Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga

Vike-Freiberga is President of the World Leadership Alliance/ Club de Madrid and former twice President of Latvia (1999-2007). She was instrumental in achieving membership in the EU and NATO for her country and was Special Envoy on UN reform. Vice-chair of the Reflection group on the long-term future of Europe, and chair the High-level group on freedom and pluralism of media in the EU in 2011-12. Member of two High-level groups on European security and defense in 2015. Member of the High-level Independent Team of Advisors to the UN Economic and Social Council Dialogue on UN development in 2016.

Born in Riga, she started her schooling in refugee camps in Germany, then lived in Morocco and Canada, obtaining a Ph.D. at McGill University (1965). Vike-Freiberga is a member, board member or patron of 30 international organisations, including the World Leadership Alliance, the Board of Trustees of the Nizami Ganjavi International Centre (Co-chair), and the European Council on Foreign Relations, as well as five Academies.