Scots must play their part in new world order, insists Kofi Annan

Published on Friday 24 April 2009 22:07

KOFI Annan has urged Scotland to help build a stronger "global community" out of the current economic crisis.

In an interview with The Scotsman, the former UN secretary-general made a passionate plea for Scots to remember they live in the same world as people in poorer African nations.

And he called on Scotsman readers to lead less consumerist lifestyles and cut down on borrowing, to prevent a repeat of the economic crisis which has had an impact around the globe.

Mr Annan, who was visiting Kirkcaldy, Fife, said he was "frustrated" by lack of action to improve the economic situation for poorer countries.

"In today's world, we live in the same boat," he said. "One cannot be prosperous at the expense of the other. I think this (economic] crisis has brought that home much more forcefully."

Mr Annan, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, urged people to realise that the world was so "interconnected" that nations needed to work together.

"It's time for us to know that we are in this together and that we should not look at issues in our own national interest," he said. Often, the collective interest is also the national interest but we don't always realise that."

He added that he hoped the current economic crisis would help pave the way for people to lead more "responsible" lifestyles.

"When we come out of this crisis, things are not going to be as they were. People who got into debt because they borrowed and consumed are going to be careful in the future.

"And so you aren't going to have the model where people borrow and consume."

Earlier, while delivering the 2009 Adam Smith Lecture in Kirkcaldy, Mr Annan said the global meltdown had been brought about not just by the behaviour of bankers, but by everyone as borrowers and consumers.

"Actions in one place can quickly have an impact across the globe," he said. "Mortgage defaults in Florida and Fife are linked to health services in Tanzania and Togo."

Delivering the lecture, introduced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Mr Annan described how the plight of African nations had been made worse by the recession, even though they had played no role in the economic downturn.

"Africans had no responsibility for the meltdown, not even as borrowers or consumers," he said. "This is a crisis that has 'made in the North' stamped all over it."

He highlighted that there were estimates that capital flows to developing countries would drop this year by up to 80 per cent. Mr Annan added: "Demand for commodities has slumped, trade has decreased, credit has dried up, and construction and other projects are being postponed or scrapped."

And he said that Third World governments could not find the huge sums of cash to bail them out as their counterparts could in richer countries.

Just as some people in Scotland were feeling "bewildered, anxious and angry" about the crisis, Africans felt the same, he said.

Mr Annan called for Africa to be included in a global economic stimulus plan and said that the economic crisis could be an opportunity to "address some of the blockages" that have been constraining growth, trade and food security.

Investment in health, education and agriculture in Africa could yield social and economic dividends for the whole world, he said.

Discussion about global issues – but no mention of a politician closer to home

THE Scotsman was given the opportunity to interview Kofi Annan – on the condition that First Minister Alex Salmond was not mentioned.

However, it was decided that, as Mr Annan was visiting Scotland, it was The Scotsman's duty to ask Mr Annan about the First Minister.

The reporter spent most of the interview asking Mr Annan about his views on the global economic crisis and its impact on Africa.

When Mr Annan's public relations adviser signalled that it was time for the interview to come to an end, the reporter quickly mentioned Mr Salmond. But as soon as the words "Alex Salmond" were uttered, the adviser jumped up to stand in front of Mr Annan, and said: "No, that's fine, thank you very much."

The request not to mention Mr Salmond followed a row that erupted in January over the origin of Mr Annan's decision to come to Scotland.

Mr Salmond had claimed during a speech at a dinner that Mr Annan had written to him to say he would be visiting the country to give a talk about Robert Burns as part of the Homecoming festivities.

However, it turned out Mr Annan was actually coming to Scotland on the invitation of Prime Minister Gordon Brown to deliver the 2009 Adam Smith lecture.