Kofi Annan Bids UN Adieu with Four Lessons

The tenure of Kofi Annan as Secretary-General of the UN ends with a whimper rather than a bang. However, that is how diplomats function, and he is probably satisfied that things on his watch weren’t worse. After all, he was faced with a unilateralist American administration, the Darfur genocide (which is still going on), and the continuing realignment of power after the Cold War. In his farewell speech, he offered four lessons that bear reiteration.

Speaking at the Truman Presidential Museum and Library in Independence, Missouri, Mr. Annan said, “My first lesson is that, in today's world, the security of every one of us is linked to that of everyone else. That was already true in Truman’s time. The man who in 1945 gave the order for nuclear weapons to be used - for the first, and let us hope the only, time in history - understood that security for some could never again be achieved at the price of insecurity for others.” In short, where one is not safe, none can be safe. In the age of Al-Qaeda, this truism goes forgotten too frequently.

He continued, “My second lesson is that we are not only all responsible for each other’s security. We are also, in some measure, responsible for each other’s welfare. Global solidarity is both necessary and possible. It is necessary because without a measure of solidarity no society can be truly stable, and no one’s prosperity truly secure . . . . It is not realistic to think that some people can go on deriving great benefits from globalization while billions of their fellow human beings are left in abject poverty, or even thrown into it.” This speaks for itself.

Then, Mr. Annan said, “My third lesson is that both security and development ultimately depend on respect for human rights and the rule of law. Although increasingly interdependent, our world continues to be divided - not only by economic differences, but also by religion and culture. That is not in itself a problem. Throughout history human life has been enriched by diversity, and different communities have learnt from each other. But if our different communities are to live together in peace we must stress also what unites us: our common humanity, and our shared belief that human dignity and rights should be protected by law.”

His fourth lesson was, “governments must be accountable for their actions in the international arena, as well as in the domestic one.” A government that is not accountable abroad is not accountable at home. No names are needed here, but the international community has more than one member that is unaccountable entirely.

Many have hailed Mr. Annan as a great UN leader, and the Bush administration among others won’t be sorry to see him go. That said, his valedictory speech is worth remembering long after he’s gone.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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