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Mr Kofi A. Annan
Secretary-General
United Nations
As Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Kofi A. Annan has been
an advocate for Days of Tranquillity -- day-long truces used to vaccinate
children in countries in conflict. This proved particularly successful
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1999. To date, Days of Tranquillity
for polio eradication have been established in Afghanistan, El Salvador,
the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Tajikistan.
Mr Kofi Annan was born in Kumasi, Ghana, on 8 April 1938. He completed
his undergraduate work in economics, and later received a Master of
Science
degree in management from MIT. He joined the United Nations system in
1962 as an administrative and budget officer with the World Health Organisation
in Geneva. Since then he has served with the UN in Addis Ababa, Ismailia,
Geneva and New York. Before being appointed Secretary-General, Mr Annan
served as Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations (March
1993 - February 1994) and then as Under-Secretary-General (February
1994- October 1995; April 1996 - December 1996). The first Secretary-General
to be elected from the ranks of United Nations staff, Mr Annan began
his term on 1 January 1997.
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