Module 10 Session 1 Materials
H.E. Mr. Francisco Rojas Aravena
Rector of the University for Peace
Francisco Rojas Aravena was elected as the 8th Rector of the University for Peace (UPEACE) in 2013. He was elected for a second term in 2018. Dr. Rojas-Aravena has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Utrecht (Netherlands) and a M.S. in Political Science from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), and specializes in international relations, human security, integration, Latin American political systems, negotiations – theory and practice – and international security and defence. He served as the Secretary-General of FLACSO (2004-2012) and Director of FLACSO Chile (1996-2004). Dr. Rojas-Aravena also served as Professor at the School of International Relations of the National University of Costa Rica (UNA) (1980-1990), Professor at Stanford University’s campus in Chile, Visiting Professor at the Andres Bello Diplomatic Academy (Chile) and a Fulbright Professor at the Latin American and Caribbean Centre (LACC) at Florida International University (USA). He is currently on the Editorial Board of several academic journals, including the Spanish edition of Foreign Affairs magazine (Mexico), Pensamiento Iberoamericano magazine (Spain), and Ciencia Politica magazine (National University of Colombia). Dr. Rojas-Aravena is a prolific author and editor and has published a large number of books, as well as contributed to book chapters, both within and outside of Latin America, many of which have been translated into other languages. In 2016, Dr. Rojas-Aravena received the Malinalli Prize from the Universidad Autonoma de Juárez (Mexico) for his contributions to the Latin American region. In 2012, he was honoured by the governments of Costa Rica, Paraguay, and the Dominican Republic for his contributions to the integration between Latin America and the Caribbean. Throughout his professional career, he has also conducted advisory and consulting work for various international agencies and governments in the region.
