Kofi Annan on the Legitimacy of the United Nations

“When states decide to use force to deal with broader threats to international peace and security, there is no substitute for the unique legitimacy provided by the United Nations.”

Kofi Annan

Opening speech to United Nations General Assembly, New York, N.Y., 12 September 2002

Excerpted from: Shapiro, Fred, ed. The Yale Book of Quotations. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.