Iván Duque
Former president of Colombia, recognized for his young leadership and strategic vision. He inspires with his message of innovation and development, transmitting commitment to democracy and the future of his country.
Biography / Speaker Info
Iván Duque Márquez is a Colombian lawyer, professor, writer and politician, who was the 60th President of the Republic of Colombia during the constitutional period from August 7, 2018 to August 7, 2022. Born in Bogotá in 1976, he belongs to the right-wing Democratic Center party. His presidential administration focused on a government plan focused on three main pillars: Legality, Entrepreneurship and Equity, and was characterized by a strong commitment to innovation and economic development.
Duque has an extensive and solid academic background. He is a lawyer with advanced studies in philosophy and humanities from Universidad Sergio Arboleda. He complemented his education with master's degrees in International Economic Law at the American University and in Public Policy Management at Georgetown University. In addition to his academic experience, he worked for years in the international arena, serving as advisor to President Álvaro Uribe in foreign affairs and later as advisor to the United Nations Organization (UN) between 2010 and 2011.
His political career rose rapidly under the leadership of former President Uribe. In the 2014 legislative elections, he was elected Senator of the Republic, a position he held until 2018. During his time in the Senate, he stood out for promoting the so-called "Orange Economy" -the creative and cultural industries- as an engine for development, an issue that would later become a focus of his presidency and of which he is co-author of the book The Orange Effect.
During his term, his government faced significant challenges, including the National Strike of 2019 and 2021, and the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, managing to leave the country with a high vaccination rate and an important economic reactivation. At the international level, he was president pro tempore of the Pacific Alliance and the Forum for the Progress of South America (PROSUR). After finishing his presidency, Duque has remained active in the global public sphere through think tanks and his own center, the "Iván Duque Center for Prosperity and Freedom".
