Dr. Vaira Vike-Freiberga is Co-Chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center and former 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 of 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 Team of Advisors to UN ECOSOC on UN development in 2016. Dr. Vike-Freiberga is a member, board member or patron of 30 international organisations, as well as five Academies; Honorary Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford University. She served as president of World Leadership Alliance/ Club de Madrid. She has published extensively and is much in demand as speaker. Recipient of many Awards, Orders of Merit and 19 Honorary Doctorates. 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). After a distinguished career as Professor of psychology and international scholar at the University of Montreal, she returned to her native country in 1998 to head the Latvian Institute. Less than a year later she was elected President by the Latvian Parliament and re-elected in 2003.