Background
Alvaro Uribe was born in Medellin, as the oldest of five children. His father Alberto Uribe Sierra was a wealthy landowner. At the age of 10 his family left their Salgar ranch and moved to Medellín.
Entrepreneurs 2010 Award Ceremony. Former president of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, and President of everis, Fernando Frances, pose with the winners David Suriol, Raul Martin and David Jesus Yanez.
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with Alvaro Uribe Velez.
Simon Bolivar Award 2010
Alvaro Uribe was born in Medellin, as the oldest of five children. His father Alberto Uribe Sierra was a wealthy landowner. At the age of 10 his family left their Salgar ranch and moved to Medellín.
Having been the best student he was exempted from final exams and in 1970 he received a scholarship to continue his education in the university at the law school.
Uribe studied law at the University of Antioquia and he graduated in 1977. He was an honor student during his time at the university. In 1993 he took a course in administration and management at Harvard University Extension School.Between 1998 and 1999 he studied at St Antony's College, Oxford, England, on a British Chevening Simón Bolívar scholarship.
Uribe was a secretary-general of the Ministry of Labour from 1977 to 1978. Then he became the head of the department of civil aviation (1980-1982). In 1982 he was a mayor of his home city, and later he was elected as the member of the city council (1984-1986).
Uribe was holding the post of the governor of Antioquia department since 1995 till 1997. In 1984-1994 he was elected as the senator twice.
During the President elections in 2002, Alvaro Uribe overcame his rivals and became the President of Colombia.
Alvaro Uribe unlike his predecessors had taken real actions to reach peace in the country. Soon after having risen to power he started negotiations with the main guerrilla group “The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia”. A huge demilitarized buffer zone was created in the area of the tensest standoff. The world community took part in the negotiations. For the first time in the history of international negotiations the joint delegation of the government and the guerrilla left the country. The negotiations started between the government and the Army of National Liberation Army, the second most active and most radical armed group. The latest rounds of these negotiations took place in Havana.
In August 2010 he was appointed Vice-chairman of the UN panel investigating the Gaza flotilla raid.
Uribe will not be able to run again in 2014, as the Constitutional Court not only threw out the referendum, but declared Colombian presidents can only serve two terms.
Alvaro Uribe intended to stay his course aimed to liberate Colombia economics while having tight fiscal control from the government. He considers suppression of inflation, decreasing of budget deficit and unemployment to be the most important aims.