Javier Perez de Cuellar Quotes

Javier Felipe Ricardo Pérez de Cuéllar Guerra was born in Lima, Peru. He is a Peruvian diplomat who served as the fifth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1, 1982 to December 31, 1991. He ran unsuccessfully against Alberto Fujimori for President of Peru in 1995 and following Fujimori's resignation over corruption charges, he was Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2000 until 2001. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1940 and the diplomatic service in 1944, serving subsequently as Secretary at Peru's embassy in France. He also held posts in the United Kingdom, Bolivia, and Brazil, and later served as ambassador to Switzerland, the Soviet Union, Poland, and Venezuela. He studied in Colegio San Agustín of Lima, and then at Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. He has written several books include: Pilgrimage for Peace: A Secretary-General's Memoir and Our Creative Diversity. In 1987, he received Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding. In 1991, U.S. President George H.W. Bush gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.