Celso Lafer

Former lecturer at the Department of Philosophy and General Theory of Law at USP's Faculty of Law, Lafer was also Minister of Development, Industry, and Commerce in 1999, and Minister of Foreign Affairs on two occasions: in 1992, under Fernando Collor, and from 2001 to 2002, during the last two years of the Fernando Henrique Cardoso administration. He was also ambassador and head of the Permanent Mission of Brazil to the United Nations and to other international organizations based in Geneva. In 2006, Lafer was elected to occupy chair 14 of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, in the succession of Miguel Reale. He is also a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. Graduated in Law from USP in 1967, he earned his master's and doctoral degrees in Political Science from Cornell University in 1967 and 1970, respectively. In 1977 he obtained a degree in Public International Law at USP.