Kofi Annan is the consummate UN ideologue
“Let there be no doubt: there are some very basic standards of human behaviour, violations of which are simply unacceptable. Fundamental human rights are a product of human nature – indeed human life – itself.” (Kofi Annan, New York City, Oct.14, l997)
The UN’s depopulation activities belie this fine rhetoric. Pro-life people may get more insight into what they are up against at the United Nations by taking a closer look at “the man at the top” installed by the General Assembly on January 1, l997 to serve a five-year term. This important figure, overarching most UN activities, is Kofi Atta Annan, the seventh secretary-general, and the first to emerge from the ranks of the UN’s international civil service.
A 30-year veteran of the UN, Annan is also the first black African to serve as the world’s top diplomat. He is well skilled in the art of rhetoric, and has spoken out on nearly every subject of concern to the UN. Annan is not a scholarly man, but rather the ultimate bureaucrat, who has earned his way to the top. Now 60, he was born in Ghana as the son of a hereditary chieftain. While attending college in 1959, and serving as vice-president of the Ghana Student Union, he was spotted by a recruiter for a Foreign Student Leadership Project, and was invited to study in the U.S.
Coming to America as a 21-year-old economic student, he gladly accepted a two-year Ford Foundation scholarship to Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. (The Ford Foundation is notorious for supporting population-control efforts.) In l96l, Annan joined the UN, where he has worked for all but two of the last 37 years. In l97l, he earned a management degree from the Massachussetts Institute of Technology.
By l993, in a sure sign of his ascent through the UN bureaucracy, he was named head of the UN’s 80,000 peacekeeping troops in hot spots around the world, including Somalia and Bosnia. While in Geneva in l98l, he met Nane Lagergren, a Swedish lawyer working for the UN. They were married in l984 (his first wife died). They have three grown children from previous marriages.
The secretary-general has juggled UN tasks at every possible level, and has carried out many diplomatic assignments for the UN.
Annan has also been in managerial positions with the World Health Organization, served in the UN High Commission for Refugees in Geneva from l980-83, acted as a special envoy to NATO, and has influenced a whole plethora of UN groups and activities. He is now in an excellent position to change the world for good, but the world is not seeing much improvement. Wars and hate rage. And, the World Bank reports that one of every eight persons – about 740 million – cannot afford enough food to eat.
Since taking office, Annan has issued reams of sometimes-eloquent press releases describing the lofty goals of the UN. He speaks of the value of human life, human rights, peace and security of peoples. He wishes the UN to become the central government of the world.
But first, he wants “financial stability” for the UN, and strongly urges private donations as well as public ones. Many rich people, interested in population control, have signed on. But it never seems to be enough. The total operating expenses for the entire UN system is $24.3 billion a year (as of 1997). Paid staff number 54,000 worldwide.
In governing, the secretary-general places high value on achieving “consensus” among member states about the role the UN should play in its many fields of action. But, according to pro-life non-governmental organizations, this notion of “consensus” has been badly abused by some of his minions (such as feminists) at the many, grossly expensive UN conferences. The feminists publicly claim a “consensus” on issues that were in fact already decided beforehand.
Annan remains aloof from these manipulations, while tacitly approving of them. And, he never recognizes that depopulation of Third World countries has become a major focus of UN engagement.
The secretary-general performs many formal tasks. He presides over the General Assembly and is responsible for the prevailing philosophy of the numerous groups and agencies under the Economic and Social Council, including the hundreds of NGOs affiliated with ECOSOC. He sits on the Security Council, and renders advice on matters of world peace, with final decisions made by Council members. And, of course, he heads up the massive Secretariat.
UN literature from 1997 says the Secretariat numbers about 50,000 employees among home and regional offices, specialized agencies, and UN programs around the world. In February l997, a UN fact sheet reported that the budget for Secretariat operations in New York, Geneva, Nairobi, Vienna, and five regional commissions amounted to $l.74 billion per year.
“The Secretariat offices in New York alone employ about 4,800 people,” the fact sheet said. “These are economists, lawyers, editors, librarians, translators, and experts in many fields working behind the scenes.” All staff are called “members of the Secretariat.” Wages are tax free, but each person must allow a portion of his or her salary to be returned back to the UN General Operating Fund for their respective countries. Each member takes an oath not to obey any government.
The staff members’ work is augmented around the world by hundreds of NGOs, many of whom are simply paid functionaries who pretend to represent their local communities, but are, in fact, funded by rich individuals, foundations, or Planned Parenthood.
To assist him in “a major restructuring of Secretariat machinery,” Annan created the new post of deputy secretary-general. This position was awarded to a former Canadian UN Ambassador, Louise Frechette. Annan has given her the full authority of his office and has also put her in charge of rounding up delinquent dues.
As an assistant secretary-general, he appointed Malaysia’s Rafiah Salim, who now heads up the UN Human Resources Office. She led his task force on human resources management, which included “world experts” gathered by Annan from both the public and private sector.
The task force met in Algeria. But not all “experts” were civic leaders or prime ministers. More feminists were there. “Panel members met with Saida Behabyles, spokeswoman for the Algerian Alliance of Women’s Associations, along with a group of other women’s organizations,” reported the UN News, Aug. 5, l998.
Interestingly, Annan was awarded the Seoul Peace Prize in September. It came with an honorarium of $200,000. Despite the cry of poverty from the underdeveloped nations (including l8 African countries on the brink of starvation, according to the UN’s own records), the secretary-general decided to give this money to the UN Trust Fund for Preventive Action, which is used for “political initiatives such as the ‘mission’ of the panel of eminent persons to examine the situation in Algeria.”
The thrust of Annan’s “reforms” was again obvious when he chose Angela King of Jamaica to be his “special adviser on gender issues,” and ultra-feminist Mary Robinson of Ireland to be his high commissioner of human rights. These women joined a radical feminist already in power: Carol Bellamy, executive director of UNICEF, who rejoiced over the new three-agency “alliance” of UNICEF, WHO, and UNFPA (the Fund for Population Activities).
“We all worked so well together before!” Bellamy squealed. Nafis Sadik, the feminist doctor in charge of the Population Fund, joined her in the celebration. However, Sadako Ogato of Japan, the high commissioner for refugees, was on her way out of the UN when Kofi Annan begged her to stay. She did not wish to spend another five-year term (her third) due to “personal reasons.” Annan recommended an extension of her mandate for a further two-year period, so she stayed. Ogato noted that she now is responsible fors the care of 22.4 million people, and promised “to protect the refugees, the world’s most vulnerable people.”
Perhaps one of the most arrogant “ladies” of the circle is Catherine Bertini, executive director of the UN Food Program. She made this remark in the publication UN Highlights in July l998: “Food is power. We use it to change behaviour. Some may call that bribery. We do not apologize.”
Judging from his often-eloquent UN press releases, Kofi Annan espouses a Protagorean humanism with a decidedly pragmatic slant – that man is the measure of all things, and truth is relative. But, it is money that drives the UN engine!
In a 1997 UN press release, Annan attacked religion, calling it a force of fragmentation: “Religion and other exclusionary identities such as ethnicity, nations, and tribes must be confronted and restrained lest they destroy peace and progress.” Thus, he sees religion as another obstacle to be overcome. But then, diplomatically, and even enthusiastically, he joined in prayer with diverse nations and religions at an ecumenical prayer service in New York on International Peace Day, Sept. 9.
Kofi Annan speaks often of democracy at work in the UN. In truth, this is mostly operative in the General Assembly, and not in the UN bodies and agencies headed by so many of his appointees. They boldly advance their radical ideology with impunity, in high-ranking, high-paying jobs. The UN reported in l997 that it never had so many women in senior positions.
Kofi Annan is ever the diplomat. He speaks softly and smiles often. Interviewed on CNN recently, he urged payment of the U.S.’s late UN dues. When asked what he thought of the horrific number of abortions done through UN agencies, and why the UN was promoting abortion, he sloughed it off: “That’s only a social matter. It has nothing to do with raising money for the UN.”
In a UN press release May 5, Annan regretted that payment of U.S. arrears “remains uncertain due to an extraneous matter” – abortion. It is uncanny how heartless this pleasant, soft-spoken man is about the massive annihilation of preborn human babies under his leadership.
Most of the UN agencies over which this “man at the top” wields so much power and influence, are solidly anti-life. It is appalling that the world cannot stop the madness. And, it continues without benefit of any persons elected “by the people.” Ironically, the UN Charter begins with the words, “We the Peoples.” Yet, the UN continues to be run on humanistic, pragmatic principles.
(Millie Walker Trainor is a freelance writer living in Charlottetown, P.E.I.)
