Javier Pérez de Cuéllar

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
Pérez de Cuéllar in 1982
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
Born	Javier Felipe Ricardo Pérez de Cuéllar Guerra 19 1, 1920
Birthplace	Lima, Peru
Died	Template:Death date and age Lima, Peru
Nationality	Peruvian
Occupation	Diplomat, politician
Known for	Fifth Secretary-General of the United Nations; Prime Minister of Peru
Spouse(s)	Template:Plainlist
Awards	Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation (1987)

Javier Felipe Ricardo Pérez de Cuéllar Guerra (19 January 1920 – 4 March 2020) was a Peruvian diplomat and politician who served as the fifth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1 January 1982 to 31 December 1991. Born in Lima, Peru, he rose through the ranks of his country's foreign service to become one of the most consequential international figures of the late twentieth century, guiding the United Nations through the final decade of the Cold War and presiding over diplomatic efforts to resolve some of the era's most intractable conflicts, including the Iran–Iraq War, the question of Namibian independence, the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the Gulf War. After leaving the United Nations, Pérez de Cuéllar returned to Peruvian politics, serving as Prime Minister of Peru and Minister of Foreign Relations from November 2000 to July 2001, during the transitional government of President Valentín Paniagua. His career spanned more than six decades in diplomacy and public service. He was a member of the Club of Madrid, an organization of former heads of state and government dedicated to strengthening democratic governance, and the Inter-American Dialogue. He died in Lima on 4 March 2020 at the age of 100.

Early Life

Javier Felipe Ricardo Pérez de Cuéllar Guerra was born on 19 January 1920 in Lima, the capital of Peru. He was raised in Lima during a period of significant political and social transformation in Peru. The Pérez de Cuéllar family was part of the Peruvian upper-middle class, and Javier grew up in an environment that valued education, culture, and public service.

From a young age, Pérez de Cuéllar demonstrated an interest in law and international affairs. He pursued studies at the Catholic University of Peru (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú) in Lima, where he studied law. His legal education provided the foundation for what would become a distinguished career in diplomacy and international relations. He entered the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1940, beginning his career in the foreign service at the age of 20. This early entry into the diplomatic profession placed him on a trajectory that would eventually lead to the highest post in international diplomacy.

Career

Early Diplomatic Career

Pérez de Cuéllar joined the Peruvian diplomatic service in 1940 and steadily advanced through a series of postings both within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lima and at Peruvian embassies and missions abroad. His early career was marked by assignments that gave him broad exposure to multilateral diplomacy and bilateral relations across multiple continents.

He served as Peru's ambassador to Switzerland from 1964 to 1966, a posting that provided him with experience in the diplomatic environment of Geneva, where numerous international organizations maintained their headquarters. He subsequently served as Peru's ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1969 to 1971, during the height of the Cold War. This posting gave him direct insight into the political dynamics of one of the two superpowers, experience that would prove invaluable during his later tenure at the United Nations. He also served as Peru's ambassador to Venezuela from 1977 to 1979.

In addition to his bilateral ambassadorial roles, Pérez de Cuéllar became increasingly involved in multilateral diplomacy at the United Nations. He served as Peru's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and participated in the work of the United Nations Security Council. His reputation as a skilled, patient, and discreet negotiator grew during these years, earning him the respect of colleagues from across the political spectrum and the developing world in particular.

In 1979, Pérez de Cuéllar was appointed as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, a role in which he was tasked with mediating the complex situation surrounding the Soviet military involvement in that country. This high-profile assignment further raised his international profile and demonstrated his capacity for handling sensitive geopolitical issues.

Secretary-General of the United Nations (1982–1991)

On 1 January 1982, Pérez de Cuéllar succeeded Kurt Waldheim as the fifth Secretary-General of the United Nations. His selection came after a protracted and difficult selection process in which several candidates were blocked by vetoes from permanent members of the Security Council. Pérez de Cuéllar emerged as a consensus candidate, in part because of his reputation as a quiet, effective diplomat who avoided public grandstanding and sought pragmatic solutions to disputes.

His two five-year terms as Secretary-General, spanning from 1982 to 1991, coincided with the final decade of the Cold War, a period of both enormous danger and historic transformation in international relations. Pérez de Cuéllar's tenure was defined by his engagement with numerous major international crises and conflicts.

The Iran–Iraq War

One of the most prolonged conflicts during Pérez de Cuéllar's tenure was the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988). The Secretary-General invested significant diplomatic effort in attempting to bring the belligerents to the negotiating table. The war, which caused hundreds of thousands of casualties and devastated both countries, proved resistant to mediation for many years. The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 598 in July 1987, calling for an immediate ceasefire. Pérez de Cuéllar played a role in the diplomatic process that ultimately led to the acceptance of the ceasefire by both Iran and Iraq in 1988.

Namibian Independence

The question of Namibian independence from South Africa was another major issue during Pérez de Cuéllar's time in office. The process was complicated by the broader geopolitical dynamics of the Cold War in southern Africa, including the involvement of Cuban forces in neighboring Angola. Pérez de Cuéllar supported the negotiations that culminated in the Tripartite Accord of 1988, which linked the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola with the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 435, providing for Namibian independence. The United Nations Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG) was deployed to oversee the transition, and Namibia achieved independence on 21 March 1990, one of the signature achievements of Pérez de Cuéllar's tenure.

Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan

Pérez de Cuéllar also oversaw United Nations efforts related to the Soviet–Afghan War. Building on his earlier experience as the UN Special Representative for Afghanistan, he supported the mediation efforts of his personal representative, Diego Cordovez, which contributed to the Geneva Accords of April 1988. These accords provided the framework for the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan, which was completed in February 1989. The achievement was a significant moment in the winding down of the Cold War.

The Western Sahara Conflict

The Secretary-General engaged in efforts to address the Western Sahara conflict, the long-running dispute between Morocco and the Polisario Front over the territory of Western Sahara. Pérez de Cuéllar worked to develop a settlement plan that envisaged a referendum allowing the people of Western Sahara to choose between independence and integration with Morocco. While a ceasefire was achieved in 1991 and the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) was established, the referendum itself was never held, and the conflict remained unresolved after his departure.

The Cyprus Problem

The Cyprus problem, the division of the island between the Greek Cypriot south and the Turkish-controlled north following the 1974 Turkish invasion, was another issue on which Pérez de Cuéllar invested diplomatic capital. He convened and facilitated negotiations between the leaders of the two communities, though a comprehensive settlement proved elusive during his tenure.

The Gulf War

In 1990–1991, Pérez de Cuéllar was confronted with the Gulf War following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. The Secretary-General engaged in last-minute diplomatic efforts to avert military action, including a personal meeting with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Baghdad in January 1991. These efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, and a United States-led coalition launched Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait. The crisis tested the capacity of the United Nations to respond to aggression and demonstrated both the possibilities and the limitations of the Secretary-General's role as a mediator.

The Rainbow Warrior Affair

Pérez de Cuéllar was also involved in the resolution of the Rainbow Warrior affair, the 1985 bombing of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior by French intelligence agents in Auckland, New Zealand. The Secretary-General served as an arbitrator in the dispute between France and New Zealand over the fate of the two French agents who had been convicted in connection with the bombing. His ruling addressed the competing claims of the two governments and sought to provide a framework for resolving the diplomatic crisis.

The End of the Cold War

More broadly, Pérez de Cuéllar's second term witnessed the dramatic transformation of the international order with the end of the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Secretary-General navigated these changes and the emerging conflicts that accompanied them, including the opening of the Croatian War of Independence in 1991, which marked the beginning of the violent breakup of Yugoslavia. As his term drew to a close, the United Nations was beginning to grapple with a new set of challenges in a post-Cold War world.

Pérez de Cuéllar was succeeded as Secretary-General on 1 January 1992 by Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt.

Return to Peruvian Politics

After leaving the United Nations, Pérez de Cuéllar returned to Peru and entered domestic politics. In 1995, he ran as a presidential candidate against incumbent President Alberto Fujimori, but was defeated in the election. Despite the loss, he remained a respected figure in Peruvian public life.

In 2000, following the collapse of the Fujimori government amid corruption scandals and human rights controversies, Pérez de Cuéllar was called upon to serve in the transitional government. On 22 November 2000, he was appointed Prime Minister of Peru and simultaneously Minister of Foreign Relations under President Valentín Paniagua. He served in these roles until 28 July 2001, succeeding Federico Salas as Prime Minister and Fernando de Trazegnies as Minister of Foreign Relations. He was succeeded as Prime Minister by Roberto Dañino and as Foreign Minister by Diego García-Sayán.

His tenure as Prime Minister was focused on restoring democratic governance and institutional integrity to Peru after the turbulence of the final Fujimori years. The transitional government prepared the ground for new democratic elections, which were held in 2001.

Later Diplomatic Service

Following his service as Prime Minister, Pérez de Cuéllar served as Peru's ambassador to France from 2001 to 2004. This posting represented a return to the bilateral diplomacy that had characterized the earlier phase of his career and reflected the high esteem in which he continued to be held by Peruvian governments.

Personal Life

Pérez de Cuéllar was married twice. His first marriage was to Yvette Roberts-Darricau in 1947; the couple divorced in 1975. He subsequently married Marcela Temple Seminario in 1975; she died in 2013.

Pérez de Cuéllar was known for his reserved, courteous, and understated personal style, which complemented his diplomatic approach. He was multilingual, fluent in Spanish, French, and English, capabilities that served him throughout his international career.

He was a member of the Club of Madrid, an independent organization of former heads of state and government that works to strengthen democratic governance and leadership around the world. He was also a member of the Inter-American Dialogue, an organization focused on Western Hemisphere affairs.

Pérez de Cuéllar lived to the age of 100. He died on 4 March 2020 in Lima, Peru. His death was reported by the Peruvian newspaper El Comercio, which described him as an "illustrious diplomat."

Recognition

Throughout his career, Pérez de Cuéllar received numerous honors and awards in recognition of his contributions to international diplomacy and peace. He was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation in 1987, during his tenure as Secretary-General, in recognition of his efforts to mediate conflicts and promote peaceful resolutions to international disputes.

His role in the Namibian independence process, the mediation of the Iran–Iraq War ceasefire, and his facilitation of the Geneva Accords on Afghanistan were cited as among his most significant diplomatic achievements. He was also recognized for his efforts during the Gulf War crisis, even though the diplomatic efforts to avert military action were not successful.

As a member of the Club of Madrid, Pérez de Cuéllar continued to be recognized as an elder statesman who contributed to discussions on democratic governance and international cooperation after his departure from formal office.

Legacy

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar is remembered as a diplomat who brought a quiet, methodical, and patient approach to the resolution of international conflicts during one of the most consequential decades in modern history. His tenure as Secretary-General of the United Nations coincided with the final phase of the Cold War and the emergence of a new international order, and he navigated these transformations with a style that contrasted with the more public diplomacy of some of his predecessors and successors.

His role in the Namibian independence process stands as one of the enduring achievements of United Nations diplomacy in the late twentieth century. The successful implementation of Resolution 435, overseen during his tenure, demonstrated the capacity of the organization to facilitate decolonization and self-determination when the political conditions were favorable.

In Peru, Pérez de Cuéllar is remembered both for his international career and for his service during a critical moment of democratic transition. His willingness to serve as Prime Minister during the post-Fujimori transitional government reflected his commitment to his country's democratic institutions.

As the first Latin American to serve as Secretary-General of the United Nations, Pérez de Cuéllar opened a path for future leaders from the developing world in international organizations. His career demonstrated the potential for skilled diplomats from smaller nations to play central roles in the management of global affairs.

Collins English Dictionary includes an entry for Pérez de Cuéllar, a recognition of his prominence in the English-speaking world as well.

His centenarian lifespan, from 1920 to 2020, encompassed nearly the entire arc of the twentieth century and the opening decades of the twenty-first, making him a witness to—and participant in—many of the defining events of that era.