Kofi Annan in 2012. As secretary general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2007, he projected himself and the organization as the world’s conscience and moral arbiter, despite a series of failures and scandals.
Christoph Bangert for The New York Times
Kofi Annan: 1938-2018
Mr. Annan led the United Nations through a decade of turmoil that challenged the sprawling body and redefined its place in a changing world.