Kofi Annan Facts & Worksheets

Kofi Annan was a Ghanaian diplomat who emerged from the ranks of United Nations staff to become the organization’s seventh secretary-general from 1997 to 2006. Together with the UN, Kofi Annan was awarded the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He founded the Kofi Annan Foundation, a not-for-profit organization with the main purpose of promoting better global governance. He also served as a chairman of The Elders, an international organization of independent global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela.

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Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY

• Kofi Atta Annan was born into an aristocratic family on April 8, 1938, in Kumasi, Ghana (then Gold Coast). 
• He shared the middle name “Atta” (which means “twin” in the Akan language) with his twin sister, Efua Atta, who died in 1991.
• In Akan culture, the name “Kofi” corresponds with Friday, the day on which he was born.
• Kofi’s family was one of Ghana’s Fante aristocratic families.
• Both his grandfathers and his uncle were paramount chiefs of the Fante people.
• His father, Henry Reginald Annan, was elected governor of Asante province, and his younger brother Kobina went on to become Ghana’s ambassador to Morocco from 2002 to 2009.
• Little is publicly known about Kofi’s mother, Victoria.

EDUCATION

• From 1954 to 1957, Kofi attended Mfantsipim, an elite boarding school in central Ghana founded in the 1870s under British rule.
• In the year of his graduation from Mfantsipim, the Gold Coast gained independence from the United Kingdom and took on its new name, “Ghana.”
• For his higher education, Kofi began studying economics at the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi.
• After receiving a Ford Foundation grant, he continued his undergraduate studies at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1961.
• At Macalester, he was also a member of the track team and became president of the Cosmopolitan Club, a school organization that promoted friendship between students from the United States and other countries.
• Upon completing his undergraduate work, he pursued graduate studies in international relations at the Institute for Advanced International Studies in Geneva from 1961 to 1962. 
• He spent a few years working, then returned to school in 1971.
• As a Sloan Fellow, he received his master’s degree in management from the Sloan School of Management of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1972.
• Kofi’s native language is Akan, but he also achieved fluency in English, French, some Kru languages, and other African languages.

CAREER WITH THE UNITED NATIONS

• In 1962, Kofi Annan joined the United Nations (UN), working as an administrative and budget officer of the World Health Organization, one of the UN’s agencies, in Geneva.
• Throughout his career, he worked with the UN, with the exception of a brief stint as the director of tourism in Ghana from 1974 to 1976.
• He also served in the office of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva in 1980.
• He went on to work at the UN Headquarters in New York, serving in several administrative positions.
• From 1987 to 1996, he was appointed as an assistant secretary-general in three consecutive posts: Human Resources, Management and Security Coordinator; Program Planning, Budget and Finance, and Control; and Peacekeeping Operations.
• On March 1, 1993, he was promoted to serve as under-secretary-general for Peacekeeping Operations.
• At the time, approximately 70,000 military and civilian personnel were deployed in UN operations around the world.
• His competency was on full display as the peacekeeping operations transitioned from UN forces to NATO forces during the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• He served in that capacity until December 1996, with a five-month hiatus as he acted as a special representative of the secretary-general to the former Yugoslavia.

CAREER AS THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL

• As Boutros Boutros-Ghali’s term as UN secretary-general came to a close in 1996, the UN Security Council recommended Kofi Annan for the post.
• The General Assembly voted in Kofi’s favor, and his first term as secretary-general officially commenced on January 1, 1997.
• He was the first secretary-general to be elected from the UN staff.
• According to the UN’s official website, Kofi Annan’s main focus was to create “a comprehensive program of reform aimed at revitalizing the United Nations and making the international system more effective.”
• Listed below are some of Kofi Annan’s career highlights as UN secretary-general:
• He put forth a reform plan that sought to reduce the budget and streamline the operations of the UN.
• In 1998, he attempted to negotiate face-to-face with Saddam Hussein to gain Iraq’s compliance with Security Council resolutions.
• In 1999, he supported diplomatic efforts that led to Timor-Leste’s independence from Indonesia.
• In 2000, he launched what is known as the UN Global Compact, which united the UN and the private business sector.
• In September 2000, national leaders adopted the Millennium Declaration during the Millennium Summit, which resulted in the establishment of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for the year 2015.
• In April 2001, Kofi issued a five-point Call to Action to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
• In 2002, he launched The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
• He played a major role in galvanizing global action to combat terrorism since the terrorist attacks hit the U.S. on September 11, 2001.
• Among his known work during the second term is his appointment of a panel to explore the UN’s response to global threats in 2003.
• From that panel, he proposed a major reform to the UN General Assembly in 2005.
• In 2005, UN member states set up two new intergovernmental bodies: the Peacebuilding Commission and the Human Rights Council.
• In the same year, calls for Kofi’s resignation ensued after an investigation into the Oil-for-Food Programme, which had allowed Iraq to sell oil in order to buy food, medicine, and other necessities.
• Kofi Annan was mainly exonerated from the allegations.
• He retired as secretary-general on December 31, 2006, and was succeeded by Ban Ki-moon in 2007.

POST-UN WORK

• After his retirement from the United Nations, he founded the Kofi Annan Foundation in 2007, an independent, not-for-profit organization that mainly aims to promote better global governance, peace, human rights, and sustainable development.
• In 2007, he became the chairperson of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), an institution that seeks to support and improve small-scale farming.
• From 2008 to 2018, he served as the chancellor of the University of Ghana.
• During that time, he was also a member of the United Nations Foundation’s board of directors.
• In 2012, he was sent to Syria as the U.N.-Arab League envoy as part of efforts to end the civil war.
• In 2013, he was appointed as the chairperson of The Elders, an international organization of independent global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela.

PERSONAL LIFE AND DEATH

• Kofi was married to Nane Lagergren Annan, a lawyer, and painter, who was also invested in global issues such as the HIV/AIDS crisis and education for women.
• Kofi had three children with Nane. 
• At 80 years old, he died on August 18, 2018, in Bern, Switzerland, after a brief illness.

Kofi Annan Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Kofi Annan across 28 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Kofi Annan. Kofi Annan was a Ghanaian diplomat who emerged from the ranks of United Nations staff to become the organization’s seventh secretary-general from 1997 to 2006.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. Kofi Annan Facts
2. About Mr. Annan
3. Vocabulary Review
4. Annan’s Achievements
5. Ko-Fact or Ko-False
6. From Words to Life
7. Milestone Crossword
8. Next Secretary-Generals
9. List of MDGs
10. A Diplomat’s Speech
11. Kofi Annan Recap

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Kofi Annan?

Kofi Annan was a Ghanaian diplomat and the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations. He served in this role from 1997 to 2006.

What were some of Kofi Annan’s notable achievements?

Kofi Annan played a crucial role in various international initiatives. Some of his notable achievements include his efforts to promote peacekeeping and humanitarian intervention, his role in the response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and his instrumental role in negotiating a peace agreement to end the civil war in Kenya in 2008.

How did Kofi Annan contribute to the United Nations?

As Secretary-General, Kofi Annan worked to reform and strengthen the United Nations, focusing on issues such as peacekeeping, human rights, and development. He also played a pivotal role in advocating for the Millennium Development Goals, a set of targets aimed at combating poverty and improving global living conditions.

What was Kofi Annan’s role in the Iraq War controversy?

Kofi Annan’s tenure as Secretary-General coincided with the Iraq War, and he faced criticism for the handling of the situation. Annan opposed the invasion of Iraq, asserting that it violated the UN Charter. He later established an independent inquiry, known as the “Annan Commission,” to examine the UN’s role and responsibilities during the conflict.

What is Kofi Annan’s legacy?

Kofi Annan is remembered as a global statesman who dedicated his life to promoting peace, human rights, and sustainable development. His efforts to strengthen the United Nations and his commitment to diplomacy continue to inspire many. Annan was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for his work in revitalizing the UN and his efforts to combat poverty and HIV/AIDS.

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