“If tomorrow, we were to have another Rwanda, what would the international community do?” Kofi Annan, former U.N. secretary-general, asked. “(Peace is) the norm we want to protect.”
About 1,800 students, faculty, alumni and community members filled the auditorium to hear Annan deliver the second annual Luskin Lecture for Thought Leadership at UCLA.
Originally from Ghana, Annan served as secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006, after working in lower ranks of the organization since the 1970s. He led the United Nations through major world conflicts like the Iraq war and genocide in Darfur.
After Annan took the stage on Thursday, he discussed his time leading the United Nations, the importance of young people’s involvement in making change and global conflicts like the ongoing civil war in Syria, where there is tension between loyal government forces and those trying to overthrow it.
Annan went on to describe the difficulties of working to resolve the situation in Syria, the issue he said keeps him up at night.
“We don’t have (cooperation) in a place like Syria,” he said. “the international community is divided (on the issue), and it’s extremely difficult.”
Annan closed his lecture by emphasizing key points to any successful international collaboration on conflict: peace, structural development and respect for human rights.
Laura Ling, a UCLA alumna and prominent television journalist, moderated a discussion immediately after Annan’s speech, using questions submitted online through the UCLA College of Letters and Science. Ling posed questions primarily about war, peace, his mistakes as a leader and the future of the United Nations.
Annan said the U.N. Security Council currently reflects the world of 1945 and that he wished he had succeeded in reforming the council to accommodate more modern political realities.
Annan said he thinks that in situations of international concern – like Syria – it is better for the international community to intervene early and “nip it in the bud.”
“If you leave it too late, it becomes almost impossible (to intervene effectively),” Annan said.
During the discussion with Ling, Annan said he is not in favor of targeted assassination tactics like drones, which have recently been a source of controversy after President Barack Obama’s drone strike program gained attention.
He said it is also important to address broader issues like climate change, as well as humanitarian crises.
“The world changes, and we have to change with it,” he said.
Despite the gravity of the topics discussed, the atmosphere remained friendly as the audience laughed several times throughout the night.
The event was free for students, who made up half of the total audience.
“I received the email (about the event) after math class, and went straight to the (Central Ticketing Office),” said Adam Zhang, a first-year mathematics student, with a smile.
Shipra Mahajan, a graduate student of financial engineering at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, was working on an assignment due today, but set it aside for an hour to hear Annan speak.
Mahajan said that while some of Annan’s points about peace were generally to be expected, she enjoyed the lecture.
“It’s the way he understands things,” Mahajan said. “He really can connect with people from different cultures.”
Ling closed out the discussion by asking Annan’s advice for the students in attendance.
“You will make mistakes, but explore and follow your dreams,” Annan said to the students in the audience. “Act locally, but think globally.”
Kofie Annan is a fucking dumbass.