On September 23rd, IPI in partnership with the Kofi Annan Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and International Crisis Group cohosted the inaugural event in the Kofi Annan Lecture Series featuring H.E. Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados.

The Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Q.C., M.P., became Barbados’ eighth and first female Prime Minister on May 25, 2018. In 2022, Mia Mottley was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people. From poverty to climate change, she is internationally recognized for her leadership on pressing global issues.

At IPI, Prime Minister Mottley spoke to a combined in–person and virtual audience of over 2,000. Her speech honored Kofi Annan’s legacy and examined some of the greatest challenges facing leaders today, including the pandemic, the climate and energy crisis, and a growing deficit of trust. H.E. Mia Mottley called for social and economic inclusion, debt relief instruments, and a new “truly inclusive” international system. 

Her speech imparted the importance of Kofi Annan’s deeply held values: collective responsibility, global solidarity, rule of law, mutual accountability, and multilateralism. “The lessons from Kofi Annan’s life and work, actions, and words speak clearly to us, here and now,” she concluded. “We know what we need to do as a global community.”

The series provides an opportunity for leaders to set out new ideas and agendas for international cooperation and diplomacy, recalling Secretary-General Annan’s role in championing rules-based cooperation and sustainable solutions.

Welcome Remarks:
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, IPI President and CEO
Nane Annan, Wife of His Excellency the late Kofi Annan, Member of the Board of Directors of the Kofi Annan Foundation
Mark Malloch-Brown, President of the Open Society Foundations

Featured Speaker:
H.E. Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados

Concluding Remarks:
Comfort Ero, President of International Crisis Group
The Honorable Kevin Rudd, Former Prime Minister of Australia, Chair of the IPI Board of Directors