Profile

Celso Lafer holds a Law degree from the University of São Paulo (1964) and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Cornell University, USA (1970). A lawyer, diplomat, politician, and Full Professor of Philosophy of Law at the University of São Paulo (1988–2011). President of FAPESP – São Paulo Research Foundation (2007–2015). He served as Minister of Development, Industry and Trade (1992), Minister of Foreign Affairs (2001–2002), and Ambassador of Brazil to the United Nations (1995–1998).

He is a Member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters (since 2006) and of the Academy of Letters of São Paulo (since 2015). He holds honorary doctorates from the University of Buenos Aires (2001), the National University of Córdoba (2002), and Lyon-3 University (2012). He was awarded the Portuguese Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry (2001).