Birth name: Kofi Atta Annan
Father: Henry Reginald Annan, provincial governor in Ghana
Mother: Victoria Annan
Marriages: Nane (Lagergren) Annan (1984-August 18, 2018, his death); Titi Alakija (1965-1983, divorced)
Children: with Nane Lagergren Annan: Nina (stepdaughter); with Titi Alakija: Kojo, Ama
Education: University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota, B.A. in economics, 1961; Attended Institut Universitaire des Hautes Etudes Internationales, Geneva, Switzerland, 1961-1962; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan Fellow, M.S. in management, 1971-1972
Other Facts
Was descended from tribal chiefs on both sides of his parents.
Had a twin sister, Efua Atta, who died in 1991. They shared the middle name Atta, which means twin in the Ghanaian language of Akan.
Was fluent in French, English and several African languages.
Studied at Macalester College on a Ford Foundation scholarship.
Was the first secretary-general to be elected from the ranks of the UN staffers.
Timeline
1962 – Joins the United Nations as a budget officer with the World Health Organization in Geneva.
1960s-1980s – Serves with various UN agencies, including the Economic Commission for Africa, the United Nations Emergency Force and the High Commissioner for Refugees.
1974-1976 – Leaves the United Nations briefly to serve as managing director of the Ghana Tourist Development Company.
1987-1990 – Serves as assistant secretary-general for Human Resources Management and security coordinator for the United Nations.
1990-1992 – Serves as assistant secretary-general for Programme Planning, Budget and Finance, and controller.
March 1993-February 1994 – Serves as assistant secretary-general for Peacekeeping Operations.
1994-1995 and April 1996-December 1996 – Serves as under-secretary-general.
December 1996 – Is appointed to be the next secretary-general of the United Nations.
January 1, 1997-December 31, 2006 – Serves as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations.
June 29, 2001 – Is appointed to a second term as secretary-general, beginning January 1, 2002.
2007 – Chairs the 10-member advocacy group, the Africa Progress Panel.
October 29, 2007 – Is appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Corporation, an organization which looks for resolutions to global issues.
January 13, 2008 – Accepts invitation from Ghana’s president, John Kufuor, to mediate an election dispute in Kenya.
March 1, 2008 – Is able to get Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga to agree on a power-sharing government.
December 7, 2008 – Annan, Carter and Machel release a report stating that Zimbabwe needs new leadership and call for more international aid for Zimbabwe’s sick and hungry. Their report is based on interviews with politicians, aid workers and others since they are not allowed in the country.
March 13, 2012 – In Turkey, Annan meets with government officials and Syrian opposition members including Burhan Ghalioun, chairman of the Syrian National Council.
April 12, 2012 – Annan tells the United Nations that Syria has not fully complied with the terms of the cease-fire, which was worked out in the March peace plan and went into effect on April 10.