Then: Secretary-General of the United Nations

Later: Chairman of The Elders

During his tenure as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006, Kofi Annan was a constant advocate for human rights, the rule of law, the Millennium Development Goals and Africa. His continued role in African development led to his invitation as a keynote speaker at the special initiative session in 2008. He later continued to support Salzburg Global as the honorary president of the Salzburg Initiative on Holocaust Education and Genocide Prevention, which he personally helped to “kick-start.”