Javier Pérez de Cuéllar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Javier Pérez de Cuéllar GCMG
Pérez de Cuéllar in 1982
Secretary-General of the United Nations
In office 1 January 1982 – 31 December 1991
Preceded by	Kurt Waldheim
Succeeded by	Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Prime Minister of Peru
In office 22 November 2000 – 28 July 2001
President	Valentín Paniagua
Preceded by	Federico Salas
Succeeded by	Roberto Dañino
Minister of Foreign Relations
In office 22 November 2000 – 28 July 2001
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Fernando de Trazegnies
Succeeded by	Diego García-Sayán
Ambassador of Peru
1964–1966	Ambassador to Switzerland
1969–1971	Ambassador to the Soviet Union and Poland
1977–1979	Ambassador to Venezuela
2001–2004	Ambassador to France
Personal details
Born	Javier Felipe Ricardo Pérez de Cuéllar y de la Guerra (1920-01-19)19 January 1920 Lima, Peru
Died	4 March 2020(2020-03-04) (aged 100) Lima, Peru
Political party	Union for Peru (from 1994)
Spouses	Yvette Roberts-Darricau ​ ​ (m. 1947; div. 1975)​ Marcela Temple Seminario ​ ​ (m. 1975; died 2013)​
Children	2 (by Roberts)
Occupation	Diplomat politician
Signature

Javier Felipe Ricardo Pérez de Cuéllar de la Guerra (born January 19, 1920 – died March 4, 2020) was an important diplomat and politician from Peru. He is best known for being the fifth Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) from 1982 to 1991. Later, he also served as the Prime Minister of Peru from 2000 to 2001.

Pérez de Cuéllar was a member of the Club of Madrid. This group includes former heads of state and government. He was also part of the Inter-American Dialogue.

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar's Life Story

Early Years and Education

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar was born in Lima, Peru, on January 19, 1920. He came from a wealthy family with Spanish roots. His father passed away when Javier was only four years old.

He learned French from a special teacher called a governess. In 1943, he earned a law degree from the Catholic University of Lima. He studied at Colegio San Agustín before that.

Starting a Diplomatic Career

In 1944, Pérez de Cuéllar joined Peru's diplomatic service. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in other nations. His first job was as a secretary at Peru's embassy in France. There, he met and married his first wife, Yvette Roberts-Darricau, in 1947. They had two children, a son named Francisco and a daughter named Águeda Cristina.

He worked in many countries, including Britain, Bolivia, and Brazil. He also served as an ambassador, which is a country's top diplomat in another nation.

• He was ambassador to Switzerland from 1964 to 1966.
• He served as ambassador to the Soviet Union and Poland from 1969 to 1971.
• He was ambassador to Venezuela from 1977 to 1979.

In 1975, Pérez de Cuéllar divorced his first wife. He then married Marcela Temple Seminario. They did not have any children together.

Working at the United Nations

Pérez de Cuéllar was part of Peru's team at the very first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in London in 1946. He also attended many other UN meetings.

In 1971, he became Peru's permanent representative to the UN. This meant he was Peru's main voice at the UN until 1975.

From 1973 to 1974, he represented Peru on the United Nations Security Council. This council is very important for keeping peace around the world. He was even its president in July 1974, when there was a big event in Cyprus.

In 1975, he was chosen as a special representative for the UN Secretary-General in Cyprus. He worked there until 1977. In 1979, he became a UN under-secretary-general for Special Political Affairs. He also helped with talks about the Soviet war in Afghanistan in 1981.

Becoming UN Secretary-General

Pérez de Cuéllar and Iranian president Ali Khamenei in Tehran, 1987

In December 1981, Pérez de Cuéllar was chosen to be the fifth Secretary-General of the United Nations. This is the top job at the UN, like being the chief diplomat for the whole world. He was so good at his job that he was chosen again for a second term in October 1986.

During his time as Secretary-General, he worked hard to solve many world problems:

• He helped bring peace talks between the United Kingdom and Argentina after the Falklands War.
• He supported efforts to bring peace to Central America.
• He helped with talks for the independence of Namibia.
• He worked on conflicts in Western Sahara and Cyprus.
• He also helped with talks during the war in Croatia.
• In 1986, he led a group that decided on the "Rainbow Warrior" incident between New Zealand and France.
• In 1983, he started the Brundtland Commission. This group worked to unite countries to find ways for sustainable development. This means meeting our needs today without harming the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
• Before the Gulf War, he convinced the US president to send a diplomat to talk with Iraq.

He finished his second term as planned on December 31, 1991. He decided not to run for a third term.

Later Life and Passing

Pérez de Cuéllar in 2008

After his time at the UN, Pérez de Cuéllar returned to Peru. He ran for president of Peru in 1995 but did not win.

Later, from November 2000 to July 2001, he served as Prime Minister of Peru and foreign minister. After that, he became Peru's ambassador to France in Paris. He retired from this role in 2004.

In 1997, Pérez de Cuéllar wrote a book about his time at the UN called Pilgrimage for Peace. He also served as Peru's representative to UNESCO until 2004.

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar celebrated his 100th birthday in January 2020. The United Nations sent him congratulations for reaching this amazing age. He was the first UN Secretary-General to live to be 100 years old.

He passed away at his home in Lima on March 4, 2020, at the age of 100.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar received many honors and awards from around the world for his work:

• 1987: Jawaharlal Nehru Award from India
• 1987: Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation from Spain
• 1989: "Golden Doves for Peace" International Award from Italy
• 1989: Olof Palme Prize for International Understanding and Common Security from Sweden
• 1991: Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour from France
• 1991: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of St Michael and St George from Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
• 1991: Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement from the United States
• 1991: Presidential Medal of Freedom from the United States, given by George H. W. Bush
• 1992: Freedom Medal from the United States

He also received many honorary degrees from universities around the world, including:

See also

In Spanish: Javier Pérez de Cuéllar para niños