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From Africa Recovery, New Releases, July 2001

Africa applauds Annan's record and re-election as UN head

By Staff Reporter

New York -- Africa has joined other regions of the world in applauding the unanimous election of Mr. Kofi Annan to a second term as UN Secretary-General ­ embracing him both as a global statesman and as an advocate for the continent in the global economic and political system. Speaking on behalf of the African ambassadors at the UN, Nigerian Chief Representative Arthur Mbanefo said of the Ghanaian-born international civil servant, "We in Africa are very proud of this African son."

On 26 March the Quotidian du Maroc, like other African newspapers, responded to the announcement of Mr. Annan's candidacy by endorsing his first term achievements, crediting him with "the shake-up of the UN bureaucracy, imposing reforms and opening the UN up to organs of civil society, and undertaking revisions of the peacekeeping department after acknowledging failure in Rwanda and Bosnia." The Ugandan Monitor opined that Mr. Annan "is a very different African" leader who derived his power "from moral authority, which is far more potent than that gained from soldiers with guns."

Other reports focused on the challenges Mr. Annan will face in his second term, including attempts to end Africa's multiple conflicts, mobilize international assistance in the fight against AIDS and reverse Africa's marginalization in the world economy. The chairman of the Organization of African Unity, Togo President Gnassingbé Eyadema, told reporters that Mr. Annan's appointment was an honour for Africa "and comes at a critical time, at the birth of the African Union," which replaces the OAU as the confederation of African states.

However great the difficulties ahead, African editorial writers were virtually unanimous in their view that the best person to meet them was Mr. Annan. "We doff our hats to Secretary-General Kofi Annan for a well deserved honour," Sierra Leone's Standard Times enthused on 4 July. His re-election was "one of the best things that ever happened to Africa." A Ghanaian newspaper, the Accra Mail, declared that Mr. Annan "stands out as one of those rare success stories" and called on Ghana's school system to "produce many more Kofi Annans in other fields." The Burkina Faso newspaper Sidwaya praised the newly elected Secretary-General as "a diplomat with initiative and good will," while South Africa's Business Day pointed to Mr. Annan's positions on human rights, peacekeeping, environmental issues and UN reform, and termed him the "moral compass" of the world body.

Mr. Annan's 29 June appointment marks a third consecutive term for an African as Secretary-General, beginning with the appointment of Egyptian Foreign Minister Boutros Boutros-Ghali to a single term in 1992, followed by Mr. Annan in 1997. The top UN job is traditionally rotated between regions every 10 years, but Asia waived its claim to the post in the face of overwhelming support for the 63-year-old diplomat's reappointment among both industrialized and developing countries.

Mr. Annan is the first UN staff member to be named Secretary-General, joining the World Health Organization in 1962 as a budget officer. He rose through the ranks to serve as assistant secretary general for peacekeeping operations in 1993-4 and under secretary general from 1994-96.

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