Secretary General of the United Nations (1997–2006). He was appointed UN Secretary General after the USA had vetoed a second term of office for his predecessor, Boutros Boutros‐Ghali. In February 1998 his intervention helped to prevent renewed war between the USA and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. He was re‐appointed for a second term in 2001. A supporter of the US war on terrorism in 2001, he subsequently broke with the USA over the 2003 Iraq War. He shared the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize with the UN. After retiring from the UN he continued to work for global peace and human rights. He was a member of The Elders from 2007 and its Chair from 2013.