Javier Felipe Ricardo Pérez de Cuéllar de la Guerra ( , ; 19 January 1920 – 4 March 2020) was a Peruvian diplomat and politician who served as the fifth
secretary-general of the United Nations
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...
from 1982 to 1991. He later served as
prime minister of Peru
A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only ways ...
from 2000 to 2001.
Pérez de Cuéllar was a member of the
Club of Madrid, a group of former heads of state and government, and the
Inter-American Dialogue.
Biography
Early years
Pérez de Cuéllar was born on 19 January 1920 in
Lima
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
,
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
, to a rentier family of Spanish descent with ancestry from
Cuéllar.
His father, whose ancestors had migrated from Spain in the 16th century, died when he was 4.
He attended
Colegio San Agustín, learned French from a
governess
A governess is a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching; depending on terms of their employment, they may or ma ...
and earned a
law degree
A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law.
Some law degrees are professional degrees that are prerequisites or serve as preparation for legal careers. These generally include the Bachelor of Civil Law, Bachelor of Laws, an ...
from the
Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in 1943.
Diplomatic career
Pérez de Cuéllar joined the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
in 1940 first as an intern, the diplomatic service itself in 1944, serving after that as a 3rd Secretary at Peru's embassy in France,
where he met and married his first wife, Yvette Roberts-Darricau (1922–2013), in 1947.
He also held posts in Britain, Bolivia and Brazil,
[ and later served as ambassador to Switzerland from 1964 to 1966, the ]Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
and Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
from 1969 to 1971, and Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
from 1977 to 1979. From his first marriage, he had a son, Francisco, and a daughter, Águeda Cristina.[
He was a member of the Peruvian delegation to the first session of the United Nations General Assembly, which convened in London in 1946,][ and of the delegations to the 25th through 30th sessions of the Assembly.][ In 1971, he was appointed permanent representative of Peru to the UN and led his country's delegation in the Assembly until 1975.][
In 1973 and 1974, he represented Peru in the ]UN Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
, serving as its president at the time of the Cypriot coup d'état in July 1974.[ On 18 September 1975, he was appointed ]Special Representative of the Secretary-General A special representative of the Secretary-General is a highly respected expert who has been appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General, Secretary-General of the United Nations to represent them in meetings with heads of state on critical huma ...
in Cyprusa post he held until December 1977, when he rejoined Peru's foreign service.[ Also in 1975, Pérez de Cuéllar divorced his first wife and married Marcela Temple Seminario (1933–2013),] with whom he had no children.
On 27 February 1979, he was appointed UN under-secretary-general for Special Political Affairs. From April 1981, he also acted as the Secretary-General's personal representative on the situation in Afghanistan; he visited Pakistan and Afghanistan in April and August of that year to continue negotiations initiated by the Secretary-General some months earlier.[
]
United Nations Secretary-General
In December 1981, Pérez de Cuéllar was selected to succeed Kurt Waldheim
Kurt Josef Waldheim (21 December 1918 – 14 June 2007) was an Austrian politician and diplomat. Waldheim was the Secretary-General of the United Nations#List of secretaries-general, secretary-general of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981 a ...
as Secretary-General of the United Nations
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...
; he was unanimously re-elected for a second term in October 1986.
During his two terms as Secretary-General of the United Nations
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...
, Pérez de Cuéllar mediated between the United Kingdom and Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
in the aftermath of the Falklands War[ and promoted the Contadora group’s efforts to bring peace and stability to Central America. In 1983, he initiated the ]World Commission on Environment and Development
The Brundtland Commission, formerly the World Commission on Environment and Development, was a sub-organization of the United Nations (UN) that aimed to unite countries in pursuit of sustainable development. It was founded in 1983 when Javier Pér ...
(WCED) to promote sustainable development
Sustainable development is an approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...
. He intervened in the negotiations for Namibia's independence,[ addressed the conflict in Western Sahara, and engaged in efforts to resolve the war between Croatian forces and the ]Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...
along with local Serb forces, as well as the Cyprus dispute
The Cyprus problem, also known as the Cyprus conflict, Cyprus issue, Cyprus dispute, or Cyprus question, is an ongoing dispute between the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot community in the north of the island of Cyprus, where troops of t ...
. In March 1986, Pérez de Cuéllar formally accused Iraq of using chemical weapons against Iran during the Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...
. Later that year, he presided over international arbitration in the ''Rainbow Warrior'' incident between New Zealand and France. During the build-up to the Gulf War
, combatant2 =
, commander1 =
, commander2 =
, strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems
, page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
, he facilitated negotiations that led US president George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
to send Secretary of State James Baker
James Addison Baker III (born April 28, 1930) is an American attorney, diplomat and statesman. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 10th White House chief of staff and 67th United States secretary ...
to meet Iraqi deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz
Tariq Aziz (, , 28 April 1936 – 5 June 2015) was an Iraq, Iraqi politician who served as the Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq from 1979 to 2003 and Minister of Foreign Affairs (Iraq), Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1983 ...
in Geneva.
Shortly before the end of his second term, he rejected an unofficial request by members of the Security Council to reconsider his earlier decision not to run for a third term, shortened to two years, as a search for his successor had not, as of then, yielded a consensus candidate. A suitable candidate, Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Boutros Boutros-Ghali (14 November 1922 – 16 February 2016) was an Egyptian politician and diplomat who served as the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1992 to 1996. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Boutros-Gha ...
of Egypt, was agreed upon in November 1991, and Pérez de Cuéllar's second term as secretary-general concluded, as scheduled, on 31 December 1991.[
]
Later life and death
Pérez de Cuéllar ran unsuccessfully against Alberto Fujimori for president of Peru
The president of Peru (), officially the constitutional president of the Republic of Peru (), is the head of state and head of government of Peru. The president is the head of the executive branch and is the supreme head of the Peruvian Armed ...
in 1995
1995 was designated as:
* United Nations Year for Tolerance
* World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War
This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
; following Fujimori's resignation over corruption charges, he served as prime minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
and foreign minister[ from November 2000 until July 2001.] After Alejandro Toledo
Alejandro Celestino Toledo Manrique (; born 28 March 1946) is a Peruvian former politician who served as President of Peru, from 2001 to 2006. He gained international prominence after leading the opposition against president Alberto Fujimori, w ...
's election as president in 2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
,[ he went to Paris as Peru's ambassador to France, retiring in 2004.][
In 1997, Pérez de Cuéllar published his memoir in which he recounted his years at the UN.][ He served as Permanent Delegate of Peru to UNESCO until 2004.
Pérez de Cuéllar celebrated his 100th birthday in January 2020 and received congratulations from the United Nations on his 100 years of life. He was the first UN secretary-general to become a centenarian.
Pérez de Cuéllar died at his home in Lima on 4 March 2020 two months after he turned 100.]
Honours and awards
* 1987: Jawaharlal Nehru Award
* 1987: Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation[
* 1989: "Golden Doves for Peace" International Award, issued by Italian research institute Archivio Disarmo
* 1989: Olof Palme Prize for International Understanding and Common Security]
* 1991: Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...
, French chivalric decoration
* 1991: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of St Michael and St George, bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
* 1991: Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement
The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a nonprofit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest-achieving people in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet one ano ...
* 1991: Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, alongside the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by decision of the president of the United States to "any person recommended to the President ...
, awarded by George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
* 1992: Freedom Medal
He received several honorary degrees from universities, such as the following:
References
Further reading
*
External links
Javier Perez de Cuellar papers
at the United Nations Archives
Official UNSG biography
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez De Cuellar, Javier
1920 births
2020 deaths
Ambassadors of Peru to France
Ambassadors of Peru to Poland
Ambassadors of Peru to Switzerland
Ambassadors of Peru to the Soviet Union
Ambassadors of Peru to Venezuela
Candidates for President of Peru
Cold War diplomats
Foreign ministers of Peru
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Members of the Inter-American Dialogue
Peruvian men centenarians
Peruvian democracy activists
Peruvian diplomats
Diplomats from Lima
Politicians from Lima
Peruvian officials of the United Nations
Peruvian people of Spanish descent
Pontifical Catholic University of Peru alumni
Prime ministers of Peru
Secretaries-general of the United Nations
Ambassadors of Peru to Russia
Peruvian Roman Catholics