reached the age of 100 on Sunday.
Born in 1920, Mr. Perez de Cuellar joined Peru's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1940 and the diplomatic service in 1944.
Thus, he served as a Peruvian Ambassador to different countries —including Switzerland, Poland, the Soviet Union, and Venezuela. In 1981, was elected UN Secretary-General —a post that he held between 1982 and 1991 and in which he played an outstanding role in the ceasefire negotiations of diverse international conflicts.
Over the course of a successful diplomatic career and during his 10 years as Secretary-General of the United Nations, his tireless work for world peace and solidarity among peoples has been recognized in his country of origin and around the world.
Visionary and staunch advocate of multilateralism, and as chief representative of the UN, he called on countries to work on the
protection of the environment and towards sustainable development, thus initiating the debate over an issue that nowadays deserves global attention.
In his letter, the Secretary-General said that Mr. Perez de Cuellar held such office with dignity and commitment starting in the 1980s and —indeed— through his last moments as Secretary-General in 1991 with the historic El Salvador peace accords, which were signed at the last minute of his term.
Antonio Guterres wrote that —as the United Nations now marks its seventy-fifth anniversary— "we, who work for the Organization today, strive every day to build on Mr. Perez de Cuellar's impressive legacy. We all wish him a happy birthday, indeed."
"In 2020 —as the
United Nations celebrates its 75th anniversary by convening a global conversation in order to raise ideas for building the future we want— Ambassador Perez de Cuellar continues to be a source of inspiration for the people and organizations committed to peace, development, human rights, the principles of the 2030 Agenda, and the
Sustainable Development Goals," the United Nations System in Peru said days ago in a congratulatory message to him.
During the transition Government of former Peruvian President Valentin Paniagua (November 22, 2000 — July 28, 2001), Mr. Perez de Cuellar served as Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.