Professor Federico Mayor is the President of the Culture of Peace Foundation and Chair of the World Forum of Civil Society Networks (UBUNTU), where he established the World Campaign for the Reform of International Institutions. During his tenure as Director General of United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) from 1987 to 1999, he launched the Program for a Culture of Peace, among other initiatives. During an extensive political career he has served as Minister of Education of Spain, Member of the European Parliament, Member of the Spanish House of Representatives (Congreso de los Diputados) and advisor to Spanish Prime Minister Suلrez.
Holding a doctorate in Pharmacy, Professor Mayor served in prominent faculty positions in the field of biochemistry. He co-founded the Centre of Molecular Biology in Madrid, was chair of the Autonomous University of Madrid, was the rector at the University of Granada, and conducted research at Oxford. More recently he chaired the European Research Council. Professor Mayor is the author of several scientific articles and books, including four books of poetry.