Lessons in Leadership from the United Nations

Abiodun William spent years working with Kofi Annan, the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations. His new book Kofi Annan and Global Leadership at the United Nations (Oxford University Press) explores Annan’s legacy, examining Annan’s decisions during a turbulent period in world affairs and offering lessons for contemporary policymakers.

Williams is a double alumnus of Fletcher, earning both a MALD and PhD from the school. Today, he teaches at Fletcher and Tisch College as a Professor of the Practice of International Politics. He sat down with Fletcher for an interview.

The Fletcher School: Why did you decide to write this book?

Professor Abiodun Williams: I wrote the book to explain the important contributions that Kofi Annan made to peace and security, to development, to human rights. I tried to explore the challenges that he faced, such as 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lessons from his Secretary-Generalship can be helpful to his successors.

At a time fraught with international crises, it is important to remember a global leader who led the United Nations with vision and realism on behalf of principles beyond narrow national interests. Annan understood that even though we live in a world of states, we should never lose sight of the rights and needs of human beings. He was a great believer in inclusive and effective multilateralism, because he was convinced that global problems cannot be solved by one nation, however powerful. From climate change to migration to terrorism, the problems we face are problems without passports, requiring the collective effort of the international community.

Could you tell us about your own connection to Kofi Annan?

I first met Kofi Annan 30 years ago when I joined the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations. He was then serving as Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping. I later had the privilege of serving as Annan’s Director of Strategic Planning for five-and-a-half years during his tenure as UN Secretary-General. He was an extraordinary man to work with.

What was it like to be in the room with him? You witnessed his leadership style up close. 

As a leader, Kofi Annan had clarity of vision, perceptiveness, integrity, moral courage, and optimism. I had the opportunity to see his exceptional diplomatic skills at work. He was patient, courteous, a great listener, and able to bridge differences. He also had a sense of humor which could lighten up even the most difficult policy discussions at the United Nations.

Annan was the first Secretary-General from Sub-Saharan Africa. What perspective did he bring to the job?

As a son of Africa, Kofi Annan understood the challenges and opportunities confronting the African continent. He was conscious of the fact that Africa and Africans were making significant contributions to global peacemaking. He understood that Africa was not just a passive beneficiary, but an active contributor to world affairs. Africa has the largest regional group in the UN, so it carries significant weight in the United Nations.

Annan became Secretary-General at a time of global transition after the Cold War. How did he help reshape the world?

Kofi Annan was the architect of the Millennium Development goals. For the very first time, the eight MDGs created a common development framework for the international community.

Annan led the global fight against HIV/AIDs. His advocacy as Secretary-General led to the creation of the Global Fund to Fight AIDs, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Annan also persuaded the CEOs of major pharmaceutical companies to make antiretroviral drugs available at affordable prices in developing countries. Millions of people are alive today because Kofi Annan provided robust leadership driven by hope and empathy.

Annan also made significant changes to improve how the UN operates. He was key to the establishment of the UN’s peace-building architecture and was the architect of the Human Rights Council. He was responsible for championing the responsibility to protect, which is the international community’s organizing principle for preventing and responding to mass atrocities.

Annan made important contributions to all the key areas of the UN’s work. I think he was the most charismatic and consequential Secretary-General that the United Nations has ever had.

Tell us more about the responsibility to protect and Kofi Annan’s role in developing the doctrine.

Annan was conscious of the failure of the international community to respond to the genocides in Rwanda and in former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. He was determined that when he became Secretary- General, he would help the international community prevent and respond to mass atrocities.

Some members of the UN were hostile to the idea of the responsibility to protect, believing that state sovereignty is sacrosanct, no matter the suffering or cost.

Annan argued that sovereignty cannot be an excuse or a shield to prevent action being taken on mass atrocities. He was quite adept at using the bully pulpit to exhort, to inspire, to persuade. Through his efforts, all member states accepted R2P at the World Summit in 2005.

You mentioned 9/11 and the War on Terror as among the major challenges facing the UN during Annan’s time in office. How did he approach those challenges?

Kofi Annan recognized that terrorism must be countered with both short-term and long-term measures. The underlying roots of terrorism had to be addressed. Annan played a critical role in the UN developing its first global counter-terrorism strategy. Because of his emphasis on human rights, he always stressed that human rights should not be sacrificed in the war against terrorism.

The War in Iraq brought Annan into a headlong collision with the United States. He tried unsuccessfully to persuade the U.S. administration from invading Iraq without Security Council approval, hard evidence, and international legal justification. But after the invasion, he felt it was important for the UN to help in Iraq’s reconstruction. 

Annan said that the Iraq War was his darkest moment as Secretary-General, because it could not be stopped. Looking back now at the tremendous loss of life and impact on regional stability, I think Annan had a reasonable claim to prescience.

Another issue that rose in prominence during Annan’s tenure was climate change. How did Annan approach the problem?

Annan recognized at the very outset of his Secretary-Generalship that climate change was an existential threat to the international community. He pushed for the ratification of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and advocated for a longer-term strategy when the Protocol expired.

When Annan delivered The Fletcher School’s Commencement address in 2001, he focused on the theme of climate change. He told the new graduates that climate change would be the greatest challenge of their generation. He rejected the false choice between ecology and economy, arguing that without dealing with climate change, we would not have sustained economic growth.

As a Fletcher alumnus, was Annan’s address at Fletcher especially resonant with you?

I was delighted that Kofi Annan spoke at Fletcher. It was a significant address, highlighting his skill as a communicator. He believed that critical global issues were problems without passports, requiring blueprints without borders.

There are a number of Fletcher graduates who work in the UN system, and we had a few Fletcher graduates who were my colleagues in the executive office of the Secretary-General. The preparation and the focus I had in international law and organization as a Fletcher student stood me in good stead to work in the UN, both in peacekeeping and in Kofi Annan’s office. 

Teaching at Fletcher now, how does your experience at the UN benefit today’s students?

Coming back to Fletcher as a faculty member, I've come full circle. I think the ability to connect theory with practice is an asset. Fletcher students respond to concrete and practical examples of what happens in the world. When teaching at Fletcher, I draw from experiences in the field, from three peacekeeping operations in North Macedonia, Haiti, and Bosnia, and from the years that I spent on the 38th floor with the Secretary-General.

Having been a Fletcher student myself, I am able to relate to students’ hopes and aspirations. Fletcher has students of great capacity, who are determined to make a difference in the world. I am sure there are students who will rise to the challenges of their own generation.