Juan Manuel Santos Calderón

Juan Manuel Santos Calderón, President of Colombia from 2010-18, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016 “for his resolute efforts to bring the country’s more than 50-year-long civil war to an end”. His award recognised the key role he played in initiating the negotiations that culminated in a historic peace accord between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas, ultimately ending over half a century of conflict. Although the peace accord was narrowly rejected by a Colombian referendum, a revised version was later ratified by the Colombian Congress. 

After attending the University of Kansas as an undergraduate, President Santos studied for a Master of Science in the Department of Economics at LSE in 1975 and a Masters in Public Administration at Harvard Kennedy School. He became Colombia’s first Minister of Foreign Trade in 1991, and co-founded the Social Party of National Unity in 2005. He was subsequently elected President of Colombia in 2010.  

In 2016 President Santos made the first ever state visit by a Colombian President to the UK, during which he was invited by the Latin America and Caribbean Centre and LSE IDEAS to return to LSE to speak about the journey and future path to peace in Colombia in a lecture called The Legacy of Peace. 

In his speech to the LSE community and invited guests, President Santos explained how the surprising No vote in the plebiscite on the peace agreement had been used as an opportunity for a national dialogue to negotiate a new agreement with the FARC. He affirmed his commitment to creating a stable and long-lasting peace, so vital for his country, the region and the world, that satisfies the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable in Colombia. He also spoke warmly about his time at LSE and the formative role that the School had played in the ideas that have shaped his public life. 

Source: LSE People and LACC news article