Quotes from Kofi Annan

In the rush for justice it is important not to lose sight of principles the country holds dear.

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

The skills you need to fight the colonial power and the skills you need to gain independence are not necessarily the same you need to run a country.

I have always believed that on important issues, the leaders must lead. Where the leaders fail to lead, and people are really concerned about it, the people will take the lead and make the leaders follow.

Sometimes leaders slide from the role of freedom fighter into the presidency, which they may be unsuited for, but everyone accepts it until they hit the bump in the road.

If we can come up with innovations and train young people to take on new jobs, and if we can switch to clean energy, I think we have the capacity to build this world not dependent on fossil-fuel. I think it will happen, and it won't destroy economy.

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

The U.N. doesn't have any troops; we borrow them from governments.

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

We must restore the sacredness of the family as a bedrock of humane values everywhere, in peace as well as in war.

The US-led invasion of Iraq was an illegal act that contravened the UN charter.

We need to promote greater tolerance and understanding among the peoples of the world. Nothing can be more dangerous to our efforts to build peace and development than a world divided along religious, ethnic or cultural lines. In each nation, and among all nations, we must work to promote unity based on our shared humanity.

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

We must ensure that the global market is embedded in broadly shared values and practices that reflect global social needs, and that all the world's people share the benefits of globalization.

Globalization is a fact of life. But I believe we have underestimated its fragility.

Jewish people have been victims of anti-Semitism in many parts of the world, and in Europe they were the target of the Holocaust, the ultimate abomination. Yet, we cannot expect Palestinians to accept this as a reason why the wrongs done to them

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.

No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth severs its lifeline.

Justice has taken its course and the authority and legitimacy of the legal process must be respected.

Fierce national competition over water resources has prompted fears that water issues contain the seeds of violent conflict

When states decide to use force to deal with broader threats to international peace and security, there is no substitute for the unique legitimacy provided by the United Nations.

If one is going to err, one should err on the side of liberty and freedom.

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