Kofi Annan Quotes

We have got to put a human face on the global economy.

Few industries have the ability to transform society like tech, yet too few companies are asking the questions or working on the problems that would create meaningful social change.

We need business to understand its social responsibility, that the main task and objective for a business is not to generate extra income and to become rich and transfer the money abroad, but to look and evaluate what a businessman has done for the country, for the people, on whose account he or she has become so rich.

Putting people before profits is how we've tried to operate from the beginning.

We must ensure that the global market is embedded in broadly shared values and practices that reflect global social needs, and that all the world's people share the benefits of globalization.

The aim of a business is not simply profit, but to form a particular group at the service of the whole of society.

Leaders must be reminded that Businesses exist for the service of men.

An important priority for me is a business must get their own house in order. Be or become an agent of positive change in your own enterprise and adopt responsible practices to eliminate the risks that often lie at the root of inequality and poverty.

The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has long been used as an effective lens through which to examine the actions business can take toward ensuring mutual long-term well-being and sustainability.

I want to build businesses that are high quality, socially conscious, and for the people.

Globalization can be shaped to ensure that people matter.

What we are trying to do is to create a new business paradigm, simply showing that business can have a human face and a social conscience.

Consumers want a better world, not just better widgets.

We must take care that globalization does not become something people become afraid of.

Engineers in the developed world should be arguing not for protectionism but for trade agreements that seek to establish rules that result in a real rise in living standards. This will ensure that outsourcing is a positive force in the developing nation's economy and not an exploitative one.

We must create a kind of globalization that works for everyone... and not just for a few.

The companies that are the most influential and most successful are the ones that care about impact and the influence they have on the world.

Corporate responsibility extends not only to the customers, the resources and the workers of the present, but also to those of the future.

Capitalism has been interpreted as an exclusively profit-centric human engagement. Some have been saying to bring people and planet into the picture. This can be a good change, but it is still not fully operationalized. Are you putting people, planet and profit at the same level?

It's a full on job just looking for human social responsibility.

Understanding how your business affects human rights and using that knowledge to shape appropriate policies and practices is crucial to achieving what should be the goal of all corporations - sustainable growth.

What is good for society is also good for business.

I pretty much believe, as everyone in the B Team does, that business must succeed beyond the bottom line. More important than profits is how you get to them. Measuring financial earnings and losses only is definitely not enough and has led us astray from creating a better world for all.

The role of business is to provide products and services that make people's lives better - while using fewer resources - and to act lawfully and with integrity.

It took a generation for companies to recognise their responsibilities in terms of labour practices and another generation for them to recognise their environmental obligations.