The many achievements of Kofi Annan | Tunde Folawiyo

Kofi Annan is one of Ghana's most famous figures; in addition to serving as the United Nations' 7th Secretary General for many years, he has also founded the Kofi Annan Foundation, and been awarded the joint Nobel Prize for Peace. Although he retired from his position at the UN in 2006, he has continued to dedicate his time to protecting human rights and promoting peace around the world. Those who are familiar with his career, like Tunde Folawiyo, might know that Annan is an active member, and the chairman of the group known as The Elders, which was established by Nelson Mandela.

In his role as Secretary General, Annan developed a comprehensive reform programme, which was designed to improve the UN's approach to its work, and increase the effectiveness of the international system. In addition to this, he continually advocated for the Millennium Development Goals in Africa, the rule of law, and human rights.

Annan was born in the Ghanaian city of Kumasi in 1938, and began his career at the age of 24, working for the UN agency known as the World Health Organisation, as a budget officer. Following this, he spent two years working as Ghana's Director of Tourism, after which he joined the UN. Several years later, he was appointed as the Secretary General of the United Nations.

Tunde Folawiyo, and others who keep up to date with international affairs, may recall that Annan's initiatives whilst serving in this role greatly improved UN peacekeeping, which made it easier for the organisation to handle the dramatic spike in its personnel and operation numbers during the late nineties. Annan is also credited with encouraging Member States to establish the Human Rights Council and the Peace-Building Commission, and with helping to establish the Global Fund, which has since been used to tackle serious diseases such as Malaria, TB and AIDS. Additionally, he has been praised for encouraging Member States to accept their responsibility to protect people from war crimes and genocide.

The aforementioned Kofi Annan Foundation was set up by its namesake in 2007. Its primary goal is to improve the capacities of nations, and promote a higher standard of international governance, in order to achieve a safer and fairer world for all. The Foundation uses Annan's mediation and preventative diplomacy techniques to achieve its aims.