Kofi Annan Lecture Series

IPI, International Crisis Group, the Kofi Annan Foundation, and Open Society Foundations will co-organize the annual “Kofi Annan Lecture Series” in New York in September each year, around the time of the high-level session of the United Nations General Assembly, beginning in September 2022. These lectures will focus on issues that Secretary-General Annan prioritized including peacemaking, peacebuilding, and strengthening the international system.

The lectures will provide an opportunity for speakers 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.

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Recent Events

The 2024 Kofi Annan Lecture took place on the afternoon of September 26th in New York, featuring Maria Ressa, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and CEO of Rappler. As Rappler’s CEO, Maria has endured constant political harassment and arrests by the Duterte government, forced to post bail ten times to stay free.

For her courage and journalistic integrity, Maria has received numerous accolades. In October 2021, she was one of two journalists awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.” Read more>>

The first Kofi Annan Lecture took place on the morning of September 23rd in New York, featuring 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, she was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people.

From poverty to climate change, Mottley has cared deeply about critical issues impacting the world from a young age. She is a vocal advocate for responsible stewardship of the planet. At COP26 in Glasgow, she chided the world’s leaders for not working more diligently to limit the potentially catastrophic impacts of climate change. Read more>>

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Read the op-ed “Kofi Annan’s Lessons in Global Leadership” authored by the partners and published by Project Syndicate.