Commemoration of Kofi Annan

We commemorate the great Kofi Annan, who 2007 Bruno Kreisky Prize for services to human rights received.

As UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan has had to demonstrate his skills in several delicate political situations; the attempt to persuade Iraq to comply with Security Council resolutions in 1998 and to break the deadlock between Libya and the Security Council in 1999 are just two examples. Since the renewed escalation of violence in the Middle East in September 2000, Kofi Annan has endeavoured to encourage Israelis and Palestinians to resolve their differences through negotiations based on the principle of "land for peace".

During his decade as UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan contributed like no other to the further development of international human rights protection in the UN system.