Kofi A. Annan is the seventh Secretary-General of The United Nations (UN) and the first to be appointed from the ranks of UN staff. His priorities as Secretary-General have been to adapt the UN for the 21st Century through a programme of reform; to strengthen its work for peace and development; to advocate human rights and the rule of law; to raise global awareness of the AIDs epidemic; and to bring the UN closer to the public by working with a range of partners.

Read an excerpt from Kofi A. Annan’s guest essay on climate change and development.