Kofi Annan
There are few people in the public sphere who can as effectively exhibit and promote planetary consciousness as the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Secretary-General in office since the 13th of December 1996 is the right person in this pivotal position. His actions, and even his thinking and personality, exemplify the kind of consciousness humanity needs to progress and develop sustainably and peaceably in the 21st century.
A native of Africa, the economically least developed continent, Kofi Annan is a professional diplomat who has spent the last twenty-nine years of his life in service at the United Nations. His decisions and actions in this role illustrate the depth and breadth of his thinking and his personality.
His handling of delicate peacekeeping and conflict resolution missions in the former Yugoslavia, Iraq, Nigeria, and Libya testify not only to high diplomatic skills, but to a deep understanding of the thinking, the values, and the priorities of the parties. His 1998 report to the Security Council on "The Causes of Conflict and the Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa" is a milestone for the international community in regard to commitment to this disadvantaged continent. And his championship of the rule of law, and of the universal values of equality, tolerance, and human dignity embodied in the UN Charter, has brought the United Nations closer to the people.
Kofi Annan manifests an equally advanced posture joined with deep understanding in regard to his staff. His efforts to improve the status of women within the organization are especially worthy of note. He continues to be an example of courage, consideration, and respect for people in all walks of life. Bridging the North-South gap also in his private life - with a spouse coming from one of the richest and socio-economically most advanced nations in the world, Sweden - Kofi Annan personifies the spirit that, in view of The Club of Budapest, constitutes planetary consciousness.
Given that this spirit is a vital factor in the sustainable development of the human family with durable peace on our precious planet, and that this quality seldom receives the recognition that it deserves - which is essential not only in view of doing justice to the achievement of its possessor but also, and even more importantly, in regard to the multiplier effect it has on those who are exposed to it - The Club of Budapest has nominated, and is herewith presenting, The Planetary Consciousness World Leadership Prize to His Excellency Kofi Annan, the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations.