World Press Freedom Day 2017

Born in 1949 in Timor Leste, José Ramos-Horta dedicated his adult life to the fight for the independence of his country.  After independence in 2002, he served as Senior Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister and Defence Minister and President from 2007 to 2012. His role as mediator and peacemaker was internationally recognized with the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996. He began his career in journalism in 1969, while Timor-Leste was still a Portuguese colony. From 2013 to 2014 he was the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding  Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS). In 2014-2016 he was the Chair of the High Level Independent Panel on UN Peace Operations, to review UN peace and security mechanisms and Co-Chair, International Commission on Multilateralism (UN Reform). President Ramos-Horta is a committed advocate of human rights, child rights, poverty eradication and environment.