(CNN) -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is making his farewells; he steps down from the helm of the world body at the end of this month. As the seventh U.N. chief -- he served nearly a decade dealing with one global crisis after another.
We asked CNN.com readers to give us their appraisals of Annan's efforts. Here is a selection of their responses, some of which have been edited for length and clarity.
Mohammad Shibahi, Los Angeles, California
Kofi Annan is without doubt one of the best men ever to serve as secretary- general of the United Nations. Despite not having achieved much, his steadfast determination, his relentless courage and his tireless activism will be missed. I don't expect his follower to be half as good.
Lawrence Agbemabiese, Cergy St.Christophe, France
I give Secretary-General Kofi Annan very high marks, 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. He is one of the best secretary generals the United Nations has had so far.
Kiron Manuel, Ampang, Kuala Lumpur
Kofi Annan should never have been the secretary-general in the first place. The moment he took over the world fell into bad times. I hope the world will recover after he goes.
Chris Morey, San Luis Obispo, California
I give Kofi Annan the lowest marks possible. It was during his term at the helm of the United Nations that it went from being a legitimate world body to being a mouthpiece for anti-Americanism and incapable of action. In the meantime the United States has been paying 22 percent of the U.N.'s operating budget and is being chastised for following up on the U.N.'s hollow rhetoric in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.
Jimmy Heidelberg, Spring Lake, North Carolina
I feel that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has done an outstanding job. Faced with all the world problems, he did his job in a very professional and dignified way. It was and still is a very hard job being a world mediator and peace maker. We should have taken his advice before we went to war in Iraq.
John Sinclair, Jacksonville, Florida
Why has there been little or no reform in the United Nations during Kofi Annan's tenure? I believe it is another case of like father, like son. They are both corrupt to the core. Annan adds new meaning to the word "incompetent." People are still dying in Darfur, and the U.N. can't even bring itself to admit genocide is taking place there.
Sampson Ibeneme, Benin
Kofi Annan is a gentleman who, for the sake of office, failed to live up to his African values of courage and leadership. He missed his chances to denounce President Bush. Annan eventually became the number one international civil servant but, unfortunately, continued to see and take words from the West as his guide. His period of service at the U.N. is thankfully over.
Weldon Perry, Providence, Rhode Island
Overall, Kofi Annan maintained the status quo. The position he has maintained for almost 10 years has little leverage when dealing with the governments of the world. The days of expecting anything of consequence from the secretary-general or the United Nations are past.
Lawrence Matthews, Houston, Texas
Farewell, I wish him well. I believe the world is better because of him. He did the best he could, considering the politics and limited resources he had to work with.
Andy Lovas, San Francisco, California
I give him marks higher than our president. Diplomacy and politeness always trump force and presumed superiority.
Pierre Allard, Ottawa, Canada
I didn't expect much from Kofi Annan. I was happily surprised to see him, time and again, prove himself as a steady beacon of decency in a period which will appear in history as the turning point when Western civilization brought shame upon its own values and lost its moral credibility.
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