One-on-one with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan

Ebony, Oct, 1998 by Kevin Chappell

Nane Lagergren is a lawyer-turned-artist, and the niece of the late Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, a World War II hero who disappeared in a Soviet prison after saving 20,000 Hungarian Jews from the Nazis.

On this day, the two discuss Kofi Annan's work schedule, which typically includes hosting foreign dignitaries, and attending a host of council meetings, special sessions, ceremonies and receptions.

But most days aren't typical. Annan usually finds himself putting out fires, either internally at the UN, or internationally from the seemingly daily conflicts that arise across the world.

From India's nuclear testing to the continued strife between Israel and Palestine, and conflicts in Burundi, Afghanistan, Somalia and Rwanda, Annan and the UN have, and will continue to have, their plates full. "We are trying to resolve quite a few crises around the world," Annan says. "After the Cold War we knew we were going to go through a period of adjustment and destabilization, but the past year has been incredible. The number of crises which has exploded around us has kept the organization extremely busy and also underscored the point that the UN is needed today perhaps more than ever."

Annan's election to a five-year term was spurred largely by the United States' dissatisfaction with Boutros-Ghali. Congress was so upset with the performance of the UN that during the past decade, it has sporadically withheld payment of its yearly dues to the organization.

As UN leader, Annan's first goal has been to attempt to restore credibility to the organization. He has trimmed the UN's staff of 9,000 civil servants working around the world, and re-focused its mission. His goal: Convince the 185-member states that the UN can work. "I think it's gone quite well," he says. "It's been quite a tough period. We have been able to push the reform agenda very aggressively."

Annan hopes betterment of the UN and successful peacekeeping missions, like his negotiations coup in Iraq, will convince the United States to pay its past debt, now totaling about $1.5 billion.

Successful in pumping credibility, life and color into a previously lackluster UN, Annan is looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead, and understands how important his success is to Black people worldwide.

"I know that my position and my role is an inspiration to most of the people on the continent [of Africa] and Black people everywhere," he says. "I'm conscious of the fact that I'm seen as a role model and that what I'm doing is inspiring quite a lot of young people not to put any limitations on their own dreams and on their own ambitions. I'm happy that I'm able to inspire them that way, to really aim high and live their lives to the fullest without any inhibition about what they can do or be allowed to do... Eleanor Roosevelt once said, `No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.' Those are words to live by."