Aug 25, 2026 · 40 min · 9 segments
Outgoing Executive Director of the Kofi Annan Foundation Corinne Momal-Vanian previously spent three decades serving with the United Nations. For her, the UN's founding values have always been a north…
Corinne Momal-VanianGuest
Melissa FlemingHost
Sérgio Vieira de Mello, who would unfortunately succumb to horrific injuries from the bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad years later.
It did because, uh, I, I knew other people, of course, uh, who, who passed.
Uh, uh, in those days, people said, you know, "This is, this is, uh, this was the September 11 moment for the UN." And I remember with, uh, with colleagues feeling very despondent that, uh, the UN had been directly targeted, and this is one of those shifts, you know, times when you think something is happening here and UN is becoming a target.
And of course, the UN had been very reluctant to go in, uh, to Iraq, and, and Kofi Annan had said very clearly that the invasion of Iraq in 2003 was not in accordance with the, w- in compliance with the charter.
He did, and, and it extinguished the lives and, and, and the hope, um, around, around the UN in being able to transform places that had been in, you know, has succumbed to, to conflict and, and...
And it's amazing that you were able to then go back with him and that you both found jobs-
Sérgio Vieira de Mello, who would unfortunately succumb to horrific injuries from the bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad years later.
It did because, uh, I, I knew other people, of course, uh, who, who passed.
Uh, uh, in those days, people said, you know, "This is, this is, uh, this was the September 11 moment for the UN." And I remember with, uh, with colleagues feeling very despondent that, uh, the UN had been directly targeted, and this is one of those shifts, you know, times when you think something is happening here and UN is becoming a target.
And of course, the UN had been very reluctant to go in, uh, to Iraq, and, and Kofi Annan had said very clearly that the invasion of Iraq in 2003 was not in accordance with the, w- in compliance with the charter.
He did, and, and it extinguished the lives and, and, and the hope, um, around, around the UN in being able to transform places that had been in, you know, has succumbed to, to conflict and, and...
And it's amazing that you were able to then go back with him and that you both found jobs-
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