11 inspiring things Kofi Annan said about education and youth leadership

Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family. ADDRESSING WORLD BANK CONFERENCE IN 1997

Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable human development. IN FOREWORD TO STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN, UNICEF REPORT IN 1999

Education is, quite simply, peace-building by another name. It is the most effective form of defense spending there is. ADDRESSING LEARNING NEVER ENDS CONFERENCE IN 1999

Study after study has taught us that there is no tool for development more effective than the education of girls... If we are to succeed in our efforts to build a more healthy, peaceful and equitable world, the classrooms of the world have to be full of girls as well as boys. Every year of schooling completed by them will be a step towards eradicating poverty and disease. IN MESSAGE TO GLOBAL EDUCATION CAMPAIGN EVENT IN 2003

Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams, clinics and factories. Literacy is a platform for democratisation, and a vehicle for the promotion of cultural and national identity. Especially for girls and women, it is an agent of family health and nutrition. For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right.... Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realise his or her full potential. MESSAGE ON INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY 1997

It is often said that education empowers girls by building up their confidence and enabling them to make informed decisions about their lives. For those of us who attend benefits such as these, that statement may seem to be about university degrees, income, or career fulfilment. But for most of the world's girls, it is about something much more fundamental. It is about escaping the trap of child labour, or the perils of going into the labour of childbirth while still a child yourself; about managing pregnancies so that they do not threaten your health, your livelihood or even your life; about ensuring that your children, in their turn, are guaranteed their right to education. ADDRESSING WOMEN’S HEALTH COALITION IN 2004

Once girls are in school, we must work to ensure that school prepares them for life, by developing curricula and materials, and by encouraging attitudes among teachers that emphasise the life skills these girls will need. And we must give them access to another skill they will need for life in the twenty-first century: the use of information technology, which has become an indispensable tool for learning, communicating and development. ADDRESSING WORLD EDUCATION FORUM IN 2000

There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children. IN FOREWORD TO STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN, UNICEF REPORT IN 2000

Despite significant progress in recent years millions of African children have never set foot in a classroom or owned a book of their own in their lives. When people are able to access education, they can break free of the cycle of poverty and contribute to building a fairer and more peaceful society. ADDRESSING 30th ANNIVERSARY OF BOOKS FOR AFRICA IN 2018

Young people – with their dynamism, their energy and their inherent understanding of our interconnected world – have much to teach us. Increased educational attainment, advances in technology and the spread of information have made this generation the best educated, most connected and most informed in history. ON INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY IN 2013

I talk to a lot of young people—their attitude, determination to make a difference, innovative spirit and desire to change things give me hope. ADDRESSING WE DAY VANCOUVER IN 2014