Chat & Chowder | Kofi Annan

Join us for this installment of our popular Chat & Chowder series, featuring Dr. Abiodun Williams, Professor of International Politics at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, to discuss his new book Kofi Annan and Global Leadership .

Chat & Chowder programs are an excellent opportunity to engage with expert speakers and to network with other globally-oriented participants in an informal environment. Each event features a presentation, audience Q&A, dedicated time for networking, and (of course!) a selection of chowders and beverages.

Thanks to the generous support of The Lowell Institute, Chat & Chowder is now free of charge for all participants (Zoom live-streams remain free as well). We sincerely appreciate The Lowell Institute’s commitment to our mission, as well as the support of our venue, Foley & Lardner LLP. Please consider helping sustain this work by making a contribution here.

This program will be streamed to Zoom from 6:15 to 7:15. To attend the program virtually, please register for the Zoom webinar here.

Advance registration is required. We cannot accommodate walk-ins for the in-person program.

Dr. Abiodun Williams is Professor of the Practice of International Politics at The Fletcher School of Law and  Diplomacy and The Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. He was also Director of the Institute for  Global Leadership at Tufts University from 2017 to 2022. Previously, he held leadership positions at thinks  tanks in the United States and Europe. 

From 2001 to 2007 Dr. Williams was Director of Strategic Planning to UN Secretaries-General Kofi Annan and  Ban Ki-Moon. He gained valuable field operational experience, serving with the UN from 1994 to 2000 in  peacekeeping operations in North Macedonia, Haiti, and Bosnia and Herzegovina in senior political and  humanitarian roles. He has held faculty appointments at the National Defense University, the Walsh School of  Foreign Service at Georgetown University and the University of Rochester.  

Dr. Williams has furthered his impact on international affairs and education through service on several boards.  He served as Chair of the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS), and as a member of the  UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, the World Economic Forum’s Global  Agenda Council on Justice, the Group of Senior Experts of the UN’s Human Rights Up Front Initiative, the  International Board of Directors of the United World Colleges, and the Lester Pearson UWC College Board of  Trustees. 

He is the recipient of several awards including the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award from Tufts University and the Constantine E. Maguire Medal from Georgetown University. He is the author or editor of  five books, including Kofi Annan and Global Leadership at the United Nations.

Kofi Annan was the most significant and influential Secretary-General of the United Nations. Kofi Annan and Global Leadership at the United Nations explores how Annan conceived his role as Secretary-General and exercised global leadership at a turbulent period in world affairs. It sheds light on the importance of leadership for the performance of a global institution. It discusses the challenges he faced during his tenure from 1997 to 2006 and how he dealt with them. It examines such issues as Conflict Prevention, Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding, the Millennium Development Goals, HIV/AIDS, the Responsibility to Protect, Human Rights, Climate Change, and Migration. It provides insight into how Annan led the UN during several international crises, including the terrorist attacks of 9/11, conflicts in Kosovo and East Timor, and the war in Iraq. It illustrates how he built partnerships with nonstate actors, including nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, universities, think tanks, and Nobel laureates in order to advance the UN’s mission without relying exclusively on state power and interstate cooperation. It recounts how he used the bully pulpit to articulate a global agenda, speak to a global public, and shape norms. The book charts Annan’s ambitious efforts to reform and adapt the UN to the needs of the twenty-first century.

WorldBoston's Chat & Chowder series features key authors on international affairs in an engaging setting. In addition to discussion of a featured book (usually sold at a significant discount), the program offers the opportunity for discussion among members and guests - and of course a selection of chowders and beverages. This Chat & Chowder will be hosted in-person (from 6:00 to 7:30PM ET) and live-streamed to Zoom (from 6:15 to 7:15 PM ET only).

Event Venue

Foley & Lardner LLP, 111 Huntington Avenue, Boston, United States