In memory of Nelson Mandela

"The world has lost a visionary leader, a courageous voice for justice, and a clear moral compass. By showing us that the path to freedom and human dignity lies in love, wisdom and compassion for one another, Nelson Mandela stands as an inspiration to us all.

I shall never forget his expansive smile and gentle demeanour, nor his steely determination and wonderful sense of humour. I have lost a dear friend. While I mourn the loss of one of Africa’s most distinguished leaders, Madiba’s legacy beckons us to follow his example to strive for human rights, reconciliation and justice for all."

Mr. and Mrs. Annan joined fellow Elders Martti Ahtisaari, Lakhdar Brahimi, Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu and Mary Robinson at the memorial service of their founder, Nelson Mandela, on Tuesday 10 December.

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Photograph | UN /Eskinder Debebe.

"A tireless champion of sustainable development everywhere"

Honouring his “outstanding dedication and contribution to sustainable development,”the Bertelsmann Foundation awarded the 2013 Reinhard Mohn Prize to Mr. Annan in Gütersloh, Germany, on Thursday 7 November.

Can truth commissions effectively strengthen peace processes?

Together with theInternational Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), the Kofi Annan Foundation held a high-level symposium “Challenging the Conventional: Can Truth Commissions Effectively Strengthen Peace Processes?” at Greentree, New York, from 12-14 November 2013.

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Geneva #globalshapers & #KofiAnnan endorse #SolarforPhilippines campaign, bringing solar devices to typhoon survivors

Empowering young global citizens at "We Day"

On 18 October, Mr. Annan addressed more than 18,000 young people from 700 schools who gathered for the annual “We Day” event in Vancouver.

This massive gathering of high-school students motivates them to be engaged global citizens and to commit to initiatives to bring about positive change. Answering questions on stage, Mr. Annan indicated that the biggest challenge today’s young generation will face is climate change:

"Climate change is an all-encompassing threat. It’s a threat to our way of life, our security. We cannot continue to plunder the resources of the world as if there is no tomorrow. We have to think of the children.”

The Elders on ethical leadership

Mr. Annan chaired the annual meeting of The Elders, this year held in Cape Town from 28 to 31 October.

As part of the programme, he joined fellow Elders Gro Harlem Brundtland, Hina Jilani and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in a town hall meeting on ‘Ethical Leadership,’ taking questions on what it means to be an ethical leader. The event was televised by Al Jazeera’s North2South.

According to Mr. Annan: “When we talk of ethical leaders, we are speaking of those men and women in positions of authority who strive to do what is right, who realize that the power they hold and office they occupy is something they hold in trust for the people. They are there to serve.”

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Harnessing innovation for African agriculture

On 25 and 26 November 2013 in Addis Ababa, the Kofi Annan Foundation, the African Union Commission, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation hosted a high-level meeting to discuss recent models of success in African agricultural development and chart opportunities and challenges on the path ahead.

Co-chairing the meeting with the AU Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Mr. Annan encouraged key stakeholders to explore concrete actions, not just during the African Union’s Year of Agriculture in 2014, but over the long-term, to meet the food and development needs of Africa and the world. Fulfilling Africa’s potential, Mr. Annan noted, requires us to “put smallholder farmers at the heart of the drive to increase African agricultural productivity”, “adopt the right agricultural policies”, and“increase investment, by both the public and private sectors, in agricultural R&D and innovative technology.”

An outcome document of the meeting will be released towards the end of 2013 or early in 2014.

Photograph | CIAT

The challenges of mediation

On 22 October Kofi Annan delivered a lecture to students of a new multi-disciplinary course on global governance at the University of Geneva.

Micheline Calmy-Rey, former President of Switzerland organised the lecture, at which Kofi Annan spoke about the challenges of mediation and conflict resolution, and presented some personal experiences of dealing with conflicts both within and between countries.

He emphasized the importance of building trust between protagonists, an often arduous but indispensable pathway to peace. To do that, mediators must be attentive listeners as they search for common ground. Mr. Annan recalled for his audience an African proverb, which says that we are given two ears and one mouth “to encourage us to listen twice as much as we talk.” He also stressed the importance of inclusion, emphasizing the critical role that civil society can play in conflict resolution.

Broken promises? Conflict and conflict prevention in 2013 and 2014

On 24 October Mr. Annan participated in theInternational Crisis Group's 2013 Global Briefing, a gathering of field- based staff, senior staff and Board members which focused on major conflict flashpoints across the globe.

Mr. Annan was joined in a panel discussion byThomas Pickering and George Soros,moderated by Lyse Doucet, in which they examined likely drivers of conflict in 2014 and our ability to prevent and respond to them.

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"Prevention and control of diabetes must be given higher priority"

Mr. Annan delivered the keynote address at the 2013 International Diabetes Leadership Forum,hosted by Novo Nordisk and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security of Turkey, on 16 November 2013. Speaking to an audience of 400 regional and international diabetes stakeholders from the public and private sectors, Mr. Annan laid out the priorities for galvanizing effective action to address diabetes at the national, regional and international levels.

He argued that “prevention and control of diabetes must be given higher priority in the programmes of regional organisations,” and urged audience members to consider the priority afforded to diabetes in the post-2015 development agenda: “we must commit to global solidarity in addressing the challenge posed by diabetes and NCD’s.”

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Interventions: Une vie dans la guerre et dans la paix

The French version of Mr. Annan’s memoir was published on 25 November and a series of radio, television and print interviews in Paris followed in early December to mark the release.

Links: TV5 Video | RTL Interview