If globalization is to succeed, it must succeed for poor and rich alike. It must deliver rights no less than riches. It must provide social justice and equity no less than economic prosperity and enhanced communication.

Kofi Annan made this argument in the late 1990s amid intense debate over “globalization” following the end of the Cold War—debate sharpened by financial crises, widening inequality, and public protests that portrayed global markets as benefiting elites while leaving many behind. As UN Secretary-General, Annan sought to defend international economic integration while insisting it needed a human-rights and development foundation. The quote reflects his broader effort to align global economic governance with the UN’s social-justice mandate—linking trade, investment, and technology to labor standards, human rights, and poverty reduction so that globalization would be politically sustainable and morally legitimate.

Annan frames globalization as a moral and political project, not merely an economic or technological one. The quote argues that global integration will be legitimate and sustainable only if its benefits and protections are broadly shared—across nations and within them. By pairing “rights” with “riches,” he insists that human rights, rule of law, and social protections are as essential as growth, trade, and connectivity. The emphasis on “social justice and equity” signals a warning: globalization that deepens inequality or excludes the poor will provoke backlash and instability. In effect, Annan calls for a rights-based, inclusive globalization that couples prosperity with fairness and dignity.