DNA Edit: Peace was his passion – Former UNSG did all he could to create a better world

Kofi Annan cannot be forgotten. The Ghanaian-born UN Secretary General (UNSG) held the top job for over 10 years and his unflappable attitude helped bring some calm to a world that was in turmoil at the time. Annan took over the post in 1996, and was in office when September 11 and the subsequent US-led war against Iraq took place. Though he failed to help the world see reason on the Iraq war, something he described as one of his “biggest regrets” in an interview, the former UNSG left the UN much stronger than what it was when he demitted office. 

Annan’s fierce commitment to peace ensured the birth of the UN Human Rights Council and the Peacebuilding Mission, which has made sure the UN today is more aggressive about fighting for peace than it was before. He will also be remembered for his mission to fight poverty and AIDS, and it was no surprise that he and the UN received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2001. It was well deserved for there was no one who had done more for peace than him. It’s true that Annan did not get everything right. His failure to reign in genocide in Rwanda will count as one of the “UN’s biggest failings”. 

However, its worth bearing in mind just what he had accomplished. When he took over the post, the UN was on the verge of bankruptcy. Cost-cutting and an ability to make the US pay its outstanding dues to the UN ensured the world body survived. For that, we will forever be indebted to him. The accolades and gratitude showered on him is the perfect reward for a man, who did everything possible to create a better world.