1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
MpoxUkraineIsrael-Hamas war

Kofi Annan

Kofi Annan was Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1997 until 2006. In 2001 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with the United Nations.

Skip next section All Content on this topic

All Content on this topic

UN observers walk towards soldiers at a Syrian army checkpoint

Syria contact group

International special envoy Kofi Annan calls for all-inclusive Syria contact group to be formed.
June 9, 2012
Al-Qubair.

UN monitors reach massacre site

UN observers have reached a village in Syria where atrocities are alleged to have taken place earlier this week. However, reports of violence continue and the international community remains divided over how to respond.
June 8, 2012
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the UN General Assembly

Syrian civil war 'imminent'

International envoy Kofi Annan has said the intensifying violence in Syria almost constitutes a civil war, saying "all Syrians will lose" unless the fighting stops. Ban Ki-moon, meanwhile, spoke of a "breaking point."
June 8, 2012
UN observers are seen ahead of their daily patrols of restive cities at the Dama Rose hotel in Damascus, Syria, 07 June 2012.

UN observers blocked

Numerous diplomats commented on the latest massacre in Syria at a session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, including international envoy Kofi Annan, who expressed his "horror and condemnation."
June 7, 2012
This citizen journalism image provided by Edlib News Network ENN, purports to show Syrian rebels gathered on their vehicle in the northern town of Kfar Nebel, in Idlib province, Syria, Tuesday, June 5, 2012. Rebel forces killed scores of Syrian soldiers in the past few days and activists claimed Tuesday the toll was more than 100 in what appeared to be some of the heaviest losses for government troops since the uprising began 15 months ago.

Syria gives loyalist PM job

Bashar al-Assad has chosen a stalwart regime loyalist as the new prime minister. Meanwhile, the Saudi foreign minister has called for a Chapter 7 resolution against Damascus, which would pave the way for military force.
June 6, 2012
In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks at the Parliament, in Damascus, Syria, Wednesday, March 30, 2011.

Assad points the finger

Syria's president has used a televised speech to tell the nation just who was responsible for the bloodshed in the country. Bashar al-Assad said 'terrorists' and 'outside forces' were to blame.
June 3, 2012
In this Sunday, April 1, 2012 photo, Free Syrian Army fighters are seen in a neighborhood of Damascus, Syria. Government and opposition forces clashed across Syria Monday as international envoy Kofi Annan prepared to brief the U.N. Security Council on the progress of his mission to ease the Syrian crisis. (Foto:AP/dapd)

Rebels issue 48-hour deadline

Syria's main rebel group has given the government two days to silence its guns. If Damascus does not comply, the rebels say they will formally withdraw from the cease-fire, moving Syria toward full-blown civil war.
May 31, 2012
Protester demonstrating against violence in Syria

Syrian crisis talks

The Russian and British foreign ministers have held talks on the Syrian crisis as diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation gain pace. The meeting comes a day after the UN condemned a massacre in the town of Houla.
May 28, 2012
The bodies of people whom anti-government protesters say were killed by government security forces lie on the ground

UN condemns Syria massacre

The United Nations has led calls for urgent action in Syria following a deadly massacre. UN observers confirmed that 92 people, including 32 children, were killed in what activists said was a government assault.
May 27, 2012
A Syrian rebel runs for cover at the Sunni district of Jabb al-Jandali in Homs, Syria, Monday, May 14, 2012.

UN monitors attacked in Syria

United Nations peace observers have been caught up in the latest violence in Syria. One of their cars traveling in a convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device. None of the monitors were injured.
May 15, 2012
The Joint Special Envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan.

Annan: must stop Syria civil war

The world should not stand by and watch Syria descend into a civil war, special envoy Kofi Annan has warned. But confidence in his peace plan may be starting to fray.
May 8, 2012
A man walks past posters of parliamentary candidates on a street in Damascus

Some Syrians vote

Syrians were called on to cast ballots in parliamentary elections. The vote was billed as being part of the country's reform process by President Assad's government, but opposition forces boycotted it.
May 7, 2012
The ship Letfallah II docked at the naval base at the port of Beirut

Libyan arms for Syrian rebels?

Lebanese authorities have seized a large consignment of weapons, apparently from Libya, that was thought to be destined for rebel forces in Syria. The ship's owner said he was unaware of the contents on board.
April 29, 2012
Major-General Robert Mood

New head of UN Syria mission

Major General Robert Mood, who has been appointed the new head of the observer mission to Syria, is travelling to Damascus. He faces the daunting task of making the country's peace plan stick.
April 28, 2012
Group of UN observers touring Damascus suburbs

UN approves larger Syria mission

The UN Security Council has voted to boost the manpower of its observer mission in Syria in an effort to hold Damascus to its promise to halt attacks on anti-government rebels.
April 22, 2012
Destruction in old neighborhoods of Homs, Syria.

Expanding observer mission

Two proposals for expanding the United Nations' observer mission in Syria are up for debate at the Security Council, one from Europe and one from Russia, that would increase the maximum number of monitors.
April 20, 2012
Moroccan Colonel Ahmed Himmiche (C), leader of the first U.N. monitoring team in Syria, walks with his team in Damascus

Syria in 'last chance'

Foreign ministers from Western and Arab countries say a peace plan brokered by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan is the last chance for Syria to avoid civil war.
April 19, 2012
Free Syrian Army fighters try to spot a sniper during fighting with Syrian troops in a suburb of Damascus

All eyes on Syria

A UN-brokered deadline for a cease-fire in Syria has passed with an assurance from the Syrian regime that military operations will end. But fierce clashes in the run-up to the deadline have left dim hopes for peace.
April 12, 2012
UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan arriving at airport, after his visit to Syrian refugee camp in Yayladagi, Hatay, Turkey.

UN calls for Syria cease-fire

The UN has made an official statement urging the Syrian government to stick to a planned cease-fire agreement. Questions remain about whether the country's regime will take heed.
April 10, 2012
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (right) walks with his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem

Russia ups pressure on Syria

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov asked Syria to implement international envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan, while also calling for the international community to press Syrian opposition groups to cease fire.
April 10, 2012
Syrians wave revolutionary flags and chant slogans at a night protest against Assad

West endorses Syria timeline

Western powers have begun debate in the UN Security Council on supporting a cease-fire timeline in Syria, while the UN is sending negotiators to Damascus to determine how the cease-fire can be observed.
April 3, 2012
This image made from amateur video and released by the Syria media center Tuesday, March 20, 2012, purports to black smoking rising from buildings in Homs, Syria.

Annan woos Russia on Syria

Violence continued across Syria over the weekend as UN-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan travelled to Moscow for a high-level talks. Syrian army defectors, meanwhile, announced they had formed a joint command.
March 24, 2012
A Syrian army tank is seen in Yabroud near Damascus March 8, 2012

Push for united front on Syria

France has circulated a statement at the UN Security Council that threatens the Syrian regime with "further measures" if it doesn't adopt international envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan to end the year-long bloodshed.
March 20, 2012
A protest against the Syrian government in the city of Derbasiyeh, Al Hasaka province, Syria

Ready to pay the price

A member of the Syrian National Council says his fellow countrymen want democratic change.
March 16, 2012
Syrian rebels take position during clashes with government

Report details 'nightmarish' Syria

Amnesty International says Syria has committed widespread torture.
March 14, 2012

Annan in Syria

Kofi Annan's trip to Syria was not in vain, says DW's Daniel Scheschkewitz.
March 12, 2012
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) meets U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan in Damascus March 10, 2012

Syria open to 'honest' solution

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has told the UN-Arab League special envoy that he welcomes any honest effort to end the violence in his country. Kofi Annan arrived in Damascus amid reports of more violence.
March 10, 2012
Free Syrian Army fighters swear to the Qur'an

China pushes Syrian cease-fire

China is to send a new envoy to Arab countries and France to lobby for a cease-fire in Syria, while still opposing foreign intervention. Meanwhile, the UN's humanitarian chief is visiting Syrian refugees in Turkey.
March 9, 2012
In this Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 citizen journalism image provided by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and accessed on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, flames rise from a house from Syrian government shelling, at Baba Amr neighborhood in Homs province, Syria. A French photojournalist and a prominent American war correspondent working for a British newspaper were killed Wednesday as Syrian forces intensely shelled the opposition stronghold of Homs. (Foto:Local Coordination Committees in Syria/AP/dapd) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO

'Friends of Syria' prepare to meet

Around 70 nations and international groups meet Friday in Tunisia to discuss ways to deliver humanitarian aid to Syria. The UN has appointed its former chief, Kofi Annan, as its special envoy for the Syrian crisis.
February 24, 2012
Kofi Annan, the former secretary-general of the United Nations

Falling short

Critics say the UN's Global Compact program is failing in its mission to promote human rights.
May 30, 2011
European School of Management and Technology in East-Germany's former Staatsrat building

Business elite

A private business school in eastern Berlin teaches tomorrow's managers about innovation.
May 10, 2011
A soldier wearing a blue UN helmet stands in front of a crowd

Training UN peacekeepers

In Ghana, the next generation of blue helmets is learning how to keep the peace.
July 4, 2010
An EU flag mirrored in the glasswork of the EU Council

Development Goals

The EU is committed to boosting aid to developing countries, despite global economic woes.
November 25, 2008

Peace of Westphalia Prize/ Kofi Annan

Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has been honored with the Peace of Westphalia Prize. The German prize is awarded to people and institutions that have contributed to peace in the world.
October 11, 2008

Kofi Annan heads new organization – the “Global Humanitarian Forum”

The Forum’s first annual meeting in June will focus on the issue of climate change and ways to help those most at risk. Annan says the poor, who have contributed least to climate change, suffer the most.
April 22, 2008
A man walks past a burning shop during tribal clashes at Chebirate trading center in Borabu District, Kenya, on Feb. 2, 2008.

German Help for Kenya

A German leader has explained the workings of Berlin's grand coalition to feuding Kenyan parties.
February 15, 2008

Kofi Annan's Peace Plan for Darfur

Darfur in western Sudan is a region in crisis and is showing few signs of improvement.
December 23, 2006
Ban K-Moon, left, and Angela Merkel, right, with reichstag cupola behind them

UN's Ban Meets Merkel

Ban Ki-Moon promised he would get things done without fanfare when he takes the helm at the UN.
December 7, 2006

UN chief Kofi Annan says Iraq is embroiled in a conflict worse than civil war.

News reports say the bipartisan group will recommend pulling-out combat troops by early 2008, provided that's acceptable to US commanders.
December 4, 2006

Donors Conference to Pledge Aid for Lebanon

Officials from more than 40 countries are in Stockholm Thursday to raise 392 million euros ($500 million) for Lebanon's acute humanitarian and reconstruction needs following the devastating Israeli offensive.
August 31, 2006

Kofi Annan arrived in Lebanon on Monday.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan started in Lebanon on Monday an extensive tour aimed at shoring up the UN-brokered truce.He will later continue on to Israel on Tuesday and the Palestinian territories
August 28, 2006

Annan, G8 Call for International Peacekeepers in Middle East

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and leaders of the G8 industrial nations called Monday for a swift deployment of international troops in southern Lebanon to halt escalating Middle East violence.
July 17, 2006

Opinion: UN Crisis Postponed, Not Solved

Earlier this week, the United States withdrew its threat to block the United Nations' budget due to supposed little progress in the reform process. That solves only the immediate financial crisis, writes Thorsten Benner.
June 30, 2006

New UN Human Rights Council Kicks Off

The new UN Human Rights Council began its first-ever session in Geneva with high hopes that it will do more for the victims of abuses and avoid the political horse-trading of the past.
June 19, 2006

Germany's Steiner Takes Over Top UN Environment Post

Achim Steiner, former director general of the World Conservation Union, took over as head of the UN's environmental agency, with a call to governments to end "antagonism between economic and environmental policy."
June 16, 2006

Gavels Before Guns, UN's Highest Court Turns 60

Celebrations have begun for the 60th anniversary of United Nation's highest court, the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
April 12, 2006

International Alliance Agrees on Air Ticket Tax

A French initiative to tax airline tickets to boost funds for developing nations won limited support at an international conference that wrapped up in Paris Wednesday.
March 2, 2006

Opinion: Annan Justified in Criticism of Media

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan spoke out about the ongoing Mohammed cartoons controversy, saying the media should not pour oil on the fire by reprinting the images. His words were justified, says DW's Peter Philipp.
February 10, 2006

UN Chief Denounces Denial of Holocaust

UN chief Kofi Annan on Friday denounced those who deny the Holocaust, as the world body marked the 61st anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz.
January 27, 2006

UN Clinches Eleventh-Hour Budget Deal Linked to Reforms

UN member states Friday agreed on a $3.798 (3.2 billion-euro) two-year budget, including an exceptional spending cap of $950 million for 2006 linked to an overhaul of management practices.
December 24, 2005