minimum standards. But in the new global market, people do not yet have that confidence. "

" To some extent, Rwanda became a victim of the Somalia experience. "

" 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 has been said that arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity. "

" I think it is important to speak out. "

" Developing and newer democracies are much more susceptible to the tactics of populists and demagogues - they often do not have strong institutions, free press, or the infrastructure required to defend their nascent democracies. "

Kofi Annan

Defend

Free

" My own advice to people who would be in office for two or three terms is that they must accept democratic rotation: ideally, not put themselves up for re-election and allow the system to work. "

Kofi Annan

Advice

Work

" Many African leaders refuse to send their troops on peace keeping missions abroad because they probably need their armies to intimidate their own populations. "

" Often we mistake stability, in terms of security and economic activity, to mean a country is doing well. We forget the third and important pillar: rule of law and respect for human rights. "

" Sometimes I walk into a situation and know someone is going to provoke me, and I just simply refuse to be provoked. "

" I urge the Iraqi leadership for sake of its own people... to seize this opportunity and thereby begin to end the isolation and suffering of the Iraqi people. "

" I think that my darkest moment was the Iraq war and the fact that we could not stop it. "

" On climate change, we often don't fully appreciate that it is a problem. We think it is a problem waiting to happen. "

" There 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 Annan

Strategy

Society

" We have the means and the capacity to deal with our problems, if only we can find the political will. "

" I am a stubborn optimist: I was born an optimist and will remain an optimist. "

Kofi Annan

Stubborn

Born

" I think it is not just the U.N. speaking, but the concept of a third party, a third party to a conflict speaking out. You know, sometimes saying, 'Stop, this is enough. This cannot be allowed to happen,' gives the victims and the people who are caught in that situation courage, encouragement, support. "

" If information and knowledge are central to democracy, they are conditions for development. "

" We need to keep hope alive and strive to do better. "

" Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family. "

" Change is a process which has to be managed. "

" The Lord had the wonderful advantage of being able to work alone. "

" Unfortunately, very few governments think about youth unemployment when they are drawing up their national plans. "

" Business, labor and civil society organizations have skills and resources that are vital in helping to build a more robust global community. "

" One has to have the strength of character to say the time has come to move on... unless you are a king. "