Motivation

Dominique de Villepin, a diplomat, scholar and intellectual, is a noble voice of high moral value. Since the time of his historic speech at the UN Security Council in 2003, with his lucid and courageous interventions on the events that mark our time, from Ukraine to Israel, to Gaza and beyond, he makes clear, without violent polemic, the whole dramatic international situation. His is a vibrant appeal not to resign oneself to the inevitability of war and the use of force; an appeal to the duty of truth in the face of the terrible events unfolding in many places on the planet; a continuous appeal to the right and duty to know, and not to look the other way, and find a diplomatic way to resolve conflicts; a powerful appeal to a universal conscience capable of recognizing that the tragedy of some is the tragedy of all mankind; and finally an appeal to action, knowledge and conscience to recognize the humanity that unites us.

Biography

Dominique de Villepin, born in Rabat, Morocco, on November 14, 1953 is a French diplomat, writer,
lawyer and politician. Bachelor in Arts and Law, wishing to pursue a diplomatic career, he studies at the
Institute of Political Sciences in Paris, and at the National School of Administration, where he graduates. Member of the Club of Madrid and Honorary Member of the Raoul Wallenberg International Foundation, he works for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1980 to 1995, during which time he is first assigned to the French embassies in Washington (United States) and New Delhi (India), and subsequently holds the position of Deputy Head of African Affairs (1992 – 1993) and Chief of staff to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (1993 – 1995). In May 1995 he becomes Chief of staff of the President of the Republic, a position he holds until May 2002 when he is appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Representative at the European Convention on the Future of Europe (2002 – 2004). As head of foreign policy, he was a strong advocate of multilateralism and with Jacques Chirac, the leader of the dissent against the Bush Administration and the war in Iraq. At the UN Security Council he delivers a speech so resolute that it earns him the applause of the representatives of the member countries hostile to the conflict. In 2004 he is appointed Minister of the Interior and in 2005 he becomes Prime Minister, a position he holds until 2007, the year his mandate expires. From that moment he leaves active politics. Chairman of Villepin International – a law and consultancy firm, he is also Honorary Chairman of the Foundation for Arts and Culture (Hong Kong) and a distinguished professor at CEIBS (China Europe International Business School) Dominique de Villepin continues to speak widely against foreign military intervention and the importance of respect of identities and cultures in our world through lectures and conference. He is a refined intellectual, keen on literature and especially poetry, who has published several books, including poems, historical, political and art essays, and a study on Napoleon.